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The Environmental committee of the Swedish Church
The environmental committee of the Swedish church is a part of the
national committee fore our Church. Our Church sees the work fore a
spiritually, social and ecological sustainable development as a hi
priority work. We are fortunate to have all the bishops supporting our
work, not only in words but in concrete action plans.
In a more organist form our work started in 1993, by the initiative of
bishop Martin Lönnebo and Stefan Edman (author and environmental adviser
to prminister Göran Persson) This initiative has grown to a large
grassroots movement in all branches of the Swedish Church. This process
resulted in a handbook about the work with Agenda 21 within the church,
published in September 1995. The handbook "Gröna Postillan" (Collection
of Green Sermons) was mainly a product of the multitude of experiences
presented to us by hundreds of parishes all over Sweden. We also have
produced a handbook fore Environmental forestry fore church and society.
To day we have environmental committees groin up in all sectors of the
church related too a spiritual, social and ecologically sustainable
development and life stile. The entire project has gained unexpected
momentum and has become a "bottom-up" process beyond anything we could
ever dream of.
Audit scheme - "Gift of grace" - fore Churches
At the moment we are introduce an unique audit scheme which would
incorporate all branches of the church, from parishes and retreatcenters
to churchyards, forests an agriculture. The model is presented in the
book "Gift of Grace". The audit scheme is grounded in a wide reflection
and dialogue spirituality, theology, and ethically related to the
Swedish church identity and role in our country. We discovered that the
audit schemes EMAS and ISO that are common in Europe did not function
fore the church. The church is not a company - it is a church, and the
questions is bigger than only environmental issues. So together with a
large group of grassroots in the church, experts on audit schemes,
pedagogues, and theologians we created a model that was focusing a
pedagogically wide reflection of the gospel related to all people
active, and in service, in the church. Secondly it gave a structure and
instrument to do the change in practice in all levels of the church
organisation and economy. It was not only related to maters in the
church but also in the role of the church in the hole society.
"Environmental diplomacy program"
We cal the model "Environmental diplomacy program" and it differs from
EMAS and ISO in many senses: It is not corded from above in the church
structure - its free fore anyone to join. Its involves all sectors of the church. It is not as expensive and
complicated controlmachinery as ISO and EMAS. The diplomacy is related
to first the local process and involvement, secondly what one have
changed. It starts and have its central point in reflection of the
gospel and the role of the church fore sustainable lifestyle,
spiritually, socially and ecologically.
Its a process where everyone participates and create there one goals and
visions and relates it to living spirituality, lifestyle and practice.
Its takes its standpoint in the users one situation the local situation,
and the specific organisation. It could integrate the work with EMAs ore
ISO (FSC - fore ecological forestry)
Education program
We have choruses fore educators in the diplomacy program with people
from the whole country. They have now started there one choruses with
parishes and organisations that will join the process. In spring 1999 we
gone have an education fore the "Diplomers" that the bishops has chosen.
They are to categories that work in a pair. One that have god experions
in practical theology in the church and have god experians in reflecting
the gospel in these matters. Secondly one that have long experians with
how the organisation and economy in the church its functioning.
The model is now so in focus that other sectors as (communes) landsting,
schools- They are prepared to rewrite it in relation to there type of
organisation.
A question to the Vilimof conference
My question to the conference in Vilimof is if it would be of any
interest in co-operation with some other churches in Europe to develop
this model to be used fore other churches that are interested in Europe.
We are prepared to give our experiences to others and integrate others
experiences and reflections to develop the program.
We have also co-operated with the churches around the Baltic sea, a
result of the 1994 Teobalt conference held in Visby, Gotland.The
theme for the conference was how to save the Baltic sea and delegates
participated from Finland, the Baltic countries, Russia, Poland, Germany
and Denmark. The conference resulted in a growing co-operation together
with the Lutheran Church of Estonia. It will result in the building of
sewage systems with alternative technology. The systems are both
connected to church affiliated structures, a church centre and a
retirement home.
The Office at Tinvalls eco-centre
The national environmental committee of the Swedish church has its
office at Tingvalls eco-centre. This is a education centre fore
practical ecology on one of Sweden’s largest resarchfarm for ecological
agriculture, on the West Coast of Sweden
The Christian Council of Sweden comprises 24 Orthodox, Catholic and
Protestant member churches. Environmental work is one of the priorities of
the council. Being a national council, one of the main objectives in the
environmental field is to serve as the churches´ voice at the national and
international level. This is mainly done through lobbying and advocacy
work, issuing of statements, declarations and articles as well as the
distribution of information and printed material. At the same time the
council emphasise the importance to link it´s activity to local
initiatives and environmental work performed by the member churches of the
council, for example Church of Sweden and its Environmental Committee
The council seeks to highlight the holistic perspective; Ecology is
intimately interlinked with issues related to economics and social
developments and certainly with human spirituality.
It has chosen to focus on some specific subjects in order to be able to
perform a concrete and substantial dialogue with representatives of the
Swedish government, environmental organisations and other parts of the
Swedish society.
Two focal points have been Climate Change and ethical and democratic
dimensions of Biotechnology. Other issues of specific concern is the
ecological aspects of the international economy including issues related
to the World Bank and WTO. In addition the council has initiated a process
towards an church environmental network in the Baltic Sea region.
Climate change work
- Information and education
- Arrangement of workshops and seminars
- Dialogue with representatives of the Swedish government
- Participation in the climate change camp aign of the World Council of Churches
- Publishing of articles and contacts with mass media in relation to national policies and the negotiations in the UN Climate Change Convention
Work on Biotechnology, Ethics and Democracy
- Information and education
- Arrangement of workshops and seminars
- Dialogue with representatives of the Swedish government
- Publishing of articles and contacts with mass media, especially on the subject of patenting and the discussion of the EU directive on the issue.
The Baltic Sea Region project has been documented via reports and a common platform
Educational material recently published in Sweden
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