Eco Ministry at Christ Church

Here at Christ Church we care deeply about God’s creation, and the impact that the Climate Emergency is making on our lived environment, both here in Flackwell Heath and around the world. We recognise the impact that human behaviour has had on increasing global temperatures and are committed to efforts to combat those changes. These efforts fall in three main areas:

  • Changing how we operate as a Church, striving towards the Net Zero Carbon target set by the Oxford Diocese.

  • Supporting charities such as Christian Aid, who work with communities in some of the countries most impacted by rising temperatures and sea levels.

  • Helping church members and our local community understand about the Climate Emergency and what they can do as individuals and families to reduce their impact.

In 2024 Christ Church was awarded the Eco Church Bronze Award to recognise the steps that have already been taken. However, this is just a small step in what we can and have been doing to make a difference.

For more information about what Christ Church is doing to mitigate the effects of the climate emergency, contact Liz Bellamy, the Chair of the Eco Committee at eco@ccfh.org.uk

What have we been doing?

Solar Panels & Battery Storage

CCFH was awarded seed funding by Oxford Diocese in 2024 to carry out an Energy Audit and Action Plan, giving recommendations on where we could make changes to move us towards our Net Zero target. Following the recommendations, we installed 45 solar panels on our Centre roof along with 18 kWh of battery storage. Not only do we generate plenty of green power for the Church when the sun is shining, we are also providing energy we don’t use into the grid to be used by our neighbours.

Since they were installed at the start of 2026, we have prevented over 7 tonnes of CO2 emissions. (to August 2026.)

A green roof for our green bin

Our newly-constructed bin shed now has a lovely living green roof, thanks to one of our eco-conscious members. The hundreds of sedum plants were all planted up and nurtured before being lifted into place on the new shed earlier this year.

What can you do?

It can feel like an impossible task to combat something as large as the climate emergency. However, there are actions and changes we can all make, as families and individuals, to raise awareness and to reduce our impact and carbon footprint.

Find out, speak out!

Reduce: Repair rather than replace, where you can. Flackwell Heath Repair Cafe happens on the first Saturday of the month in the Community Centre, and may be able to resurrect your damaged or broken items.

Re-use: Consider buying second-hand or refurbished. There are many excellent charity shops locally, selling good quality clothes and other items. If you’re looking for designer labels, Marlow’s charity shops are an excellent option.

Recycle: Find out what you can recycle via the fortnightly bin collections and Bucks County Council’s household recycling centres. For hard to recycle items, visit the Recycle More website for help. Christ Church is also now collecting soft plastics for recycling, and we’ll shortly be collecting medicine blister packs for recycling too.

Lifestyle changes

Readjust: There are many things each of us can do to change our habits:

  • Eat less meat and dairy. Livestock are a significant contributor of greenhouse gases, estimated at almost 15%, to the atmosphere. Cutting out or reducing the amount of meat, particularly red meat, from our diets will help to reduce these emissions. You don’t have to go completely vegetarian or vegan - consider eating meat-free once or twice a week to begin with, and go from there…

  • Travel responsibly. Walk or cycle or use public transport if you can. Where you need to use a car, share if you can, and use the most fuel efficient vehicle you can (ideally an electric vehicle, or EV).

  • Holiday responsibly. Everyone knows that flying is a major source of CO2 emissions. But did you know that cruise ships are a huge source of Sulphur Dioxide pollution as well as greenhouse gases? Consider other more sustainable options such as rail tours and staycations rather than flying or cruising every time.