Renew Environment Group

RENEW is group of concerned members of the congregations and clergy of Ely Cathedral. We are always pleased to hear from anyone who would like to know more about what we're currently focusing on, and in particular from anyone who would like to get involved! Email us

Our initial purpose was to collect information and to initiate changes which would enable us to apply for an Eco Church award through A Rocha. In February 2020, we had made sufficient progress to apply for a silver award.

We are now working towards the gold award, and towards Ely Cathedral 2030, so that, in line with General Synod's decision, we will be carbon neutral by this date.

Particular projects include:

• continuing to ensure that care for the environment and sustainable living are at the heart of all our worship and teaching
• commissioning a survey on the carbon footprint of the cathedral estate, excluding private and commercial rented properties
• obtaining costs for the complete replacement of all gas-fired heating appliances by air source heat pumps and installing underfloor heating in the main body of the Cathedral to heat the people rather than the air
• replacing the existing lighting system with a more efficient LED-based system
• improving biodiversity, creating new habitats and maximising carbon capture on Cathedral land, with the help of the young people who attend Café Church, members of the congregation and the wider community
• providing information on how to live more sustainably
• we were unable to take part in Churches Count on Nature 2023, jointly run by the conservation charities Caring for God’s Acre and A Rocha UK, together with the Church of England Environment Programme and the Church in Wales. However, you can catch up with the Church of England Environment Programme series of webinars on different aspects of land and nature here