November 16, 2006

Moderator exhorts congregations to go green

The Moderator of the New South Wales Synod of the Uniting Church, Mr Jim Mein, has written to all congregations in New South Wales and the ACT strongly encouraging them to switch to Green Power.

Under the government accredited Green Power scheme, energy suppliers ensure that the amount of energy people nominate from their power bills will be produced from renewable sources, avoiding the use of coal-derived power.

Mr Mein said, “We are all now well aware of the dire prospects for the world if global warming is allowed to continue unchecked. Hard-nosed economists have joined environmentalists warning that the human consequences of failing to act to stop global warming will be serious.”

He said, “Millions will die from malnutrition, diarrhoea, malaria and dengue fever unless effective controls are in place.”

In October, the 2006 meeting of the New South Wales Synod asked all congregations, presbyteries and agencies to make one, simple and practical first step to help stop polluting the air and stop global warming: switch to Green Power.

Supporting that resolution, Mr Mein said this week, “Every one of us — as individuals and together as congregations — can no longer afford to be comfortably detached from the consequences of our actions. We have a moral and theological imperative, as stewards of the earth, to be actively concerned with environmental issues.

“If every church in the New South Wales Synod switched to Green Power it could cut greenhouse gasses by 4,500 tonnes — the equivalent of taking 1,000 cars off the road for a year.”

The Uniting Church is working closely with Church Resources to negotiate the most efficient arrangement with a selected energy provider, but congregations are permitted to make their own arrangements if desired.

Click here for an overview of the green power options available to congregations.