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This series of webinars is designed to support and equip you to reach the Church’s ambitious "net zero carbon" emissions target; everything from forming your team to putting solar panels on your roof, and including low cost 'housekeeping' actions which can pay back quickly.
Choose as many topics as you need to help you on this decade-long journey.
Find details below of the various topics, dates, and how to book. Videos of past webinars are all available.
We are very grateful to the MCS Charitable Foundation; their grant has enabled us to greatly expand the range of topics we can offer.
Audience, length and how to book
The webinars on low carbon technologies are designed to be "technical webinars for non-technical people" and do not require prior knowledge.
Webinars are generally an hour long, with around 40-45 minutes of content and then time for some questions at the end, submitted through the 'chat' area.
Places on all webinars are free but must be booked using the links below. Before the webinar, you will be sent a Zoom link showing you how to join.
Briefing sessions on the Church of England's "Routemap to Net Zero Carbon by 2030"
Book your briefing on the Routemap
After months of work and consultation, the Church of England has recently published its "Routemap to Net Zero Carbon by 2030". It will be debated by General Synod on the 8th July.
The Routemap sets out the change needed to achieve Synod's target, driven by a recognition of the climate crisis and the fundamental injustice it causes.
This webinar will give an overview of the Routemap, what it contains, and what it means. The webinar is open to all, and will be particularly useful for those in diocesan roles involved in some way in implementing net zero carbon in their area.
Speaker: Denise Rowley, Net Zero Carbon Planning Officer, Church of England
Tue 30th August, 12 noon-1pm,
Mon 5th September, 4-5pm, watch the video here
Webinars on getting started: forming your team, action planning, and measuring net zero [completed - find the videos below]
These webinars give an overview of where a diocese can start on it's net zero journey.  They are aimed at diocesan staff and volunteers, but there will be much of interest to other audiences too.
This webinar focuses on how to gather the right people within your working group, to help you develop and implement a 'net zero carbon' action plan.
Speaker: Jo Chamberlain, National Environment Officer, Mission and Public Affairs, at the Church of England
Having run this topic several times, we have no future dates planned.
Missed it? Watch a recording here.
Want us to run it again? email [email protected]
This webinar focuses on developing an action plan for getting to net zero across all diocesan activities, including churches, schools and land.
Speaker: Jo Chamberlain, National Environment Officer, Mission and Public Affairs, at the Church of England
Having run this topic several times, we have no future dates planned.
Missed it? Watch a recording here.
3. Defining and measuring net zero
This webinar focuses on what we mean by net zero; what is in and out of scope.  It also discusses ways we can start to measure net zero.
Speaker: Catherine Ross, Open and Sustainable Churches Officer from the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Church of England.
Having run this topic seven times, we have no future dates planned.
Missed it? Watch a recording here.
Webinars on moving your buildings towards net zero
These webinars focus in on bricks and mortar issues; what we can do to reduce our use of energy, what makes the most difference, and what is practical?
1. A positive vision of a zero carbon church building
This webinar focuses on net zero carbon church buildings. What practical changes can be made, to reduce the carbon emissions from heating, lighting, and running the buildings? What does a 'net zero carbon church' look like, and what are the practical steps to get there?
Speaker: Catherine Ross, Open and Sustainable Churches Officer from the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Church of England.
Dates have all passed. Missed it?  Watch a recording here.  Find the slides here.
2. Learning from others: energy management at the Wallace Collection
Speaker; Jurgen Huber, Wallace Collection
Jurgen is a member of one of our national Conservation Committees, has converted his own home to a nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB), and will tell us what the Wallace Collection have done to cut their use of energy.
Missed it? Watch the video here:  https://youtu.be/BSqXsI7DXv0
3. Conservation pitfalls and how to avoid them, en route to Net Zero Carbon
This webinar will cover
some of the conservation pitfalls that projects often encounter, when trying to make environmental changes to historic buildings, and how to avoid them,
questions people can ask themselves at the very beginning of a project, which will help get projects on the right track,
examples of changes which can be made that are good environmentally and good for the conservation of historic buildings / interiors.
Speaker: Tobit Curteis, Architectural Conservator at Tobit Curteis Associates LLP.
