Latest roundtable highlights practical steps to Net Zero

Around 60 people from across Australia gathered online last month for the Uniting Church’s second Climate Action Roundtable, sharing practical initiatives, innovative projects and collaborative approaches to help the Church achieve its commitment to Net Zero emissions by 2040.

Under the theme Practical Steps toward Net Zero by 2040, the Roundtable showcased how congregations, Synods and agencies are already taking meaningful action to reduce emissions while strengthening communities.

Opening the gathering with prayer and an Acknowledgement of Country, Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli reflected on her recent visit to Tuvalu, where communities are confronting the devastating impacts of rising sea levels and increasingly severe climate events.

“The people of Tuvalu are facing a human reality with courage and hope,” she said, challenging participants to consider how do we love our neighbour?.

Rev Suli reminded participants that Christian discipleship calls the Church to stand alongside communities bearing the greatest burdens of climate change. She also shared details of a new partnership agreement between the Uniting Church in Australia and the church in Tuvalu, reaffirming the Church’s commitment to walking alongside Pacific neighbours facing an uncertain future.

She encouraged participants to continue working together in the shared ministry of climate justice.

The first presentation focused on one of the foundations of effective climate action: understanding and measuring emissions.

Emily Murray, Environmental Sustainability Specialist with the Queensland Synod, and Zoe Smith, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Uniting Communities South Australia, introduced work underway to establish a national carbon emissions baseline across congregations, schools and agencies.

Emily explained that measuring greenhouse gas emissions is essential to tracking progress and identifying where the greatest opportunities for emissions reduction exist.

“We cannot manage what we cannot measure,” she said, noting that consistent reporting will help develop a national roadmap for emissions reduction across the Church.

Zoe outlined the complementary Offsets Feasibility Study, recognising that while emissions can be significantly reduced, some will remain unavoidable by 2040.

Potential offset opportunities include reforestation on Church-owned land or land managed by members in rural communities, as well as projects drawing on First Peoples’ knowledge, including cultural burning practices.

Participants welcomed the presentation and expressed strong support for practical action, with examples already emerging across the Church, including work underway through South Australia’s Effective Living Centre.

The Roundtable then heard from Trevor Brown of Armidale Uniting Church, who shared how one regional congregation is responding to climate change through projects that combine environmental sustainability with social justice.

Under the theme Caring for People, Caring for Creation, Trevor posed a key question driving the congregation’s work, “What does it look like for a congregation to participate meaningfully in the energy transition, especially alongside those in the community who might otherwise be left behind?”.

Recognising that many households are facing both rising living costs and increasing climate pressures, Armidale Uniting Church is exploring practical ways to ensure vulnerable people benefit from the transition to renewable energy.

One project aims to electrify the church property and move it towards Net Zero emissions, with plans to share surplus renewable energy with neighbouring properties and vulnerable households where possible.

A second initiative, Equity Energy Upgrades for Vulnerable Households in Armidale, will provide advice and practical support to at least 100 households with the assistance of 20 trained volunteers. Running through to June 2027, the project seeks to reduce energy stress, improve household comfort and demonstrate the need for government investment to ensure the renewable energy transition is equitable.

The congregation is also developing practical household resources and has launched the innovative Thread Shed project, which will provide curtains to improve home insulation alongside winter clothing for people experiencing hardship.

The final presentation showcased the Victorian and Tasmanian Synod’s Synod Emissions Reduction Fund (SERF), presented by Sue Strong from the Synod Climate Action Taskforce.

Established in 2023 with an initial investment of $100,000 from Synod Property Services, SERF provides grants to congregations for projects that deliver measurable emissions reductions.

The first funding round attracted 33 applications, with grants assessed according to their projected emissions savings and overall value. Sue noted that manses and church halls often provide some of the greatest opportunities for reducing emissions because they are used more frequently than worship spaces.

Following the success of the inaugural round, the program expanded in 2025 through matched funding from the Synod alongside generous contributions from Presbyteries, congregations and individuals, creating a funding pool of $150,000. Twenty-eight congregations applied for grants in the latest round.

Beyond the emissions reductions themselves, Sue reflected that one of the project’s greatest achievements has been strengthening relationships with congregations and encouraging local communities to explore additional funding opportunities and partnerships.

She concluded with a simple but encouraging reminder that “everyone can make a difference”.

Further information

Details about the Synod Emissions Reduction Fund (SERF) can be obtained through Sue Strong or Barrie May.

The Environmental Action Group in South Australia can be contacted through Brian Polkinghorne.

The Synod of WA's new Missional Property Fund Net Zero Grant offers funding of up to 80% of project costs for places of worship and up to 50% for manses in Western Australia.

The Guidelines for Reducing Greenhouse Gases from Church Properties resource to support congregations to make applications is available through Richard Arnold.

There is much information available on the recording of the Roundtable.
You can view it here, using the code: y3Q5j+@S