Local church cuts carbon
BY BUZZ
St George’s church, Newbury has announced its latest step towards being a carbon neutral church.
The changes are being made as part of a three-phase campaign called ‘George Goes Green’, launched in 2009. Developments so far include the new glazed thermal entrance lobby and the installation of 129 solar panels to the church roof. The campaign aims to cut the turn the church’s carbon footprint from 15 tonnes per year to zero, whilst turning it into a welcoming community venue.
The campaign has been endorsed by patrons Nobel Laureate Sir John Houghton and the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, who will dedicate the new cloister lobby at the opening ceremony on Sunday.
The church has now launched the fundraising for the third and final element which will replace their conventional heating with a sustainable solution using ground source heat with under floor heating.
Vicar, Paul Cowan, says “Our aim is for St George’s Church to be a gift and active part of Wash Common life, heated with renewable energy, extensively used by the local community – and a flagship model for others to learn from and be encouraged by.”
Those involved with the campaign hope to see the developments completed within the next three years and if successful, the church will join a handful of carbon neutral churches out of the 16,000 Anglican parish churches in the country.
The opening ceremony for the new lobby will take place Sunday 9 December at 9.30am and in the evening the parish will host a celebratory community concert at 7pm. More detail on our online events page.
