Eco-Congregation Ireland (ECI) is a voluntary project encouraging faith communities of all Christian denominations to incorporate sustainability and environmental awareness into worship, property and finance management, daily living, community outreach and contact with the developing world.
ECI was initiated in 2005 by the Irish Inter-church Meeting. The Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian Church in Ireland and Methodist Church in Ireland are involved, as well as the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
Through their website, ECI provides resources, guidelines and examples for good environmental practice in four areas: Spiritual, Practical, Community and Global. ECI is an all-island organisation and the committee consists of representatives from each of the main Christian traditions. The representatives also liaise, in person, with faith communities who have registered with ECI and provide direct encouragement to them to make progress and to share their achievements with others.
Becoming part of the Eco Congregation is not intended to be an onerous process for faith communities. Help is available from the central committee and resources may be accessed via the website. Progress can be made at the pace appropriate for local circumstances and every step forward can be celebrated by sharing information in the ECI newsletter. With 85% of the world’s people identifying with a religion, faith communities can be a powerful force in driving environmental action. Seeking little victories can build momentum for bigger projects and learning from others in the network can be a source of inspiration.
There are many faith communities who have received accreditation and new applications begin each year. Projects undertaken by communities who receive certificates/awards vary according to factors such as location, resources available, local needs, traditions and expertise available. The projects can be as diverse as organising a ‘repair café’, harvesting surplus apples, education on the theology of creation care, prayer services, planting wildflower gardens, encouraging pollinators, cooperating with local environmental groups, sharing information on sustainability in everyday life, supporting projects in developing countries or contributing to public debate and campaigns for action on climate issues. To progress to the ECI Award, at least one project must be delivered in relation to each of the areas of Spiritual, Practical, Community and Global activity.
Action Steps to Progressing from Registration to ECI Certificates and Awards
Find a motivated individual or a team willing to lead
Environmental action needs at least one enthusiast but is best delivered through a team. The term ‘Green Team’ is often used but ‘Sustainability Team’ may be preferred as it incorporates broader concepts of long-term planning, intergenerational perspectives and global justice.
Complete the Registration Form with the Agreement of Faith Community Officers
Use our online form
or write to ECI, 45 Belvoir Drive, Belfast, BT8 7DH
or message +353899740744
Complete and Return the Environmental Check-Up to ECI
Use our online form
Faith Communities from The Methodist Church in Ireland should contact the MCI Representatives to ECI before completing the Check-Up Form. Contact details for the MCI Representatives
Receive the Awareness Certificate
Following receipt of the completed Check-Up Form, a member of the ECI Committee gets in touch with the Contact Person named on the Registration Form and, following that discussion, the Awareness Certificate is issued.
Develop an Action Planning, Monitoring and Review Process
Working in close cooperation with faith community leaders, the individual leader or team develops Action Plans for a project in each of the areas that ECI regards as environmental good practice: Spiritual – Practical – Community – Global. The projects could incorporate work that is already on-going but has not been analysed or documented from an Eco Congregation perspective.
The Action Plan might look something like this, with records of progress updated electronically or in hard copy:
| Area of faith community life | Goals | Resources needed | Action steps | Action by whom | Target date for start | Target date for completion | Progress achieved | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spiritual | ||||||||
| Practical | ||||||||
| Community | ||||||||
| Global |
Keep Records
Records might consist of folders (electronic or hard copy) containing orders of special prayers or services devoted to creation care, readings and reflections, PowerPoint presentations, notes of meetings and consultations, emails, etc.
Apply for the Endeavour Certificate
When at least one project has been completed in each of the four areas, an A4 summary of activities is submitted to ECI as an application for the Endeavour Certificate. This would normally be at least a year after registering with ECI.
Apply for the Award
When significant progress has been made, an application for the Award is submitted in the form of a one-page summary of progress. This would normally be at least two years after registering with ECI. A visit by two assessors is then arranged. They view projects completed, meet some of those who have participated in the activities, and view the records.
Apply for the Gold Award
To achieve the Gold Award, a congregation needs to show continued progress in each of the four areas of environmental good practice: Spiritual – Practical – Community – Global, and to mentor another congregation on their journey to an Award. Guidelines on mentoring are available from ECI for communities who are considering progressing to the Gold Award.
We look forward to hearing from you!