Eco Church
The Eco Church initiative is an ecumenical scheme helping churches to make the link between environmental issues and the Christian faith, and to respond in practical action. It considers how the environment is addressed within Worship and Teaching, Buildings, Land, Community & Global Engagement and Lifestyle. More than an award scheme, it is also a growing learning community of churches all wanting to play their part in responding to climate change and biodiversity loss.
Saint John’s has been awarded the A Rocha Bronze Award for the work it has completed towards meeting this vision. The team acknowledges there is a lot of work to complete before Saint John’s can apply for the silver award.
Join the Eco Church Community
Register with the Eco Church Community and join our church team led by Valerie Palmer and Lynne Jones who are seeking your enthusiasm and support to help us bring this vision to reality.
Our Churchyard
A new survey of our churchyard was completed in February 2022 and advice was sought on how to improve our Eco churchyard husbandry. The survey found, in the central triangle, a number of fairly rare plants in the area where it hasn’t been farmed, cultivated or ‘improved’ for centuries.
The survey recommended several improvements, including raking up leaves in certain areas, leaving leaves in other areas, trimming the beech trees and pulling out the ground ivy. During the survey there was a firecrest near the war memorial and a greenfinch, now pretty rare, giving a mating display. A pair of coal tits were heard calling.
Recycling
Not everyone is a keen cyclist, but we can all become keen re-cyclists. It encourages us to be more responsible in our attitude to our material and our use of the world’s resources. We regularly throw away a lot which could be recycled or sold to raise funds for good causes. As well as the paper and cardboard, plastic bottles, tins and glass we regularly put into our recycling bins, here are other things that can also be recycled:
- Unwanted Clothing. Take it to the clothing bin at the church car park to raise funds for the South Central Ambulance Charity. They accept clothing, sheets, paired shoes, blankets, curtains, belts and bags. Please bag everything up before putting into the container and please do not leave bags out if the container is full. They do not want rags, carpets, pillows and duvets.
- Batteries. These can be recycled. There is a container at the village Hardware shop.
- Medicine Blister Packs. Can be collected. We do not yet have a local collection point. Watch this space for information once a collection point is identified
- Post cards are collected by Terry & Mandy Monahan for sale to raise money for the Missionary Aviation Fellowship. Leave them in their church pigeon hole.
- Used Postage Stamps. Collected by several charities including Emmanuel International, the missionary society Pam Ewing’s son works for in Tanzania. Please pass on used stamps to Pam in church or Ian Hewitt.
- Milk Bottle Tops. Collected for sale for funds for the Rowans. Please pass on bagged up tops to Pam Ewing at church. (Note: plastic milk bottle tops only)
- Scrap Metal. Can be taken to Durrants Farm, Durrants Rd. Please leave it by the, large wooden second gate of the farmhouse. Any metal object acceptable EXCEPT fridges and freezers.
- Tesco at Havant has containers at the top of the stairs opposite the nearest till, next to the café. for:
- Used Ladies Make up containers, tubes and bottles etc.
- Soft Plastic Wrapping Paper
- Printer Cartridges & Water Filters
- Eco Freaks Emporium in Havant West St opposite Boots, has a wide range of recyclable items, about 30 from toothpaste tubes and brushes to various food wrappings and Nespresso Type Coffee Pods. A visit is recommended to see what products you regularly throw away which could also be recycled. Their website has a comprehensive list of recyclable products.
