The new initiative’s logo.
The Council of Christian Churches in France (CÉCEF) has launched a new ‘Green Church’ environmental certification label to promote environmental awareness in local churches.
The ecumenical eco-certification label ‘Eglise verte’ (‘Green Church’) was publically launched on 18th January. Certification means that local churches are recognised as organising their activities and spiritual life and dealing with their buildings in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Martin Kopp, president of the Climate Commission of the Protestant Federation of France, and the Lutheran World Federation’s advocacy coordinator at the Paris climate talks, known as COP21, says in an article on the World Council of Churches’ website that the initiative was sparked in response to Paris’ hosting of the landmark UN climate change talks in December, 2015.
“A real environmental and ecumenical dynamic took root in French churches as a result of Paris hosting the UN climate talks in 2015,” he said. “It was a ‘kairos’ moment for all the people who had been working hard on the issues for such long time.”
The label – which has the support of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in France, the Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Protestant Federation of France, and church-related non-governmental and advocacy groups – came about through a collaborative process involving Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches in the lead-up to and during COP21.
“There was a real desire to take things from the international to the local level, so that our actions match our convictions,” said Mr Kopp. “Rather than each church or organisation doing their own thing we wanted to build on our ecumenical cooperation and have a common label.”
The label was developed by an ecumenical task group that looked at church certification programmes in countries like Germany, Switzerland and the UK. A pilot program was run in five churches from March, 2017, and those behind the project say feedback from that experience helped in the development of the initiative’s website.
There are five different levels of certification with each carrying the name of a Biblical plant – ranging from the mustard seed to the cedar of Lebanon.
