This Saturday night at 8:00 pm, Sydney Anglican churches and organisations will join businesses, organisations and households around Australia and the world to turn off their lights for Earth Hour in a symbolic gesture of concern regarding the issue of climate change. As Sydney Anglicans continue to consider the environment in the light of the Christian faith, it seems adopting environmentally sound practices is becoming more relevant to our strategies for evangelism and godly example.
The Earth Hour initiative, which was introduced last year, will involve over 11,000 businesses and 170,000 individuals worldwide, and has been taken up by some of Sydney's most prominent city churches.
St Andrew's Cathedral's interior and exterior lights will be among millions around the world to be switched off between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm on Saturday night.
"Whether or not you believe in climate change, I think it's an important issue to be thinking about - 'do we need to do this and can we get by with less?'," says senior minister, the Rev Chris Moroney, explaining that Earth Hour is a helpful exercise for a society driven by consuming.
St James' King Street will also be participating in Earth Hour, thanks to the willingness of a volunteer from the parish to turn the automatic timer for the lights off, and then on again, for security purposes.
"The earth is God's creation, given to us to be cared for by us and Earth Hour is an immediate and visible way we can do this," says rector, the Rev Peter Kurti.
All of St Andrew's House, which includes the Archbishop's offices, the Sydney Diocesan Secretariat, and Anglican Youthworks, as well as the Australian Bureau of Statistics and St Andrew's Cathedral School, will also be participating, with lights remaining on in the St Andrew's House carpark and Town Hall Square for safety reasons.
"The decision to participate in Earth Hour is based on a couple of factors," says the Sydney Diocesan Secretariat's corporate services manager, Andrew Tilsley.
"Firstly, the CBD, Town Hall and our surrounds will be closely monitored by the media. By participating, we share corporate responsibility with other organisations such as banks, Wesley Mission and so on.
"Secondly, we are conscious of the many people in the Anglican communion that are genuinely concerned about climate change. Whilst we fully recognise that this initiative is symbolic, we wish people to understand that we are reviewing the subject in a balanced and thoughtful manner, maintaining a biblical view as to the proper stewardship of our resources."
Putting one hour in perspective
The Rev Dr Andrew Cameron, Chairman of the Social Issues Executive, says Earth Hour is an important symbolic gesture, provided it is seen in the perspective of God's plan for the world.
"We wouldn't do it (participate in Earth Hour) because global warming is "the greatest threat our planet has ever faced'; that is Christ's coming judgement!" he says.
"Also I think Earth Hour is silly if we think it really is making a significant mathematical difference to the problem of global warming.
"However it is a bit like ANZAC Day, a symbolic event to mark something of concern to the community."
Mr Cameron adds that Earth Hour can be a good opportunity for personal discipline, care for others and trust in God.
"God has given us so much that we can be content and don't need to burn power needlessly; and our care for our neighbour takes the form of respecting their concerns about this matter," he says.
"But we also believe there are good reasons to be hopeful about God's care of our future So we pray for those who are studying climate, and for those who are making policies about energy usage."
Ministry assistant at All Souls Leichhardt Byron Smith has recently written on the Christian approach to an uncertain environmental future in Case magazine, especially in the light of predictions that the peak of oil production worldwide is soon to be reached.
He asserts that faith in a sovereign God should protect Christians from complacency about the sustainability of our current civilisation, and keep us from being overly fearful of a future that could be radically different from the one we enjoy today.
"If God has provided for all our needs in this life and the coming age, then we are free to seek the truth, free to live thankfully and so contentedly, free to pour ourselves out, sharing his good gifts with generosity and wisdom," he says.
Can a concern for our environmental future distract Christians from preaching the gospel? Mr Smith says "yes' and "no'.
"In one sense, yes, it is quite possible for secondary concerns to make the church forget its raison d'etre: witnessing to Christ crucified, celebrating his resurrection and awaiting his return.
"However willfully ignoring secondary concerns can be a symptom of an unfaithfulness that reveals a failure to grasp and embody these very truths," he says, adding that, Jesus' resurrection gives Christians hope "for the redemption of the world, not merely redemption from the world".
Go get your neighbourhood!
Goget cars and carspaces are one of the environmental initatives to be trialled by parishes and organisations keen to make a mark on their carbon footprint " and on their community.
Moore College has recently agreed to host a carspace with Goget, a professional carsharing service which allows members to use cars and carspaces across Sydney.
Dr Cameron, who is also a lecturer in philosophy and ethics at the college, indicates the Goget space promises to be a convenient way of getting around, as well as making good environmental sense.
"It's a neat green gesture, it's also a good connection to the local community, and I'd love to see other churches doing it," he says.
St John's Glebe's Goget carspace was the first "pod' (space) in Glebe, and rector, the Rev Geoff Broughton says it has been popular.
"The car's been used a lot, a little by St John's people, but mostly by locals in Glebe," he says.
"One of the cofounders of Goget has been very positive about connecting with churches in particular," he says, indicating that hiring out a space could be a valuable way for other churches to make connections.
"Locals have been happy to come into the church grounds to use the car, so it's been a very good thing," he says.
Counting the carbon cost
In response to last year's Synod resolution on climate change, the Sydney Diocesan Secretariat has just completed an environmental audit of levels one and two of St Andrew's House.
A student-scientist carried out a detailed analysis of work practices through an internship program at the Monash Environment Institute, giving a detailed analysis of greenhouse gas emissions along with recommendations which are now being used to develop a formal environmental policy.
This policy includes energy, water and waste-saving strategies in the light of the audit, which was carried out between January and March.
One significant finding was that 52kg or 69 per cent of normal garbage waste could have been recycled or composted.
As a result, a staff education and awareness program will be one of the main responses to the research results. The Secretariat also plans to share findings and strategies from the study with parishes and organisations interested in finding out how they can reduce their "carbon footprint'.
