How to use your community building to generate clean energy

Park URC are now well on the way to installing pv panels and a biomass boiler, having secured most of the funding needed. They hope to be installing the panels before the end of the year and the boiler next May. So, a speaker from there will be among those encouraging users of other community buildings in Reading to take advantage of the current very generous Feed in Tariff rate to help them produce green energy for themselves and the grid:

How to use your community building to generate clean energy and get paid for it

An information evening for voluntary, faith and community organisations:

This event is for you if your community, faith or voluntary organisation owns or rents a building.
On the night there will be:

* Impartial advice from an Energy Savings Trust expert plus local project study from Park United Reform Church

* How to save money making your building more energy efficient; a case study from Friends Meeting House

* Don’t own your building? Expert advice on how to convince your landlord to help

Please book a place by emailing chair@gren.org.uk or call 07828 498 315

Time/venue:
Tue 23 November 2010 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Friends Meeting House, 2 Church Street, Reading, RG1 2SB

20 10 2010

On Wednesday of last week Rev Jesse Jackson addressed a Christian Aid supporters day at Central Methodist Hall, urging activists to 'Keep dreaming' of a world of justice, clean water, peace, more health care and education . . . ending poverty in the developing world. Three of our congregation were there for the event and afterwards lobbied our MP Rob Wilson about the government's role in responding to climate change and ending poverty.

Creation Flourishing?

As we wait in hope and prayer for good news from the UN conference on biodiversity in Nagoya, St John's two months of Creation Season have almost finished. This year we were rather more low key - I asked intercessors to include environmental concerns and we included pictures of Creation Flourishing in the overhead images during the service. I didn't manage to provide examples from Reading for every week (not because there are insufficient examples, time failed me).

We also have a map of Reading on our Eco notice board on which I've asked people to mark their favourite green spaces in Reading. Today I decided to try out one suggested by Rosemary - High Wood on Church Road. It is indeed a treasure (pictured above). I'd been in town earlier so caught the number 17 bus (which passes very close to St John's) up to the Three Tuns and it's a short walk down Church Road from there. We did hear various birds and watched squirrels but what seemed to be flourishing most there were fungi in beautiful variety.

Visitors from Sweden

This Wednesday some visitors from Oxford's twin diocese in Sweden were visiting to explore the outworking of Oxford's 'Living Faith for the Future' programme and wanting to see what environmental things were going on, so they were directed to St John's. We spent an hour or so in St John's cafe. In my enthusiasm to share all our experiences I unfortunately didn't get round to asking what their own experiences were - so if any of you are reading this blog, it would be lovely to know what the equivalent schemes in Sweden are? Luckily both Suzanne and Ali were able to be present to answer many of the questions, as well as Owen who is leading the EcoCongregation movement at St Barnabas, Emmer Green.