The parish is to work towards an Eco Congregation Ireland award as part of marking our 150th anniversary. The Rector explained in his address at the 10.30am service on Sunday, February 4th,  that Eco Congregation Ireland (ECI)  is an ecumenical organisation which encourages churches  to take a more eco approach to worship, lifestyle, property and finance management, community outreach and contact with the developing world.
 While St Paul’s ticks some boxes in this regard, there is much more we can do, both as a parish and as individuals. An action plan is being drawn up and all suggestions are welcome. You can learn more about the ECI here.
 Here’s one project you can get involved in immediately: for Lent (which starts on February 14th), the Bishops’ Appeal is partnering with the ECI in  “Jars4Journeys“. The idea is that every time you use a car for a journey that you could have done by foot or by bike, or take a flight, you put some money in a jar to go towards offsetting your carbon footprint. The proceeds will go towards projects in Third World communities adversely affected by climate change. Learn more and download a jar label here.