‘Eco churches’ in Portugal: a movement of sustainable places of worship

Christian leaders from various denominations in Portugal presented on 25 October a “movement” to make church buildings more sustainable.

Eco Igrejas Portugal wants to “inspire a transformation” in the country's evangelical, Catholic and Protestant communities by implementing reforms in thousands of Christian places of worship.

In a conversation with Evangelical Focus, Luis Calaim, one of the project’s promoters, talks about “installing solar panels, changing windows, building bicycle parking facilities” and many other initiatives.

Churches, says Calaim, wish to connect caring for creation with their teaching from the Bible and to work on “changes for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly church”.

The newly launched Eco Igrejas Portugal website offers training resources with experts in ecology and will publicise the efforts churches are making to reduce their environmental impact.

According to the promoters, the project has the explicit support of the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

It remains to be determined how much the national government will invest in terms of subsidies to churches for these reforms. “We are hoping that the government announces how much would be offered per church per year”, says Calaim.

In practice, a first pilot phase will work with groups of invited churches in all regions of Portugal between October and December 2025, and the aim is to open up the eco-church movement to all communities from 2026 onwards.

Those interested will be able to obtain an eco-church certificate for “faith communities that meet criteria and good practices in sustainability, energy efficiency, resource management and minimising environmental impact”.

Eco Churches have been promoted in the United Kingdom and France by A Rocha, a Christian creation care organisation. In Portugal, A Rocha Portugal, the Portuguese Evangelical Alliance, the Portuguese Council of Christian Churches, the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (Catholic Church) and Rede Cuidar da Casa Comun are working on this project.