More than 5,500 UK churches have converted to renewable energy sources, according to figures from charity Christian Aid.
The organisation said that Church of England cathedrals at Salisbury, Bristol, Sheffield and York are among the churches that are now using 100 per cent green electricity. Other churches which have done so come from across the denominational spectrum and include Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Quaker and Salvation Army congregations.
Christian Aid says that based on the average annual church electricity bill of £1,000, this means British churches have now diverted more than £5 million from fossil fuels to clean energy providers.
Bishop Nicholas Holtam, bishop of Salisbury and the Church of England’s lead bishop on the environment, said that with climate change “one of the great moral challenges of our time”, it was fantastic to see churches doing what they can to reduce their environmental impact.
“It’s very encouraging to see more churches walking the walk and making concrete steps to ensure our common home is greener and cleaner…” he said. “Climate change is an enormous injustice and is hurting the poor first and worst. Switching to responsible sources of electricity may seem like a small thing on its own, but when joined together it can make a real difference.”
While the Church of England’s procurement group Parish Buying has provided a vehicle for Anglican cathedrals to move to 100 per cent renewable energy sources, other churches have done so through the Big Church Switch campaign, a partnership between Christian Aid, Tearfund and the Church of England’s Environment Programme.