A core stream of our work is to foster connections within and across faiths. This work focuses on the values and beliefs we share across faith and cultural traditions; building on key motivations to support action on climate change, often drawing on secular sources of expertise and action to grow and inform change.
Key examples of this are our ongoing work with the Faith Leaders Network in the Liverpool City Region who consult and take action on local and national issues. Faiths4Change work closely with the group to develop local initiatives that strengthen interfaith relationships. This work is complimented by our Faith & Climate network which is open to community members of all faiths to benefit from sharing advice and actions with each other. We continue to work with Anglican churches across the Liverpool Diocese with the aim of achieving A Rocha Silver Eco Diocese accreditation and with Wirral Council on Cool Wirral 2 through which we are working to reduce the carbon footprint of places of worship. Alongside this we are working with St Michael in the City to open up their centre and grow community connection through health and wellbeing activities such as gardening, cooking and crafts and with Oak Church in Skelmersdale to build community resilience on Tanhouse Estate.
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Faith Climate Action
Faiths4Change have been playing an active role in the now growing movement of faith action on climate change for many years; work has included the following still relevant shared actions:
“It is always a great pleasure to work with you (Faiths4Change) and trying to improve the environment of our historically rich and beautiful Rochdale. The best thing is that you have built up good working relationships with the local community and now people from various background and gender are coming forward with a very positive attitude to join you in your good work. They feel very confident and are making a valuable contribution.” Ghulam Rasul Shahzad OBE, Chair of Rochdale Environmental Action Group
- 2009: Commissioned a paper on recycling sacred & Qu’ranic texts to support a pilot project to reduce paper waste in waterways and reduce the need to buy burial plots for this material. This paper continues to be shared with mosques and Muslim communities to inform options and processes.
- 2010: With the Preston Mela Trust created a ‘Climate Change & Faith Perspectives’ education guide for people attending the Mela. The guide shares different faith perspectives on climate change, examples of good practice and practical actions for individuals. The guide is shared electronically, most recently with people involved in our Faith & Climate Network partnership project.
- 2011 – 13 Supported by United Utilities worked with 9 Mosques in Burnley to create a large scale engagement awareness programme on water efficiency drawing on Islamic scripts, verses and rituals. Male and female focus groups shaped the programme which included a community education programme, the creation and sharing of Khutbas’ (special sermons), the use of mosque radio, installation of push taps for ablutions and a community wide pledge campaign.
- 2008 – 19 Worked with faith communities supported by the Environment Agency and over 100 partners, to develop and deliver a flood risk awareness programme in diverse communities at high risk of flooding in Rochdale, Bolton & Bury.
“It is always a great pleasure to work with you (Faiths4Change) and trying to improve the environment of our historically rich and beautiful Rochdale. The best thing is that you have built up good working relationships with the local community and now people from various background and gender are coming forward with a very positive attitude to join you in your good work. They feel very confident and are making a valuable contribution.” Ghulam Rasul Shahzad OBE, Chair of Rochdale Environmental Action Group
2017 Exploring the need for multi-faith responses to climate change with partners including Energy Projects Plus.
Inspired by Wirral’s Climate Change Strategy, Faiths4Change and partners Wirral Council, WING (Merseyside Women of Faith), Merseyside Council of Faiths, Energy Projects Plus, Merseyside Environmental Trust, Emansys and Planet Heswall coordinated and contributed to an Interfaith Week 2017 event in Birkenhead. ‘World Faiths, Climate Change & Community Influence’ brought together over 40 members of different faith communities and leaders from different sectors to undertake practical workshops to share current activity.
The Faith & Climate Network partnership project grew out of this initial event to provide an open approach to faith led, multi sector partnered climate action in the Liverpool City Region.
2018 Islam & Climate Change / Energy with Energy Projects Plus
Our partnership Interfaith Week Event hosted with the Wirral Deen Centre (Mosque) Wirral was attended by over 40 members of faith communities and leaders from different sectors. The sharing, discussion and action planning focused on Islam & climate change and Energy through workshops and presentations; Energy Projects Plus led the workshop and set the scene for others to share their activism including the No Faith in Fracking group.
2019 Eco Diocese, Faith Leaders, Cool Places of Worship & Interfaith Network Primary School Resource
The FCN has grown organically, developing new strands of work that bring together different people and approaches. Faiths4Change were appointed by the Bishop of Liverpool to lead the Diocese of Liverpool to achieve A Rocha Eco Diocese status. We have undertaken this work as a partnership with clergy, lay and relevant organisations such as Merseyside Christian Aid. We have supported the Diocese of Liverpool to achieve the Bronze Eco Diocese Award (one of only 7 Diocese’ in the country to achieve this).
FCN Events 2019
Faith, Climate & Food – in partnership with St Cuthbert’s Church, Liverpool (Silver Eco Church) and Ankur (Hindu women education group) we led a family focused event attended by over 40 people on Food and Climate; with engagement and participation from, amongst others, young people of faith, the Hindu Sunday School & Mini Mothers Union, who wanted to voice their concerns for the environment and advocate for a vegetarian diet and different approaches to safeguard the future of life on Earth.
Faith, Climate & Mitzvah Actions - Our Interfaith Week event ‘Faith & Climate’ was developed with the Eco Diocese team, a member of the Orthodox Jewish Community and shaped by input from the Liverpool Region Mosque Network, the Bahai community and Christian churches. The Bishop of Liverpool hosted the event in November which was attended by 52 members of faith communities resulting in a list of climate action priorities which has been taken to the Liverpool City Region Faith Leaders Network.
The Interfaith Network UK – informed us that our Faith & Climate Network activities and approach are inspirational and a link to this work has been included in a national primary school resource that they have created.
https://www.interfaith.org.uk/resources/learning-about-inter-faith-activity-a-primary-resource
2020 & 2021
Towards a Silver Eco Award for the Diocese of Liverpool
Young People & Children Led Water Project with the Diocese of Liverpool. This on-going project gives an example of Faiths4Change’s visual branding and communication of environmental information and ideas. This resource book is aimed at children and young people and is part of our work leading the Diocese towards a Silver Eco Diocese Award. You can view Water Stories here.
Cool Places of Worship. Faiths4Change are currently leading a new pilot programme as part of the ‘Cool 2, Wirral Climate Change Strategy. We will be working in depth with 4 individual places of worship to help them determine their carbon footprint, create tailored plans with the community to reduce their carbon footprint and then support them to act on the plans to become ‘Cool Places of Worship’.
Liverpool City Region Faith Leaders Network – Interfaith Development. Faiths4Change are working with faith leaders and their communities until the end of 2021 to support the development of relationships and climate action at a strategic level. Work includes mosque and church twinning with Warrington Council of Faiths members, with a key focus for the relationship being the environment.
Faiths4Change is leading this broad movement within the Liverpool City Region with faith and secular partners including Energy Projects Plus and Wirral Environment Network; sharing and connecting learning and actions at grassroots & strategic levels and feeding into a national movement with others such as Faiths for the Climate, Eco Sikh and the Interfaith Network UK.