Genesis 2:15: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it”
St John’s is committed to looking after God’s creation. Hence we are part of the network of eco-churches in the UK with A Rocha and we are committed to going zero waste, carbon zero and encouraging wildlife within and beyond our campus.
We actively engage our communities to create actions such as reducing waste by:
Reflecting & Rethinking one’s own living to reduce greenhouse emissions.
Reducing by repairing, composting, and learning about waste generation and its impact on greenhouse gases and water resources.
Reusing by repurposing, swapping, and freecycle.
Recycling when there is no other choice. Where possible recycle the materials that are 99% recycled (metal).
St John’s remains delighted with our achievement of a Gold Award, putting us in the top group of churches in the UK. This was achieved by delivering in 5 areas:
-Worship and teaching -Buildings and energy -Land and nature -Community and global engagement -Lifestyle
But our focus is on the future. Please join in in our 2026 events, and help us achieve even more in 2027!
Every Wednesday: Be Creative meet from 11.30am-1.30pm in the Easter Centre main room Every Thursday: The Shed runs where you can repair and use tools to upcycle items from 10am-1pm Every Saturday: Community Fridge open to everyone from any background who wants to reduce food waste. Bring a jar for soup and a bag for produce. 11am-1pm in The Caddey, except for the first Saturday of the month is in the Easter Centre.
John 6:12: When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”
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The main purpose of a community fridge is to save fresh food from going to waste. It is a site where local people can share food, this includes surplus from supermarkets, local food businesses, producers, households and gardens
St John’s is committed to ensuring our Community Fridge is a friendly, accessible and community-led initiative. It is open to everyone, regardless of means and is not a food bank or a solution to food poverty. It is hoped that this space will become a community hub that brings people together to connect, learn new skills, live more sustainably and reduce food waste.
Currently skill exchanges are being developed to run alongside the community fridge.
Regular Litter Picking: Picker Pack
St John’s is hosting regular litter picks. If you would like to be part of the team, please get in touch with the church office https://stjohnsegham.com/contact-us/
Every year we hold an eco-festival for our church and surrounding community to focus on activities, ideas and actions we can take. This year our eco-festival will be held on the 5th September 2026.
In 2020 we celebrated Hope & Vision for our Environment with a Build Back Better theme. In 2021 our theme was “Make COP Count”. In 2022 our theme was “Waste: Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle only if there are no other options”, 2023 was “Live Sustainably”, 2024 was “What can you do to save the planet?, 2025 was “Climate Action”.
Repairs & Upcycling
Our Repair Clinics are run about 3-4 times a year. If you want help at any other time we have a crafting group and a Shed. See below.
The Be Creative is a group within St John’s that as well as crafting, they help people to creatively use waste (upcycle) and repair items. They normally meet throughout the year every Wednesday and feature in the Eco-Festival.
The Shed is an exciting project located in The Caddey at St John’s Church, which enables people to work on small repair jobs or create something new from wood, metal or plastic, learning new skills in a safe and welcoming environment, and enjoying fellowship and friendship with others.
Tools are provided and there is full support from a qualified team who are highly experienced in a range of crafts and in teaching and training.
The Shed is open to everyone whether you are an expert or a complete beginner so just come along and see what is going on. Opening times: 10am-12pm on Thursday
Towards Net Zero and Improving Biodiversity
Eco-Acts: Environmental challenges given to the congregation at St John’s to achieve
