Creation Care
SWBC is committed to equipping people to care for God's wondrous creation and being responsible stewards of the natural resources we have influence over.
Creation care is missional, it is part of God's big story and restorative work. It is a natural outworking of a relationship with God.
SWBC is part of the Arocha ECO Church NZ network. The enviro conversation grows this kōrero within our church through:
Supporting creation care theology to permeate the life of the church, so that it is a natural lens we look through as we make decisions along this journey.
Supporting systemic change within the church so that it is not reliant on ‘champions’.
We hope to inspire individuals and families to do their bit for creation care.
Creating opportunities for practical outworking such as river clean ups, tree planting and workshops.
If this is something you are passionate about or want to learn more about, then come and join the conversation!
Solar at South West
Installing solar panels and switching our buildings to solar power is future proofing for our church and our community.
We are keen to switch to solar on our SWBC buildings, and we’d love your help!
Environmental
By switching to solar, we would be doing our part in the nationwide shift to sustainable energy production. This will help unload the existing power network, and work towards a carbon neutral New Zealand.
Switching to solar would also be the equivalent of:
Planting 1278 trees per year
Avoiding 21,234 litres of fuel use
Avoiding 24,133 kilograms of coal being burnt
How will we get there?
We haven't budgeted for this project - it's a passion project where we offer to people the opportunity to donate an offering in addition to their regular tithe. At present it's looking to cost $120,000.
If we raise more than this total, then we can install extra solar panels, and sell additional power to the national grid. This becomes passive income which can subsidise other church activities.
You can be a part of our switch to solar power!
Donate towards the project, sponsor a panel, or even sponsor a collection of panels!
$870 covers the cost of one panel, including buying in the panel components, installation, labour etc…
Bank Account: 02-0820-0247412-02
Reference: Solar
*tax receipts will be issued for the donations given in the tax year that the contract to purchase and install the solar panels becomes unconditional.
Economic
Switching to solar takes SWBC out of a market where the cost of power fluctuates dramatically – with this likely to occur more frequently in the future.
The payback for solar panels is around 8 years and they have close to a 30 year lifespan.
Ethical
The solar panel industry is known for poor treatment of workers, so our Facilities Team are working with Garden City Solar, a local company whose labour and components for solar panels are ethically sourced.
