2016-05-15
Jessica Morthorpe
St Saviours Anglican Church in Boyup Brook won credit for its first-class environmental efforts last October when it became the first church in regional WA to earn a Five Leaf Eco-Award.
The Five Leaf Eco-Awards are a national ecumenical environmental change initiative that assists, inspires and rewards churches and religious organisations for environmental action. There are currently six awards of varying difficulty available.
Awards founder, Jessica Morthorpe, was in Boyup Brook to present the award and congratulate the congregation on their achievement. This award makes St Saviours the 23rd church in Australia, and the eighth in Western Australia, to receive a Five Leaf Eco-Award.
Ms Morthorpe introduced the program: “Founded in 2008, the Five Leaf Eco-Awards are non- competitive, with churches completing tasks from a list of flexible criteria to earn each certificate. The program is designed to encourage churches to embrace the important role they are called to play within the environmental movement. Christian eco-theology and teaching on the environment make it very clear that Creation Care is a vital priority for the Church, and all around the world churches are currently embracing action by creating more environmentally friendly buildings, helping members of their congregations to change their behaviour, educating their communities on sustainability and advocating with decision makers to give greater consideration to the poor and the environment. In Australia, our network of Five Leaf Eco-Awards churches are at the forefront of this growing church greening movement.
“St Saviours Anglican Church is receiving the Five Leaf Eco-Awards Basic Certificate today as recognition for completing a range of environmental achievements as required by the criteria of the award, including conducting an energy audit, taking actions to reduce their resource use and create behaviour change, holding talks on the environment, celebrating World Environment Day, providing environmental suggestions to members of the congregation in their pew sheets, petitioning the shire to retain their recycling services, hosting the combined Boyup Brook Churches book sale to raise funds for Act for Peaces 'Seeds for Sustainability project and hosting this festival with a focus on caring for creation.”
The award was presented at St Saviours first Spring Garden Festival, a very successful event that drew crowds to 21 stalls designed to help them care for creation, including environment, garden, recycling, and food stalls from around the region. It was a very successful event, with many people from the church and community enjoying the shopping, food and lovely weather.
Photo: (L to R) Jessica Morthorpe, initiator and manager of the Award, and Adrian Price and Barbara Marsh, Church Wardens. John Morthorpe