Tobit runs a practice specialising in the diagnosis and control of environmental deterioration in historic buildings and the conservation of wall paintings. As well as extensive work with churches and cathedrals, Tobit also works for private and institutional clients, including English Heritage, the National Trust, and Historic Royal Palaces. He is an accredited member of the Institute for Conservation, a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and a fellow of the International Institute of Conservation.
This webinar has now been run.  Watch the recording here.
4. Getting to "yes" for your environmental project - Successfully navigating the faculty system
This webinar is aimed at representatives of churches around the country, DAC staff and advisors, archdeacons and architects. It will focus on the practicalities of how churches who want to carry out environmentally-minded projects (insulation, heating, solar, EV car charging and the like) can best navigate the faculty system. How can they ‘get to yes’ by designing the right project and making their case well?
What can churches do within list A. list B, and what needs full faculty, and why?
Who should they get input from, and when, in the process?
How do they prepare and present their application? What information is needed? What does a good project look like?
What will their archdeacon want to know, and why? What will the DAC want to know? If it comes to the Church Buildings Council, what will the CBC want to know?
Ven Malcolm Chamberlain, Archdeacon of Sheffield & Rotherham,
Lisa McIntyre, the Leeds Diocese DAC Secretary,
Keri Dearmer, an experienced case officer in the national Cathedral and Church Buildings Division,
Nigel Walter, a conservation architect and member of the Church Buildings Council.
Note - this webinar is 1.5 hours long.
This webinar has now run.  Watch the video here.
5. Finding the balance: assessing embodied carbon in retrofit projects on church buildings
When considering strategies to reduce emissions in operation, there is a danger that the measures themselves could cause more emissions in the manufacture and installation than they would save in practice - and thus achieves the opposite of what is desired.
This is a particular risk in large buildings with relatively low energy demand, especially those used only intermittently. It is thus necessary to be able to compare "embodied" and "operational" carbon emissions and to understand how a changing energy supply matrix affects decisions in the long run.
The webinar will provide participants with the basic information required to understand the subject, and a framework for making decisions which take embodied carbon into account.
Speakers: Nigel Griffiths, Policy Adviser for the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance and Douglas Kent, Technical and Research Director, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
Tuesday 30th November, 12:00-13:00.  Watch recording here.
Thursday 10th February, 4pm.
Tuesday 19th April, noon.  BOOK HERE
6. What's needed in practice get to net zero carbon? And what's stopping us? : The results of the Wayfinders Project
Detailed studies of twelve Church of England buildings are taking place during winter 2021/22.  For each building, a Net Zero Carbon Action Plan is being created, and costed, which sets out what action would be needed - in practice - to get to net zero. We are also asking about the barriers to action; what is getting in the way of action?
We are focusing on a sample of buildings which we know are relatively high in their energy use; 4 busy churches, 3 secondary schools, 3 primary schools, a diocesan office, and a Theological Education Institution.
This results of this project, the Wayfinders Project, will help test and inform the Church of England's "Routemap to Net Zero Carbon by 2030".
This webinar will feedback the headlines from the Wayfinders Project.  What are the main recommendations, what do they cost, and what are the barriers?
The webinar will be useful to:
people in charge of regularly used buildings (church wardens, clergy, school business managers, office managers),
people in diocesan roles (DEOs, DACs, DCOs, Archdeacons, Giving Officers, School Officers),
national buildings committee members (CBC, CFCE), and
General Synod Members, in advance of the Routemap coming to July Synod.
Matt Fulford, Inspired Efficiency (the specialist firm carrying out the reviews)
Catherine Ross, from the Church of England Environment Programme
Webinar has now run.  Watch the recording here. (Note, it is 2 hours long because of an extended Q&A.  The actual presentation is the first 45 mins.)
7. Briefings on the updated faculty rules
This session will cover the recent changes to the faculty rules, in the light of the commitment to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2030, as agreed by General Synod at their February session.
It will be useful for DAC members and staff teams, Church Energy Advisor Network members, Diocesan Environment Officers, and to individual parishes planning projects.
Speakers : David Knight and Catherine Ross, from the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Church of England.
