Dear MK Eco Church Network friends
I omitted to include in the May Update I sent last week, reference to World Environment Day which falls on Thursday 5th June, for which my apologies. The theme for World Environment Day 2025 is “Ending Plastic Pollution”. There is no longer an official Climate Sunday, so churches are being encouraged to celebrate World Environment Day on either the Sunday before (1st June) or after (8th June), whichever Sunday will be most appropriate for your church.
The theme of “Ending Plastic Pollution” aligns with ongoing international commitments to reduce plastic consumption, improve recycling systems, and promote sustainable alternatives. I’ve made a search of several websites to find resources that might be of use to you. How you choose to celebrate WED is also entirely up to you, but in what follows, there are resources for prayer, links to useful websites, some very short helpful videos for reflection, checklists for personal commitments to lower plastic use and an opportunity for advocacy.
Green Christian has produced a very helpful 2-page document which is entitled “God’s Creation: Cutting Plastic Waste’ - click here. This includes key facts and ideas about how people can reduce their waste plastic and it also includes links to some short videos (1 or 2 minutes long) which are very informative and which you could show during the service.
Green Christian has also produced an article for parish magazines about ‘Plastic Reductions’ which includes useful information. Click on the link https://greenchristian.org.uk/
This includes the following prayer:
Living God Where there is waste, let us bring recycling,
Where there is recycling, let us bring reuse,
Where there is reuse, let us bring sustainability,
Where there is sustainability, let us bring justice
Where there is justice, let us bring love.
Prayers about pollution:
A Rocha: https://www.arocha.org/wp-
For information about plastic pollution in general there are 3 very useful websites:
The Big Plastic Count: https://www.everydayplastic.
City to Sea: https://www.citytosea.org.uk/
Surfers Against Sewage: https://www.sas.org.uk/
You could include some of the suggestions in these websites about how people could reduce their plastic use in your church notices or your Eco Tips for June.
Advocacy
I’ve received this link to a Greenpeace Campaign against supermarket plastics and you could encourage people to sign this letter as an advocacy activity: https://action.greenpeace.org.
Prayer Vigil on 5th June
Finally, please do come and join us at the prayer vigil that Churches Together in Milton Keynes will be organising on World Environment Day Thursday 5th June at the MK Rose between 5.30-6.00pm.
Best wishes,
Stuart Kean
MK Eco Church Convenor
email: mkecnetwork@ctmk.church