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Fountainhall Church Eco Team was created 15 years ago with the aim to place environmental concerns and environmentally-oriented action at the centre of the life of our congregation. Winning their first award in 2007, the Eco Team also strives to heighten awareness of environmental issues amongst the local community through its members’ personal witness and example.
For more information, please contact us on Eco@fountainhallchurch.org.uk
Eco Tip
Eco Tip
Minimising your impact to the environment when using the car
Minimising your impact to the environment when using the car
Using the car is not the most eco-friendly means of getting about, but if walking, cycling or using public transport is not accessible or possible for you, there are ways to reduce the impact of your driving on the planet by reducing emissions and saving you money, fuel and time.
Improving fuel efficiency
Drive smoothly as excessive breaking and accelerating increases fuel consumption.
Shift up a gear early.
Avoid excessive speeds as this eats up your fuel be that oil based or electric.
Switch off your engine if you are going to be stationary for more than a minute.
Opening a window uses less fuel than switching on the air conditioning.
Roof racks, boxes, and bars increase air resistance and thus fuel consumption so remove when not in use.
Regular vehicle maintenance
Having your car serviced at least annually will keep it operating efficiently as this is when air filters and oil changes are done.
Check regularly that your tyres are inflated as per the manual as under-inflated tyres are dangerous and can increase fuel consumption.
Monitor the gauges on your dashboard and react promptly to any warning signs or alerts.
Plan efficient routes
Plan your trips so that multiple errands can be completed in one journey.
Travel during off-peak hours whenever possible to avoid lots of stops and starts.
Use GPS navigation to help you find the most fuel-efficient route to your destination.
Car club membership
If you do not require the use of a car very often and live in an urban area you may find that joining a community car club such as Co-wheels or car sharing would be more cost effective for you and better for the planet.
Adapted from an article published by Darwin Insurance
Eco Events
Eco Events
Autumn Ramble: Friday 3 October
Autumn Ramble: Friday 3 October
The Fountainhall Church Eco Team invite you to join them for their next Autumn ramble to explore the Bucksburn Valley. The walk will be a joint event with the Cults O50s led by Lindsay Kilvington.
Meet at Dobbies Garden Centre, Lang Stracht, Kingswells, Aberdeen AB15 6AX, at 9.45am for 10.00am departure on Friday 3 October.
We shall walk along some paths, boardwalks and some surfaced roads. Please note the walk is not suitable for mobility scooters because of the presence of steps. We will walk through mature woodland, marshland area and farmland, crossing Burnbrae Moss and passing through a residential area of Kingswells and crossing a section of the consumption dykes.
From there we make our way back to Dobbies Garden Centre for refreshments. The walk is approximately 3.5 miles.
NB Warm clothing and stout walking shoes are recommended as sections of the walk can be muddy after rain.
This is a free event. All are very welcome. Please contact Sheila via emai eco@fountainhallchurch.org.uk if you would like to join us.
Events we support
Events we support
COMPOSTABLE CADDY LINERS at the Centre and at the Cross
COMPOSTABLE CADDY LINERS at the Centre and at the Cross
Fountainhall Church at the Centre and Cross are distribution points for compostable food caddy liners. These are available at reception in these buildings. Food caddy liners are biodegradable and environmentally-friendly allowing food waste to be easily separated from other rubbish and then put into the brown garden waste bin.
Looking for a bigger caddy liner?
Looking for a bigger caddy liner?
Free 7 litre food caddies can be ordered from Aberdeen City Council. Food caddy liners and food waste can be disposed of in the brown bin.
RECYCLING POINT at Fountainhall Church
RECYCLING POINT at Fountainhall Church
Fountainhall Church supports the recycling of items which cannot be efficiently recycled by kerbside collections. Each of our 3 buildings have a dedicated recycling point for selected items:
Postage stamps for Oxfam
Spectacles for The Lions Club
Mobile phones and ink cartridges for ReBoot of Forres
Unused Plastic Charity Bags for Somebody Cares
Foreign and Pre-Decimal Coins for Oxfam
But where do our Items collected, which cannot be easily recycled kerbside, go? Click here to learn the answer.
We are a Fairtrade Church
We are a Fairtrade Church
What does this mean?
What does this mean?
We promote and raise awareness about FT by:
The use of FT tea, coffee and sugar for hospitality in our three buildings
The display of the FT logo
The display of FT posters on our Eco Noticeboards
Having a stall at FHC coffee mornings and events in FHC
Including reference to FT during worship
Participation in FT fortnight
Eco Team's Remit
Eco Team's Remit
Encourage amongst our congregation and the local community a concern for environmental considerations in the course of all actions undertaken as part of everyday life
Encourage an appreciation of God’s creation and our responsibility to care for it
Help to bring to the attention of the world at large the centrality of environmental issues
Remain active members of, and contributors to, Eco Congregation Scotland
Encourage our church and congregation to promote sustainable development and energy use
Encourage our congregation to become a more effective Fairtrade community
Eco Team's Actions
Eco Team's Actions
The Eco Team’s activities include:
raising awareness of green issues and organising green events for the congregation and wider community;
promoting Fairtrade;
developing our grounds as a quality leisure and wildlife area;
forging links with community organisations and environmental bodies;
having an input into the Fountainhall Church purchasing policy;
promotion of recycling, support for projects to reduce our carbon footprint, inclusion of environmental material in worship and liturgy;
Communication and awareness actions with contributions to What’s On Weekly Digital Newsletter, Intimations and The Source magazine, and campaigning.
We are an Eco Congregation. What does this mean?
We are an Eco Congregation. What does this mean?
Fountainhall Church is a member of Eco-Congregation Scotland (ECS) which is a charity, offering a programme to enthuse and engage church congregations to weave environmental issues into their everyday lives and mission in an enjoyable and stimulating way. ECS achieves this through three strands: Spiritual Living, Practical Living and Global Living. ECS encourages churches to take part in their award process which recognises achievements in these three areas.
ECS has an award scheme with three categories: bronze, silver and gold. Fountainhall Church has been assessed and achieved a silver award.
Fountainhall Church was awarded the first Eco Award in 2007, the second Eco award in 2011 and the third one in 2016. The Award Scheme was then altered to Bronze, Silver and Gold with the criteria becoming slightly more stringent. Our Third Award became then a Silver Award under the new award scheme.
Our Eco Awards
Our Eco Awards
Silver Eco Congregation Scotland Award since 2016
Silver Eco Congregation Scotland Award since 2016
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