Tues 24th May, 12 noon-1pm.  Watch the recording here
Thur 16th June, 4-5pm
8. How Parish Buying and 2Buy2 can support parishes with Net Zero Carbon
At this webinar, you will hear about the range of support available for parishes from the central procurement activities of Parish Buying and 2Buy2.
Energy audits, solar panels, low-carbon heating, and more.
Speakers: Nick Jenni from Parish Buying and David Thomas & Julie Davies from 2Buy2.
Thur 15th September, 12noon-1pm, Watch the recording here
Webinars on low carbon solutions – heating, lighting, solar and more
These are “technical webinars for non-technical people”, explaining how each technology can help your church move towards the goal of net zero carbon, and the real practicalities of taking action.
The speaker delivering each webinar has been chosen after a tendering exercise, based on their expertise in the field and practical knowledge.
1. Heating part 1 : To replace or not replace?
This webinar will tell you what you should you think about when deciding to replace your heating and lighting. What are the implications for your carbon footprint and the historic context of the church? This will take in LED lighting, historic equipment, running costs, efficiency considerations, embodied carbon, maintenance for minimising carbon emissions.
Speaker: Susan Logan from EcoTeric. Susan is a Chartered Building Services Engineer who has worked for 40 years designing and advising on energy efficiency and latterly carbon efficient solutions. She has been the Heating Advisor for Worcester Diocese for the last 13 years and a member of the DAC for even longer.
Dates have all passed- watch the video of this webinar here.
2. Heating part 2 - Choosing the best heating solution for your church
This webinar will include heat pumps, electric heating solutions, and more. What are the pros and cons, what is the carbon impact and what is the future of funding? What are the key questions to ask? How do we reduce demand in the first place by improving fabric? How do we make a persuasive case for change?
Speaker: Susan Logan from EcoTeric. Susan is a Chartered Building Services Engineer who has worked for 40 years designing and advising on energy efficiency and latterly carbon efficient solutions. She has been the Heating Advisor for Worcester Diocese for the last 13 years and a member of the DAC for even longer.
Dates have all passed - watch the recording here (skip to minute 6:06, to where the webinar begins
3. Housekeeping and quick wins
This webinar tells you where to start.  Practical steps like setting boiler/heating controls, DIY draught proofing, timers, water saving, procurement of energy and energy bills.  Simple steps that don’t cost the earth.
Speaker: Matt Fulford from Inspired Efficiency. Matt is the sustainability advisor at Gloucester Diocese, and has carried out countless church energy audits as part of the national audit programme and the Oxford Diocese audit programme. He led a project at his own church, to make St Michael and All Angels Withington a ‘zero carbon’ church.
Missed it? Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/1XIFuU27xY0
4. The Effective Management of Lighting Towards Net Zero
This webinar will cover church lighting - in all forms.  The focus will be on how changes in the use of lighting can impact positively on the goal of becoming net zero carbon.  Whilst LED lighting is now seen as the most efficient and effective light source it is the extent of use and the management of lighting that determines the energy utilisation and the impact on carbon use.
Speaker: Bruce Kirk from Light Perceptions.  Bruce has designed lighting schemes for more than 200 parish churches and twenty cathedrals, and has 25 years experience as a DAC advisor.
Thursday 11th March, 4-5pm - watch the webinar recording here (start at minute 4:16 when the webinar itself begins)
Tuesday 13th April, 12-1pm
Tuesday 11th May, 6-7pm - register here
5. Solar PV panels
This webinar will give you an introduction to solar PV panel technology, its applications, usage and on-going benefits that accrue to system owners. The steps that are involved in developing a Solar PV project from assessment, survey, technical & electrical engineering design, council planning & DAC application and approval processes. The introduction of battery storage. Information required from Churches in order to ensure proposals are as accurate as possible. The installation process, testing, commissioning & certification, on-going maintenance, and funding through the Smart Export Guarantee Scheme.
Speaker: Guy Hewitt from Treadlighter. Guy has 11 years experience of designing & installing Solar PV systems across all property types, including many projects for churches and listed buildings.
Dates have all passed. Video here: https://youtu.be/1NoswkTtFA
6. Electric car charging
This webinar will cover the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and EV charging; the rationale, technology, costs, benefits and choices surrounding purchasing / leasing an electric vehicle and the charging infrastructure.
