The United Reformed Church (URC) is celebrating the milestone that all its 11 synods have signed up to become an “Eco Synod”, fulfilling part of URC’s wider commitment to urgently reduce carbon emissions across church life. Eco Synod is part of A Rocha UK’s Eco Church scheme, which awards churches and synods awarded bronze, silver, or gold status as they take action to improve their carbon footprint.

The Eco Synod criteria was developed in partnership with the URC to assist Synods in supporting local churches to engage in creation care through Eco Church, and to look at Synod-level activities and policies. Simeon Mitchell, URC Secretary for Church and Society said: “It’s brilliant that all Synods are now engaging with the Eco Synod programme as a structure to take forward their environmental commitments. The leadership in this area shown by Synods is vital and encouraging as we seek as a denomination to respond to the urgency of the climate crisis by renewing our Environmental Policy and setting a more ambitious target for reaching net-zero carbon emissions across the whole of church life.”