The Great Big Green Week 8 – 16 June 2024

Introduction
As members of Eco Church St George’s has made a commitment to long term action on the environment. How can we become better at caring for creation and improving our lives and the lives of others through healthy, eco-friendly and sustainable living?

This week gives us the opportunity to pray, reflect and consider some suggestions.
Perhaps you could choose just one or two to start with and gradually add something new.

Lord God, give us the wisdom to care for our planet and for each other.
Help us to think, pray and act now for the good of future generations and all creation.

Go plastic free. Even if you can’t become totally plastic-free, make it your goal to at least reduce your use of plastic.

Switch off from digital. Explore technology-free times or areas of the house, switch to ‘airplane mode’ for the first hour in the morning and the last hour at night, reach for your Bible instead of your device(s).

Spend more time in nature. Connect with God as Creator and celebrate his creation.
Look out of your window and watch and listen for signs of life.
Pray for the areas of the world that experience extremes of weather and physical disasters.

Become zero waste. Try to reduce your waste. Think about looking at your food shopping and seeing what items you could buy differently, spending a bit more on loose fruit and vegetables, for example.

Lord God, giver of food sufficient for the day.
We thank you for the resources of the world,
and for the many good things you have provided for us.
May we use them with restraint and understanding
Grant us wisdom and self-control
in our spending and consumption.

Change your method of transport. How about walking or cycling rather than using the car.
Take public transport whenever you are able.

Consider your energy use. Find out if your supplier is using “green energy”.
Try to minimise energy use by switching off unessential appliances but do not take unnecessary risks

Find out about recycling. Make sure you recycle whatever you can. Find out how you can repurpose or upcycle items turning them into new and useful articles.

Bountiful God,
in the middle of mountains of waste we sigh with creation.
Grant us inspiration in the re-use and recycling of resources.
Bless those who clean our streets,
those who care for our open spaces,
those who collect our waste
and those manage waste and recycling facilities .