Speaker: Phil Davies from Cumbria Action for Sustainability. CAfS is currently involved in rolling out community owned electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the north of England and the UK.
This topic is complete. Missed it? Watch the video here.
7. The basics of heat pumps
Decarbonising heat is key to achieving Net Zero Carbon. One way to achieve this is to install a heat pump, but this is only suitable for churches in certain circumstances.
This workshop will look at the basics of heat pumps (mainly air source and ground source heat pumps). It will discuss their use, where heat pumps work well, and how to make sure their use is optimised.
The session will also look at some of the common problems that occur with heat pumps. It will give an indication of costs for church installations, but these are very case-by-case.
Speaker: Mark Taylor from TM Energy Solutions is speaking on behalf of the Energy Managers Association. The EMA is dedicated to establishing best-practice in Energy Management and putting Energy Management at the heart of British business.
This webinar has now completed, catch-up with the recording here.
*NEW* 8. Electric heating solutions - From pews and panels to chandeliers and cushions
Come to this practical webinar to hear about the range of direct electric heating solutions which exist. The webinar will cover pew heating, far-infra-red heating, panel heaters, storage heaters, heated cushions, and suspended (“chandelier”) heaters.
Solutions like these can help churches achieve Net Zero Carbon. They often work well for occasionally-used churches, who want to move away entirely from oil and gas, and also for regularly-used churches which want a hybrid system, reducing the hours their space heating system runs each week.
(This webinar will not cover heat pumps, which is the subject of the session, above.)
Speaker: George Evans, Managing Director, BN Thermic. George has 9 years of experience designing and installing heating systems, including installations in around 200 churches around the country.
Tue 4th October, 12 noon - 1 pm, BOOK HERE
Fri 7th October, 4-5pm, BOOK HERE
Webinars on environmental fundraising
Fundraising is competitive, and there is no easy answer, but our three webinars will help get you started. Part 1 gives you a sense of the broad landscape of environmental funding opportunities, Part 2 covers how to start fundraising, whilst Part 3 is aimed at people with some existing fundraising experience, who want to know more about specific opportunities.
Part 1 - What opportunities exist in the environmental funding landscape?
This first webinar will cover:
An introduction to the funding landscape for environmental projects in churches, including the Covid-19 context
What are the different types of funding available: trusts and foundations, statutory grants, loans, corporate support, individuals, public campaigns?
What are the success rates in applying for these types of funding?
Which type of funding is suitable for different projects, both in scale and type?
How and where can you find out about the opportunities for you, and what do you need to look out for?
Note: The webinar is longer than usual, at 1.5 hours, to allow more time for questions.
Speaker: Andrew Evans, Senior Consultant, Philanthropy Company. Andrew is an experienced fundraising director and consultant who has secured seven figure donations from both individual donors and grant-makers in areas including churches, arts and heritage, health and community development. This has included environmental projects such as LED lighting projects and adding insultation when re-roofing. He also brings strong credentials and personal commitment to environmental sustainability projects, including working pro bono to help his own church secure its Gold EcoChurch award.
This webinar has now past. Watch the recording.
Part 2 - How to start environmental fundraising
This second webinar will cover:
How to plan a fundraising strategy for your environmental project – what are the stages and what are the tools and information you need to have to hand before you start?
How to communicate the need for your environmental project – your case for support
Different styles of approach for different types of funder
Common challenges and pitfalls
Note: The webinar is longer than usual, at 1.5 hours, to allow more time for questions.
Speaker: Andrew Evans, Senior Consultant, Philanthropy Company. Andrew is an experienced fundraising director and consultant who has secured seven figure donations from both individual donors and grant-makers in areas including churches, arts and heritage, health and community development. This has included environmental projects such as LED lighting projects and adding insultation when re-roofing. He also brings strong credentials and personal commitment to environmental sustainability projects, including working pro bono to help his own church secure its Gold EcoChurch award.
This webinar has now past:   Watch the recording.
Part 3 - Environmental fundraising for experienced fundraisers
This third webinar will cover:
The national grants directory of environmental funders,
A sample of funders to consider, and what their criteria are,
How to make a case for the outputs, outcomes, and impact of an environmental project,
More innovative sources of funding to consider.
