Award
Queen's Cross
The Queen's Cross Green Team ensure that all the groups in the church get involved in their environmental initiatives. The Sunday Club produced a wall frieze, 'Our World – God’s World' and wrote their own eco-prayers. There is a dedicated service each year on Environment Sunday and environmental themes regularly feature in worship throughout the year. They recycle books, batteries, banana boxes and many more unusual items, and have banned plastic cups and implemented eco-friendly cleaning products. There is a high standard of energy efficiency in the building including sensor-activated lighting, although they are still working on curbing the council’s enthusiasm for floodlighting.
The Green Team's peregrine falcon project is unique in Scotland, working with the RSPB and NE Scotland Raptor Group to install accommodation for peregrines in the building. Peregrine habitats are declining and they will help keep down pigeon, gull and crow populations. Also in the grounds they are working with the Aberdeen Countryside project to protect their sycamore trees, putting up bird boxes, and planning to attract insects with species like buddleia and hawthorn.
They communicate with the whole congregation through an environmental notice board, the magazine and notice sheet. They plan to extend their communication through a website and notices in the building encouraging good environmental practice amongst users. The church actively supports Christian Aid and Fairtrade, and arranged a showing of An Inconvenient Truth which was covered in the local press and brought the issue of climate change to many more people than their own congregation.