Austria: Diocese of Eisenstadt will become carbon neutral by 2030
In the diocese of Eisenstadt, the bishop’s courtyard and the diocesan house on Domplatz, as well as St. Martin’s Cathedral and the parish center have recently been heated with biomass instead of gas, the diocesan environmental officer Lois Berger reported to the church newspaper of the diocese of Eisenstadt “Martinus” (current edition).
In addition, there are current surveys of how much CO2 the diocese produces with all parishes and churchgoers. “How many kilometers do church employees travel? How much energy do buildings such as churches and vicarages consume?” In this way, the diocese can get a good picture of where there is a need for improvement, says Berger. After that, further measures should be taken. “As a church, we wanted to be leaders in taking a sustainable path.”
“The climate crisis is a complex challenge,” emphasized the environmental officer. “It’s all about finding a way from the fossil age to a 100 percent renewable way within a few years.” When the diocese decided to take over gas from biomass, the Ukraine war was not yet an issue.
Solar energy is also an important building block for climate neutrality. In particular, school roofs should be equipped with photovoltaic panels. Hundreds of roofs and many areas are currently being evaluated. The first building whose roof area is used is the diocesan grammar school Wolfgarten in Eisenstadt, reports Berger. “Soon a multiple of the total electricity consumption of the diocese, including all parishes, will be sustainably produced on church buildings and land,” he said confidently. “People from all over Burgenland will have the opportunity to purchase green electricity generated on church land,” says the environmental officer.
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