Note: The webinar is longer than usual, at 1.5 hours, to allow more time for questions.
Speaker: Andrew Evans, Senior Consultant, Philanthropy Company. Andrew is an experienced fundraising director and consultant who has secured seven figure donations from both individual donors and grant-makers in areas including churches, arts and heritage, health and community development. This has included environmental projects such as LED lighting projects and adding insultation when re-roofing. He also brings strong credentials and personal commitment to environmental sustainability projects, including working pro bono to help his own church secure its Gold EcoChurch award.
This webinar has now past: Watch the recording here.
Other webinars from the Church of England Environment Programme
Webinars on Land and Nature for Churches Count on Nature Week (June 2021)
During 5-13 June 2021 churches around the country took part in Churches Count on Nature. This was a nationwide pilot project open to all churches, run in partnership by Caring for God's Acre, A Rocha UK, the Church of England Environment Programme, and the Church in Wales.
During Churches Count on Nature week, we ran a special series of twelve webinars on many different aspects of nature, ecology, churchyard management, and outdoor worship for a church audience.
You can find all the details and recordings here.
Eco Church programme webinars
We have four Eco Church webinars, available to book on this page.
An introduction and overview of eco church - getting started
Working towards an award and gaining momentum
Working towards net zero carbon with Eco Church
Eco Church is an ecumenical programme and, whilst these webinars are being hosted by the Church of England Environment Programme, they are open to all churches to attend. BOOK HERE
Environmental webinars for schools
Our Education Office has started a new series of environmental webinars for schools.
Webinar 1 - June 2021.
This webinar outlined the Net Zero Carbon target and next steps. It covered what the net zero target includes, how to measure the carbon footprint of your school, and then featured Alex Green of "UK Climate Change • Lets Go Zero". This important campaign helps to provide all schools with a clear roadmap to net zero carbon by improving their understanding of energy usage, reducing consumption and helping to identify opportunities for efficiencies.
Download the introductory presentation here and Alex Green's slides on Let's Go Zero here.
Webinar 2 - October 2021..
This webinar covered a really informative Net Zero Project Case Study, a demo of the Schools Environmental Footprint Calculator, an update on Lets Go Zero, and a range of Christian Aid resources to help your school host a ‘Mini COP'.
Watch the recording here.
Webinar 2 - May 2022 - Learnings from net zero carbon action plans
This webinar is aimed at school business managers, school leaders, school governors and directors of MATs, diocesan buildings officers, diocesan directors of education, diocesan environment officers, and anyone interested in how our schools can work towards Net Zero.
findings from over 200 school energy audits about the change needed, the savings and the costs,
six real world examples of schools with detailed Net Zero Carbon Action Plans, created as part of the national Wayfinders Project,
a demonstration of the energy footprint tool for schools,
the part schools play in the national "Routemap to Net Zero Carbon by 2030".
Panellists include Matt Fulford, a consultant at Inspired Efficiency, Tom Wood, statistician at the Church of England, and Denise Rowley, Net Zero Carbon Planning Officer at the Church of England.
Watch the recording here
If you would like to register your interest in future webinars, please email [email protected]
Find details of our climate resilience webinars here, to help your church and its community prepare for more extreme weather and other climate risks.
Getting Ready for the Great Big Green Week during the Season of Creation
The Great Big Green Week is a nationwide celebration of action on climate change, taking place across the UK from the 24th September - 2nd October 2022, and which falls during the Church's Season of Creation, giving Christian groups the perfect opportunity to join in.
In 2021, over 5000 events took place and over 200,000 people took part. Watch the 2 min video about GBGW 2021.
Come along to hear about:
how your church, cathedral, school, dioceses, or group can take part,
inspiring examples from 2021,
what organising a GBGW event involves,
how to register your event,
what grants are available and how to apply, and
how it fits with the Season of Creation.
Speakers: Grace Fisher, Community Organiser/ Mobiliser, from The Climate Coalition and Jo Chamberlain, Environment Policy Officer, from the Church of England.
Thus 21st April, 12-1pm.  BOOK HERE.
Useful webinars programmes from other organisations
We share links here to some other organisations webinar programme, where we think they are of particular relevance.