ECO-EVENT
We are committed to caring for God's wonderful creation and therefore we are working together towards making this an environmentally friendly event.
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Our conference venue Stavanger Forum is an Eco Beacon – find out more!
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Our caterer will use biodegradable plates and either reusable or biodegradable cutlery.
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Our caterer will use local meat coming from Idsøe, and other local ingredients where possible. This reduces significantly CO2 emissions caused by transport. Their suppliers have a strong focus on quality and animal welfare.
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We don’t produce any printed materials, you find all the information on Learning Network Platform SENT 2023 App. Register to have access!
Join in caring for God’s creation and each other!
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Watch the video Why Should Christians Care for Creation?
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Check out your carbon foot print caused by travel to Stavanger and make a donation to reduce it when you register or during the event.
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Bring your own water bottle to reduce waste.
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To prevent food being thrown away, our caterer recommends you to take smaller portions and return for a second round than throw away the leftovers.
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Drink tap water, in Norway it is better than any bottled water.
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Follow the Stavanger Forum recycling system.
AIR TRAVEL AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Currently, commercial airlines are dependent upon fossil fuels to operate. Just as when fossil fuel is burned for ground transportation, heating, or electricity, burning aircraft fuel contributes to climate change. This happens as greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) are released into the atmosphere, creating a heat-trapping “blanket” around the earth. This “blanket” reduces the amount of heat that can escape the earth’s atmosphere, leading to a rise in average global temperature which creates shifts in global weather patterns and contributes to increased extreme weather events such as hurricanes and cyclones, increased flooding and droughts in some areas and numerous other adverse effects.
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Air travel has a particularly strong impact on the earth’s atmosphere because of the height at which many greenhouse gas emissions are released. Aircraft release many gases and particles directly into the atmosphere, altering the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases, triggering the formation of condensation trails (contrails), and possibly increasing cirrus cloudiness – all of which contribute to climate change. The gases released by aircraft can remain in the atmosphere for long periods of time, often decades to centuries, and therefore can contribute to increases in average global temperatures for a long time to come.
RECOGNISING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change, including extreme weather events and unpredictable rainfall patterns, has especially devastating consequences for those who are already vulnerable due to conflict, water, and resource scarcity, gender, poverty, migration, and numerous other factors. This is even more true for those who are dependent upon agricultural and coastal livelihoods for their basic income.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
​The Baptist World Alliance (BWA), European Baptist Federation (EBF), Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM), and EBM International are working together to give you an opportunity to recognise the ways that your travel contributes to climate change and offer a small donation to support some of those most impacted by it.
When you register for SENT 2023 and/or the BWA Annual Gathering you will be given the opportunity to make a donation to reduce your carbon footprint as part of the payment process. All donations will be divided between the following 2 projects:
1. Project: CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE
THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Rural farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are impacted by unpredictable rainfall patterns leading to both flooding and droughts, as well as soil degradation and increased prevalence of plant diseases and pests. Each of these factors has been intensified due to climate change. These challenges create widespread poverty and food insecurity, especially among already vulnerable women and children.
CBM works with the Baptist Church in Central Africa (CBCA) to implement conservation agriculture projects for farmers in the South Kivu province of the DRC. One such project works with vulnerable female-headed and orphan-headed households and offers them the training and tools necessary to integrate conservation agriculture techniques into their farming.
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Conservation agriculture involves minimizing soil disturbance, protecting the soil with vegetation, and varying crops from year to year. This agricultural technology not only reduces greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere but also makes the land more resilient to climate-related events such as long droughts and heavy downpours. Additionally, conservation agriculture provides increased food security and can reduce poverty among farmers and those in their communities.
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To learn more about how CBM works with partners in the DRC, visit the project website.
2. Project: “SAHEL VERT” - LET'S GREEN THE SAHEL!
CAMEROON
The Extrême-Nord region in the very north of Cameroon has long suffered from the expansion of the Sahara. Enormous, life-saving efforts are needed to prevent the loss of soil, biodiversity, and agricultural land. For over 40 years, EBM INTERNATIONAL’s Sahel Vert project has offered a natural solution to the desert. The aim is to preserve biodiversity and the ecosystem by planting more than 20,000 trees and wild hedges annually. The plants reduce the CO2 content in the air, regulate the water and heat balance of the ecosystem and provide valuable shade.
Our local partner, the Cameroonian Baptist Union UEBC (Union des Églises Baptistes du Cameroun) wants to provide long-term support to the multicultural and multi-religious population of North Cameroon, who are dependent on agriculture, to help them in the fight against soil degradation and erosion. In this way, malnutrition, impoverishment, and diseases caused by poor water quality are combated in the long term.
Thousands of seedlings have already been planted, tree production has started and training has been conducted in several villages. In the long term, the people in the villages will then receive advice and technical support from experts. The sensitization of the population, the distribution of young trees, and continuous reforestation are then permanently planned.
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Together we can make the Sahel green! To learn about the project, visit the website.
