Spotlight on church flowers as campaigners call for stronger environmental action

‘We urge our Church to speak out with a prophetic voice about the destruction of creation, on which all life depends, and act like it actually matters,’ said Christian Climate Action.

The Church of England General Synod has voted to urge churches and cathedrals to be more conscious of their environmental impact when sourcing flowers.

The motion, which was passed on Thursday 12 February, specified that churches should use local, seasonal, and fully compostable flowers and foliage, and eliminate the use of floral foam and other non-biodegradable products.

It stressed that the responsible use of flowers should reflect the Anglican Communion’s fifth “mark of mission”: to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

Around 90 per cent of cut flowers sold in the UK are currently imported, from countries such as the Netherlands and Kenya. On average, an imported mixed bouquet produces carbon emissions 10 times higher than an equivalent British-grown bouquet.

In addition to its carbon footprint, commercial flower farming also places strain on water resources, for example depleting Kenya’s Lake Naivasha, and damages biodiversity through its heavy pesticide use.

The motion was submitted as a diocesan synod motion from the Diocese of Worcester, arising from a grassroots initiative in the rural parish of Harpley, Worcestershire.

The sustainable church flowers movement began with church volunteers in Harpley exploring how traditional flower‑arranging methods could reflect the Church’s commitment to caring for creation, and it has grown into a national and ecumenical network that offers support to parishes.

Campaigners from Christian Climate Action have meanwhile held vigils outside the Church of England General Synod at Church House in Westminster throughout this week, holding a banner bearing the words “Don’t Crucify Creation”.

They appealed to the General Synod to take on board the recommendations made in their document “Stop Crucifying Creation”, released late last year, which urged the Church to be a faithful steward of its land, transparent about its landholdings, and improve the biodiversity on its estates, including by meeting the United Nations target to rewild 30 per cent of its land by 2030.

The document also called on the Church to “speak and act prophetically and unapologetically, refusing to be silenced whatever the consequences, as it bears witness to the truth about the destruction of our God-given and beautiful planet”.

Church leaders must lobby Government against the fossil fuel industry, the document continued. They should resist the erosion of the human right to protest, by speaking out against excessive sentences, punitive injunctions and the undermining of the right of juries to give their verdict according to their convictions, and by stopping sanctioning clergy who take part in nonviolent civil disobedience.

It also urged the Church to “be explicit that it is greed and selfishness and the pursuit of unlimited economic growth that has brought about the devastation” and to “publicly rebuke and boycott businesses providing financial services and/or insurance to the fossil fuel industry”.

It stressed that every part of the Church must bank ethically, in banks that have no role in servicing the fossil fuel industry, and radically prioritise its expenditure to meet commitments it has made to decarbonise its entire physical estate (for example reaching Net Zero by 2030).

It also said that church schools should not accept funding or sponsorship from fossil fuel companies and should boycott all teaching and learning resources provided by the industry. New church buildings should be exemplary for their minimal impact on the environment, in particular having a significantly low use of water and energy.

Green Christian is running a campaign over the next months to support the Climate and Nature Bill, which they said is the only proposed legislation that tackles the climate and nature crises together based on both the latest science and global justice.

This bill, which was most recently introduced in the House of Commons in October 2024 and rescheduled till 29 May 2026, would require the UK Government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with its international commitments under the Paris Agreement, halt and reverse the destruction of the natural world in line with the Global Biodiversity Framework, and establish a temporary climate and nature assembly.

Green Christian is working with children to write postcards to politicians urging them to support the bill. The Climate Coalition, which includes Cafod among other charities, has invited people to send a message about what they feel is the “heart of their community” – “clean air, warm homes, local green spaces, secure livelihoods, or the wellbeing of children and neighbours” – to politicians on St Valentine’s Day.

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