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It is the first WCC assembly to receive official environmental certification, a step organizers hope will support member churches in acting in accordance with ecological standards.
The WCC is looking to the assembly to raise up the issue of climate justice, a major theme at the gathering, at which about 3500 participants are expected.
“If we don't change our behaviour, in 50 years our planet will be uninhabitable,” the WCC acting general secretary, the Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, said in advance of the assembly.
To receive EMAS certification, organizers had to carry out an environmental audit of the assembly, set out the environmental policy and management system to be followed, and summarize the results in an environmental declaration to be submitted to an external environmental assessor.
The declaration was drawn up in cooperation with the Karlsruhe local coordination office for the 11th Assembly and the Protestant Church in Baden, where the assembly is taking place.
It was validated on 12 August and covers environmental indicators such the more economical use of energy and water during events, waste management, and the environmentally friendly mobility of participants, as well as catering, and environmentally friendly procurement.
As part of the declaration, the WCC said it was committed to “reducing energy consumption further and to increasing the environmentally compatible use of renewable energy.”
In an introduction to the declaration, WCC acting general secretary Sauca writes that “commitment to a sustainable interaction with creation, a just and sustainable economy, and the lives of all future generations have occupied a central place in the work of the WCC.”
With the application for EMAS certification, the 11th Assembly “will now go one step further and set an important example of sustainability and responsible action,” he adds.
“We hope that the assembly will also have an impact in this respect and encourage many member churches to act in accordance with ecological standards and make an important contribution to the preservation of creation entrusted to us,” wrote Sauca.
Organizers said the application required many meetings to check the various logistical aspects of the assembly, as well as meetings and audits with suppliers to the event to ensure they were meeting EMAS standards.
EMAS certification is an international, voluntary scheme that allows organizations to assess, report and improve their environmental performance.
Environmental Declaration of the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches
