Environmental Policy

Environmental Policy

In autumn of 2018, our church adopted an environmental policy that extends into all areas of our operations. Our primary purpose in creating and following these stated standards is in realizing the Fifth Mark of Mission of the Anglican Church of Canada. That is, “to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and to sustain the life of the earth.”

Our policy is broken down into four parts:

• Affirmation. We affirm that we are stewards of God’s earth, that Jesus redeemed the world through his death and resurrection, and that we are responsible for the harmony of all the world’s inhabitants.
• Aim. We agree to take the necessary steps to carry out the Fifth Mark of Mission.
• Objective. That, as a church community, we take environmental concerns into account in our mission, worship,
  study, education, training, pastoral, administrative and other projects and programs.
• Actions. A long list of specific things we will do to ensure our commitment to the tenets put forth in this policy.

To ensure these actions are carried out, our vestry authorized the annual appointment of an Environmental Officer/Champion. This person’s primary job is to be vigilant in our church’s adherence to this policy and to address any issues or concerns regarding it through interactions with vestry or members of our congregation. This position is currently held by Ian Bowden.

In the process of drafting and creating our Environmental Policy, we found few online resources or templates were available. Therefore, we happily make this policy available to other churches and institutions who are looking for a “starter document” from which to craft their own policy.