January 2025
An idea for January for your church. Get cooking together or host a potluck supper and invite people from your community to join you. Using your LOAF – means cooking with Locally produced, Organically grown, Animal friendly and Fairly traded ingredients.
How easy might it be to find these ingredients in your local shops or supermarket? How affordable are they?
Green Christians have produced a pdf leaflet called “Use Your Loaf” giving you more ideas.
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National Campaigns to link to – Veganuary – all January 2025
Small actions for everyone – check in your local shop or supermarket for L.O.A.F. ingredients – can you request they stock some/some more?
Related ideas – Bake a L.O.A.F loaf for your communion service and include some teaching on how L.O.A.F principles fit with our Christian Faith. Write a prayer or grace for a church or community lunch.
Links to Arocha Eco Church Questionnaire – Lifestyle 10. Community & Global Engagement 5,8, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 Lifestyle 9, 10
Examples of links to community groups- Cubs Chef Activity Badge, Scouts Chef Activity Badge, school RE classes or Food Technology classes, OAP lunch clubs.
IPCC Information -
OTHER IDEAS FOR JANUARY
Looking after birds on our church land
National Campaign to link to – RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 24th-26thJanuary 2025
https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch
Links to Arocha Eco Church Questionnaire – Land 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10
Examples of links to community groups- Cubs Environmental Conservation Activity Badge or Naturalist Activity Badge
Big Energy Saving Week 17-23rd January 2025- an annual campaign to address the issues of fuel poverty and energy inefficiency.
Might be time to look at the church heating system, the type of light bulbs used and any double glazing in any of the church properties. Could you encourage your congregations to look at the energy efficiency of their homes or workplaces to see if any adjustments might be made to save energy.
Links to Arocha Eco Church Questionnaire – Buildings.
February
Want your church to be cool?
See the amazing work being undertaken on the Wirral with churches working together. Please do get in touch with them, details on the poster below for Wirral Cool Places of Worship
IDEAS FOR FEBRUARY
World Wetlands Day 2nd February 2025
Love Your Yew Week 8th-14th February
Conservation charity Caring for God's Acre and the Ancient Yew Group are running a Love Your Yew week in February to raise awareness for caring for these special trees. This year's focus is on ivy removal to help secure the future of yew trees. Please note that you must seek permission from vicars, churchwardens and other relevant authorities before undertaking any work in your churchyard or burial ground.
National Nest Box Week 14th – 21st February 2025
Links to Arocha Eco Church Questionnaire – Land 1, 2 Community and Global Engagement 6
Please note that Fairtrade Fortnight has moved to - Monday 22nd September – Sunday 5th October 2025
www.fairtrade.org.uk/get-involved/current-campaigns/fairtrade-fortnight/
March
Food Waste Action Week 17-23rd March 2025
Lent starts on 5th March.
Why not try our Eco Tips in Lent – it’s a list of easy things we can all do for the environment. You might like to try one for each week of lent. (LINK To ECO Tips Page) You can customise this page with your own church logo.
Or look up Arocha’s Ideas for a Greener Lent .ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/go-green-er-for-lent
Global Recycling Day 18th March
UN World Water Day 22nd March
WWF Earth Hour 22nd March 2025, 8.30-9.30 p.m.
Links to Arocha Eco Church Questionnaire – Buildings 31, Lifestyle 6, 7, Buildings 20, 21, 22, 23, Community and Global Engagement 14, 27.
Don’t forget to post on social media, send out press releases and let the Outreach Environment Team know about your environmental actions.
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April
Community Garden Week 1-7th April 2025
Walk to Work Day 4th April 2025
Earth Day April 22nd 2025
Links to Arocha Eco Church Questionnaire – Lifestyle 3, 14
May
National Gardening Week 28th April- 4th May 2025 run by the RHS
www.rhs.org.uk/get-involved/national-gardening-week
Rogation Sunday 25th May 2025
Christian Aid Week 11th-17th May 2025
www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/key-appeals/christian-aid-week?
Walk to School Week 19th-23rd May – this year Day 1 focuses on the magic of nature.
www.livingstreets.org.uk/walk-to-school/primary-schools/walk-to-school-week
No Mow May – all month
Links to Arocha Eco Church Questionnaire – Worship and Teaching 1, 2, 3, 4, Lifestyle 3, 14.
June
World Environment Day 5th June 2025
Churches Count on Nature 7th-15th June 2025
www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/bwg_gallery/churches-count-on-nature/
A great week to celebrate and discover the diversity of species in your church yard. Why not get the local community involved as your survey and discover?
Great Big Green Week 10th-18th June 2025
Plastic Free Beauty Day 17th June 2025
Links to Arocha Eco Church Questionnaire – Land 10, Community and Global Engagement 1, 5, 14, 15, 16
Churches Count on Nature and Great Big Green Week provide great opportunities for school assemblies, working alongside other community environmentally minded groups and inviting people into your churchyard or garden.
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July
Don’t Step on a Bee Day 10th July
Love Parks Week 25th July – 3rd August 2024
National Marine Week 27th July – 11th August 2025
Plastic Free July www.plasticfreejuly.org
August
National Allotments Week 12-18th August
World Humanitarian Day 19th August 2025
September
Church of England Resources Page for Creation Season:
environment-and-climate-change/creationtide/creationtide-resources.
Eccumenical Group, Season of Creation information: seasonofcreation.org
Oxfam’s Second-Hand September – why not take up the challenge to buy only second and clothes or good in September, set your own parameters and post on social media about your success in reducing waste and making a stand for creation care. oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/second-hand-september
Zero Waste Week 1st - 7th September 2025
Fairtrade Fortnight 22nd September- 5th October 2025
30th Anniversary of Fairtrade products in our shops. This year’s slogan is Be the Change.
You can access resources with this link: fairtrade.org.uk/resources-library/press-assets/fairtrade-fortnight-2024-resources
Great British Beach Clean 19th – 28th September 2025
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October
World Vegetarian Day 1st October 2025
No Disposable Cup Day 4th October 2025
Here’s a chance to show your eco credentials at your church café or coffee morning. There are points on offer in the buildings section of the Eco Church Questionnaire.
World Animal Day 4th October 2025
National Badger Day 6th October
World Food Day 16th October 2025
Recycle Week 14th – 20th October 2025
Could you have a recycling area at your church? Check out the building section of Arocha Eco Church to see if you can advance your score by hosting recycling facilities inside or outside of church.
November
Oceans of Plastic 22nd November 2025
National Tree Week 24th November – 2nd December 2025
Buy Nothing Day 28th November 2025
December
World Soil Day 5th December 2025
International Migrants Day 18th December 2025
Advent 1st -24th December – Could your church have an environmentally friendly advent theme?
Cut the Wrap Challenge – make sure your present wrapping is reusable or recyclable.