Lincoln Cathedral has been awarded a bronze Eco Church award for embedding environmental considerations into its daily life, work and worship.

The award was given by A Rocha UK, a Christian conservation charity, and reflects the Cathedral’s commitment to put creation care and sustainability at the heart of its life and activities.

The Eco Church Award assesses five key areas of church life; worship and teaching, management of church buildings, management of church land, community and global engagement, and lifestyle.

The news comes as the Cathedral announced that its theme for 2024 will be ‘Our World; God’s Creation’. The year will be a celebration of life on earth, communities and sustainability, with events, talks and education activities throughout the year to encourage everyone to get involved and take simple steps to help create a more sustainable future and foster communities which help everyone to flourish.

Eco Church is the First Step

Dr Tracy Buckby, Chief Operating Officer and Chapter Clerk at the Cathedral, said that the award is an important early step in the Cathedral’s sustainability journey and hopes it will inspire all who visit and engage with the Cathedral to think about their own impact on our precious world and to take positive action, “Our buildings and our traditions have been around for more than 950 years and we want to ensure that our current activities are not compromising the needs of future generations so that they too can enjoy and celebrate our magnificent Cathedral.

“By working with our staff, volunteers, worshipping community, visitors, partners, and suppliers we are embedding eco-friendly activities at the heart of everything we do. Not only is this the right thing to do for the good of our planet, but there are additional benefits such as the increased health and well-being of our communities, support to local business through sourcing local products, reducing our utility costs and becoming more resilient to climate change. Being sustainability-aware helps the planet, creates a better environment in which to live within and makes sound economic and business sense.”

One of the first major events taking place in 2024 as part of Our world; God’s Creation is Gaia, by Luke Jerram, which will be displayed in the Cathedral from 5 to 25 February. The work provides the opportunity to see our planet suspended within the nave of the Cathedral, and is designed to make viewers contemplate the wonder of life on earth and feel in awe of the beauty and vulnerability of our planet and the environment.

From Tuesday 9 January, we will be encouraging people to take part in our ‘Mindful Mile’ short walks around the outside of the Cathedral to promote well-being and appreciation of the environment. The walk leaders are there to set a gentle pace, and to share a topic of interest. Further events and environmental initiatives will be announced through the year.

You can find out more about the Cathedral’s work on creating a sustainable future and details of the events that are taking place as part of Our World; God’s Creation, by visiting the Our World page – www.lincolncathedral.com/our-world