2014 was a busy year for Eco-Congregation Ireland! You can see our Annual Review online here.
Highlights in 2014 included:
- Dr Alastair McIntosh, Fellow of the Centre for Human Ecology in Glasgow, addressing the theme ‘And the Leaves of the Tree are for the Healing’ at an event we co-hosted with Fitzroy Presbyterian Church, Belfast
- Ireland’s leading climate scientist, Prof John Sweeney of NUI Maynooth, speaking at a climate justice event we co-hosted with Carrigaline Union of Parishes, Cork
- Churches throughout Ireland celebrating Creation Time and Harvest and taking part in global initiatives like Praying in the Sea, an International Day of Prayer for Climate Justice, the People’s Climate Day of Action and ‘For the Love of’ campaign
- The launch of our new climate change resource, Climate Change – Can I Make a Difference?
- Partnering with Trócaire in its new GLAS programme
- The presentation of two Eco-Congregation Ireland awards – one to Carrigaline Union of Parishes and one to South Belfast Quaker Meeting
In his introduction to the review, ECI chairman the Ven Andrew Orr says: “We believe that our calling as Christians is to nurture, and live in harmony with, the natural world. The great poem of the story of creation in Genesis shows us that God cares for every living creature and that human beings should always remember their connection to the soil and the natural world.
“2015 will be a crucial year for the global community to tackle climate change. The Paris summit in December represents perhaps the last chance for politicians and leaders to agree the stringent reduction in carbon emissions that will be needed to prevent a global temperature rise of two degrees Celsius; a rise above this is likely to be catastrophic in terms of sea-level rise and the expanse of deserts.
“But politicians will only act if local communities put pressure on them by showing them that the environment is an important issue. So when faith communities pray together and take local action, it makes a real difference on a global scale. We look forward to more churches joining us on an eco-journey in this our 10th year of existence.”