When you have achieved the relevant points in each of the categories with your Eco Survey they will turn bronze, silver or gold. Then it’s time to apply for your Eco Church Award!

Remember, in order to qualify for an Award you must attain the required standard in each of the areas covered by the Eco Survey that apply to your church (we recognise that some churches do not have buildings or land).

Bronze and Silver Awards

When you have reached the award level, the platform will ask you whether you want to apply for an award. You will need to give your church leader’s details and the platform will automatically e-mail them and ask them to confirm that the survey responses are accurate.

Once your award has been confirmed, each member of your church team will receive a confirmation email. This contains instructions to access your certificate and web badge for celebrating your award, to purchase an Eco Church plaque and/or make a donation as part of your award application. It will also tell you how you can share your Eco Church story to inspire others, and suggest some next steps.

See our user guide here for more details of the award application process.

When you are ready to apply for your next award application, you will need to start a new survey. You can view your previous answers under the ‘submitted’ tab under the survey screen on the Eco Church platform.

Gold Awards

The process for applying for Gold Awards on the Eco Church platform is the same as that outlined above for Bronze and Silver Award applications.

We also require additional information to accompany your survey in order to process your application. This includes evidence in the form of a written report, other supporting documentation (such as a copy of your land management plan), and an in-person assessment visit to your church. Upon receipt of your Gold Award application, we will contact you to discuss the written supporting evidence you should provide to help us understand more about your church context and all your activities as an Eco Church. We will also arrange for an Eco Church assessor to visit your church to see and hear all you’ve been doing to care for God’s earth. The visit will include a tour of your church building and land and a review meeting with your Eco Church team and a church leadership representative. The assessor will then make a recommendation regarding the granting of your Eco Church Gold Award, and we will inform you of their decision. .

See our user guide here for more details of the gold award process.