Our commitment to lowering our carbon footprint
And other ethical commitments
Energy
At Hasbury Community Church we are committed to reducing waste and energy consumption in order to reduce carbon emmissions. The main church building to the front was erected in 2011. This was built to very high energy efficiency standards. The rear part of the building, erected in the 1980s has also benefited from significant improvements. The building has been upgraded with new thermally efficient windows and doors. It has also received a new roof which includes new high efficiency insulation.
Since 2012 we have reduced our electricity usage thanks to a 20 panel solar PV installation. This in turn, reduces our reliance on generating electricity using fossil fuels. These measures mean that our combined old and new buildings have achieved an EPC and DEC rating of grade C+, which is good for a large commercial type building. We continue to investigate ways of reducing energy use and continue to carry out further improvements.
In July 2025 we committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, in line with many national church denominations and other organisations.
In April 2026 we installed a huge addition to our solar pV installation. This has added a further 10kW generation capacity. Generating further excess electricity will enable us to export more clean energy to the grid. Our solar generation will increase from around 4,000 kW.hr per annum to around 15,000 kW.hr per annum.
September 2026 saw the gas boiler replaced with an air-source heat pump heating system. This reduces fossil fuel use in the building to zero. It uses very little energy and can be powered by our own solar panels and renewable energy electricity from the grid. This represents a big step towards our target for carbon neutrality by 2030.
Eco Church
In the spring of 2025 we registered with A-Rocha as an Eco Church and made a number of changes to our activities. In December 2025 we were very pleased to achieve the Silver Award. We are currently considering pressing forward to achieve the Gold Award.
Fair Trade
For many years, we have been committed to the principles of Fair Trade. We are registered as a Fair Trade Church with the Fairtrade Foundation and adhere to the two core requirements: – 1. Use Fairtrade products wherever possible (at least tea, coffee and sugar) and share information about Fairtrade products with the wider congregation. 2. Integrate Fairtrade into the life of your church, at Fairtrade Fortnight or other times of the year. For example through events, stalls and worship. We are also actively involved in the work of the town’s fair trade shop ‘Traidpoint’ which is located in St John’s in the town centre.
We are fortunate and proud to be the custodians of a modern and efficient building which has become a hub of activities for the local community. As well as an extensive programme of events held by the church, the buildings are also used by Justine Pilates, Footworks Dance academy, local elections and several others.
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.”