ABOUT 80 faith leaders met at Lambeth Palace on Monday to discuss shrinking their carbon footprint and increasing sustainability in places of worship.
Pledges were hung on the fig tree at Lambeth Palace during the interfaith seminar, which followed up the conference that produced the Lambeth Declaration before the 2009 UN climate talks in Copenhagen.
Renewable energy sources and energy conservation in places of worship, using green spaces to enhance community cohesion, and the theology of the stewardship of the environment were among the topics. The C of E’s Shrinking the Footprint campaign, and the London School of Jewish Studies, were the organisers.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chief Rabbi, Dr Jonathan Sacks, and the Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Lord Marland, all visited the conference.
The Church of England’s national environment adviser, the Ven. David Shreeve, said: “It’s been great to come together to hear what people from different faith groups have been doing, and sharing best practice. We’ve heard about a solar energy plan for Coventry Cathedral, but we need not just to talk about these things, but encourage the practical things we can do as faith groups.”
Rabbi Natan Levy, of the London School of Jewish Studies, said: “It’s been good to learn from one another on these important issues.”