Helen Shiel submitted this:
Prompted by the climate and the cost of living crises, on November 5th the Eco-Congregation Team in Dundrum Methodist Church hosted an afternoon of information sessions and demonstrations on how to reduce our carbon footprint and cut down on costs.
Advertised locally and on social media, including a full programme on local radio and a short interview on Spirit FM, we still had no real sense of what the turn out might be, but were thrilled when people started to pour in on the afternoon.
The foyer was buzzing as folk (including a “deputation” of about fourteen members of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, Balally, with their Parish and former Parish Priests), were welcomed, guided to sessions, or stopped to watch the videos on Loss and Damage playing on a loop.
So, what was on offer?
- A talk and demonstration on food waste and home composting sponsored by the local county council (DLRCOCO) .
- A workshop on reupholstery, sponsored by The Rediscovery Centre Ballymun (National Centre for the Circular Economy).
- A talk on food planning, freezing and use of left overs and cookery demonstration given by a professional cook and caterer who is a member of the congregation.
- A talk and slide show on how to attack “stuff “ and redistribute or repurpose it and, if all else fails , how to dispose of it ethically, given by a former church member – a psychologist turned professional declutterer.
- A stand with literature, energy saving tips and temperature cards supplied by CODEMA – a not for profit agency providing a wide range of energy and climate mitigation services), which one of our very eco savvy church members managed. He also demonstrated the Home Energy Kit with its five diagnostic tools, on loan from the local library.
- The Dundrum Climate Vigil (a group which stands and engages with by passers-by on Dundrum Main Street for an hour every Friday morning).
And, of course, there were refreshments.
Although the event was free, a donations box yielded almost €400 in aid of Methodist World Development and Relief and Christian Aid.
All the sessions were very well attended – the most popular being the Cooking and Decluttering ones and the evaluation sheets, for the most part, were very positive.
We also asked for suggestions for future events and will aim to incorporate these in next year’s event, which we have already pencilled in and will set about sourcing our experts in the very near future.
We were thankful, relieved and delighted the afternoon went so well and are very grateful to everyone, especially the volunteers from the church who helped in the kitchen and carpark, and to all who made it such a positive event.