Churches thanked for Energy Footprint Tool input
Thanks to the commitment of its churches, the Diocese of Truro had the second highest number of responses in the recent Energy Footprint Tool results.
The report showed an increase in the numbers of churches in the diocese engaging with the tool in 2020 and it also highlighted an increase in the number of Net Zero Church Buildings in the diocese, 16 up from just nine in 2019.
Bishop Hugh said: “I want to thank every church community that took time to submit their details, especially with so much else going on. It shows how seriously we take both the challenge of the climate emergency and the call to cherish creation here in Cornwall. Knowing how much carbon we are emitting is a crucial first step, and I hope that more churches will take up the invitation and add their details next year.”
The Energy Footprint Toolkit (EFT) was created to measure the carbon footprints of all in-scope buildings within the Church of England. This will enable the General Synod to monitor progress towards the target of net zero emissions by 2030.
The Diocese of Truro’s response rate of 57.9% is in contrast to the national response rate which has shown a downward trend from the previous year.
Diocesan Environment Officer Ben Lillie said: “Our diocesan Environment strategy commits us to Cherish Creation, Cut carbon and Speak up. We have to understand our baseline carbon usage in order to know how to cut it. The Energy Footprint Tool enables us to do exactly this.
“Sharing this data is an act of ‘Speaking Up’, of joining in with our sisters and brothers throughout Christ’s Church. I urge you to make Creation Care a priority in your church by ‘Speaking Up’ as a Creation Care Champion and registering for the Kernow Green Church Award. As your diocesan environment officer, I’m here to support you in these essential Creation Care steps.”
It is estimated that the total net CO2e emitted from Church of England church buildings in 2020 was around 118,000 tonnes (with around 120,000 tonnes gross CO2e). Truro Diocese was responsible for 1,900 tonnes of net CO2.
The Energy Footprint Toolkit opens again in Spring 2022 for 2021’s survey.
