- What is the aim of Eco-Congregation?
- Who runs Eco-Congregation Ireland?
- What does Eco-Congregation Ireland offer?
- Is Eco-Congregation Ireland just about ‘green’ issues?
- How do I get my faith community involved?
- How much does it cost?
- How can we achieve Certificates, an Award and a Gold Award for our faith community?
What is the aim of Eco-Congregation?
Eco-Congregation aims to encourage faith communities to celebrate the gift of God’s creation, to recognise the interdependence of all creation, and to care for it in their life and mission and through the members’ personal lifestyles.
Who runs Eco-Congregation Ireland?
Eco Congregation Ireland was set up in 2005 through cooperation between the Roman Catholic Church, Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church, Church of Ireland, and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). The committee is voluntary and its current members are listed here.
What does Eco-Congregation Ireland offer?
ECI offers a variety of supports to faith communities:
- Resources –
These are designed to enhance the life and mission of your faith community - Information sharing through the monthly newsletter –
This includes reflections, stories of successes and challenges, information on where to go for practical help such as grant schemes, climate action officers, biodiversity officers, sustainable energy communities etc. - One-to-one communication –
Contact details for our administrator and committee members are here. They are glad to hear from you by email and will phone you if needed. - Accreditation to Certificate and Award standards –
The Certificates and Awards affirm faith communities’ good environmental work, and witness this to the local community.
Is Eco-Congregation Ireland just about ‘green’ issues?
Yes and no! The project was designed to help faith communities tackle environmental issues. But participating churches have reported that it also boosts faith community life and mission, links us to those who suffer most from the degradation of our fragile planet, contributes to community building, stimulates faith community life, and is enjoyable!
How do we get our faith community involved?
Use this online form to register with ECI. We will acknowledge your registration and you can then move forward on your ECI journey.
The next step is to use our online environmental check-up to identify what you are already doing, and to see what areas you could work on first. Contact us if you want advice!
How much will it cost our faith community?
Eco-Congregation Ireland resources (including the monthly newsletter) are available free of charge and there is no charge to register with Eco-Congregation Ireland.
How can we achieve Certificates, an Award and a Gold Award for our
faith community?
The first thing to do is to register with Eco Congregation Ireland.
You can then complete an Environmental Check-up online or in hard copy.
Once your team has done this, you can apply an Awareness Certificate.
You can continue your projects to progress towards receiving an Endeavour Certificate.
In due course you can apply for an Award. The Award is designed to recognise the environmental achievements of faith communities and witness these publicly.
We hope you will continue the work toward achieving a Gold Award. The Gold Award celebrates continuous progress, along with your willingness to mentor another faith community on their ECI journey.
For both the Award and the Gold Award, independent experts go through your application, visit your site, and meet your team. They assess the projects your faith community has undertaken in spiritual, practical, community and global-awareness areas.
When you apply for the Award and for the Gold Award, it is important to hold onto supporting evidence of activities in your faith community such as photographs of activities, your order of service, magazine articles, posters, and reflections from members. This makes it easier for the independent assessors to understand everything you have done.
Certificates are given for Awareness and Endeavour level achievements.
Plaques are provided for the Award and the Gold Award which are made from recycled wood.
More information about what each step entails is in the Guidance Notes for Faith Communities