Diocese of Chichester

The awards aim to highlight the impressive environmental strides made by churches of all denominations. These efforts include reducing carbon footprints, advocating for climate action, and fostering biodiversity.

The awards are a means of gathering these initiatives together and acknowledging the imaginative and sacrificial work done by many hundreds of churchgoers.

Organized in collaboration with the Church of England's environment program and partners such as A Rocha UK, the awards feature seven categories:

1. Green Building Award

2. Land and Nature Award

3. Congregation and Community Action

4. Green Champion Award

5. Training and Education Award

6. Green Health Award

7. Action on a Shoestring Award

The panel of judges will be looking for projects that have made a positive change in the past two years in buildings, outdoors, and in the community. A building project can be nominated even if it hasn’t been completed, with as much information as possible about known and projected environmental impacts. A group can enter in one or more categories.

Entries are welcome until June 30, 2024. Shortlisted projects will be featured in the Church Times. The awards ceremony will take place during Creationtide next autumn, venue to be announced. Photos and videos to accompany entries are encouraged.

Ecclesiastical Insurance, alongside other partners like A Rocha UK and Inspired Efficiency, supports the awards, emphasizing the importance of preserving churches from climate change and celebrating grassroots initiatives.

Buff Stone, the Diocesan Environment Officer is supportive of the scheme. She said: “We are doing some fabulous things in our churches locally, it would be great to see recognition for some of them in the form that comes through participation in the Green Church Awards. The potential for prizes to fund the next phase of the work is a great bonus! The intention of the awards is both to offer additional funding to projects that are already doing significant work, as well as to share stories and inspiration from what is happening in churches, up and down the country. It would be lovely to see names of some of our local churches, in the mix.

"We want to highlight all the good practise that's already going on in Chichester Diocese - and joining with the Green Church awards is one way of doing this. The awards offer additional funding to projects that already do significant work.

"Sharing our stories inspires us all to find out what else we can do and demonstrates that the church nationally is involved in finding solutions to the climate crisis."

Link to the Church Times article here

Nominate a project here