Methodists' New Year's Resolution - to cut carbon emissions by 10 per cent within a year

Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the MethodistChurch, signed up to the 10:10 campaign yesterday on behalf of over100 staff at Methodist Church House in London. Throughout 2010,staff will work to cut 10 per cent off the building's energyuse.

Martyn said: 'We begin to change the world when we change our livesand lifestyles. It is absolutely right, then, that as Christiandisciples heeding God's command to be good stewards of the planet,and increasingly 'earth keepers' rather than 'earth eaters', wecommit ourselves to joining the 10:10 campaign. Together we canmake a small but significant change and express hope in God'sfuture.'

Using the principle of 'small actions, big difference,' officestaff will be encouraged to switch off lights and computers whenthey are not in use. There will also be a travel survey, initiatinga year-long challenge to look at travel patterns for workengagements in Britain and with partner churches worldwide.

Energy saving actions at Methodist Church House have already begun.Desk printers have been replaced by more efficient shared printers.All office staff have their own recycling bin with non-recyclablematerial now deposited in separate communal bins. Following theresults of an independent audit by the Carbon Trust, there will bean investment in a suitable building management system andexploration of PIR (passive infrared sensors) lighting.

Tamsin Omond, Faith Coordinator for the 10:10 campaign, said: "Itis great to have the Methodist Church joining the initiative. Faithgroups have recently had a strong voice on this issue and turningwords into action is essential to tackle the global problem ofclimate change. All our personal actions reinforce the message toour governments regarding the scale of ambition that we expect frominternational agreements."

The wider Church is encouraged to join the campaign viawww.1010uk.org.

A high resolution image of Revd Dr Martyn Atkins signing up to the10:10 campaign is available to download here.