Living Gently on the Earth

Our programme is designed to enable green and generous living in all its aspects. The programme also includes sessions on social action, justice, and raising awareness. This is what we have planned, with further sessions to be announced soon:

2024 Events

Thursday 25 April | 7-9pm | Severn Room, The Old Palace
'Human Health, Planetary Health: Same Thing?'
Owen Raybould is an experienced local forager whose research has shown how processed and refined foods have two important impacts: they create a burden on human physical and mental health; and the production of them creates ecological problems. This session will look at the food system, how we can eat better and more healthily, and how farming healthier foods is better for the earth.
Please click here to book your free tickets.

Thursday 23 May | 2-4pm | Severn Room, The Old Palace
'How can we all switch to a more sustainable “circular economy” and lower our environmental footprint?'
“The circular economy is a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting.” Dominic Lavelle is Managing Director of Go Green Experts, a Worcester-based Net Zero Carbon Consultancy. Dominic helps medium & large companies decarbonise and become more environmentally friendly.
Please click here to book your free tickets.

Thursday 6 June | 2-4pm| The Abbott's Kitchen, The Old Palace
'Hope in an Age of Crisis and Turmoil' 
If we look out over the present situation:  the recent pandemic, global warming, shifting weather patterns, rising seas, wild fires, loss of biodiversity, wars in Ukraine, Gaza, the Gulf. Eleven current civil wars, millions of displaced peoples and migrants, oppressed communities like the Uighurs detained in Chinese re-education camps...  It can be hard to sustain hope as the daily news hits us.
There are approaches to hope we could take starting from literature and poetry perhaps most famously An Essay on Man by Alexander Pope 1733-4 “Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is but always to be blest.” Or Philosophical – the atheist Marxist Ernst Bloch’s three volume The Hope Principle. Or the new discipline of the psychology of Hope, with research on how hope impacts on education, work, health and community well-being and techniques for improving it.  All of the above would be interesting places to start our discussion of Hope.
But what is the Source of Our Hope? Specifically the hope we have as disciples of Jesus. The source of our Hope is much more ancient. So my treatment will focus on the Jewish and Christian Scriptures and the hope of the communities that produced them and that still celebrate and live out of them today.
Please click here to book your free tickets.

Saturday 24 August | 7.30-9.30pm
‘The fascinating and mysterious world of Worcester Cathedral’s bats’
Did you know that England’s bat species are known as “environmental indicators” because their fates are so closely linked to the health of the natural world around us. Come and join us for an illustrated chat about the amazing bats of Worcestershire and hear more about the nationally important role which Worcester Cathedral plays for nature conservation.
We’ll take a walk around the cathedral’s grounds to look and listen for bats, and we’ll have special bat detectors allowing us to listen-in on the bats as they fly around hunting for insects.
Your bat evening (held on International Bat Night, celebrated in more than 30 countries) will be led by Cody Levine of Worcestershire County Council and Worcestershire Bat Group. Cody’s a chartered ecologist with more than 20 years’ experience working with wildlife, and has a particular interest in bats and lighting.
Please note:
- The route may include some inclines and uneven path [includes steps down to Kleve Walk and the riverside, an area which is partly illuminated].
- Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
- It’s recommended to bring a torch and wrap up warm!
Please click here to book your free tickets.

Thursday 26 September | 2-3.30pm | Abbott's Kitchen, The Old Palace
'Reconciling Mission - with Rev Dr Alastair McKay'
A workshop session for clergy and lay leaders, especially those with a heart for their parish’s engagement with local neighbourhood, and for working in partnership with other people and organisations beyond the church.”
Alastair is director of Reconciliation Initiatives and is based in Worcester Diocese. He leads training and development programmes in the UK which resource churches for deeper engagement with local neighbourhood and community. He has 30 years’ experience in facilitating adult learning and was the director of Bridge Builders for nearly 20 years. He is the author of Bridgebuilding: Making peace with conflict in the Church (Canterbury Press, 2019).
Tickets will be available soon.

Saturday 5 October | 10am - 4pm
BIG GREEN FAMILY FAIR
More details to follow soon.

Events are free to attend.

*Tickets are not compulsory for attendance but will ensure that you will have a place if the event is full and will help to give us a guide of how many people to expect. 

Articles about these events can be viewed in our Eco Blog.

Thursday 21 March 2024
'Take the Jump'

Thursday 22 February 2024
'Social Justice in Action: Sierra Leone'

Thursday 25 January 2024
'Between Denial and Despair': A Christian perspective on Hope in an Ecological Emergency 

Thursday 7 December 2023
'Addressing the Climate Crisis – A Debate with Worcester’s Parliamentary Candidates'

Thursday 26 October 2023
From People to Planet: A New Vision of Christian Social Justice

Thursday 7 September 2023
Forest Church - An Introduction

Thursday 13 July 2023
Talking Climate Justice with the Bishop of Dudley

Thursday 22 June 2023
Exploring Social Justice for Christians

Thursday 8 June 2023
Wildlife Survey: 'You're Never too old for a Bug Hunt!'

Saturday 27 May 2023
Prayer in Nature: an eco-spirituality teaching and practical session

Thursday 27 April 2023
How we can use Worcester Cathedral’s heritage to engage our communities with green living.

Thursday 2 February 2023
Measuring Your Carbon Footprint and Acting on it

Saturday 5 November 2022
Green Travel: Cheaper, better, easier

Saturday 22 October 2022
Big Green Family Fair

Thursday 13 October 2022
Home and Building Energy: Reducing Energy Use and Saving Money

Thursday 6 October 2022
A visit to Envirosort's Norton Teaching Centre 

Thursday 29 September 2022
How to Live a Less Plastic Life

Sunday 25 September 2022
From Garden to Dish 

Thursday 7 July 2022
Putting Your Money Where Your Heart Is

Thursday 9 June 2022
Delicious Vegetarian Food Cooking Demonstration

Saturday 7 May 2022
How Faith Effects How We Care For The Planet