Environmental Sustainability

Caring for God’s creation is a fundamental part of our Christian life and we have placed environmental sustainability at the heart of the Cathedral’s business planning. We’re playing our part in the Church of England’s goal to reach net zero by 2030 and have achieved an Eco Church Bronze Award and Green Tourism Silver Award. However, we know there is plenty more work to be done. Scroll down this page to find out more about some of the green initiatives we have in place.  

In 2016, we became the first ancient Cathedral to install solar panels and we are proud to have 150 of them on the south side of the Nave roof. They generate c.29,000 kWh of energy each year, which is enough to power seven semi-detached houses and make a whopping 25,000 cups of tea! Crucially, it’s enough to provide more than a quarter of the Cathedral’s electricity. 

Click on the button below to see a live-reading from our solar panels!

With around 400,000 visitors each year, we are conscious that over half of our carbon footprint comes from visitor journeys. As part of our work to address this, we have ensured the Cathedral is accessible by bike: National Cycle Route 41 runs through the grounds of the Cathedral, and there are bike racks just outside the South Porch for cyclists to make use of. We are also proud to be a part of the brand new Cathedrals Cycle Route, which links all 42 Church of England Cathedrals – find out more about this cycle route here.

As part of phase one of Project Pilgrim, what was once a concrete car park has now been transformed into a tranquil green space in the heart of a busy city. Cathedral Green is home to a wide array of wildlife and vegetation which helps in promoting biodiversity, and it’s there for the whole community to enjoy. If you live in the city centre, why not come and spend your lunch break here? All are welcome.

Our Maintenance and Stonemason Teams drive a Vauxhall Vivaro-e as part of their day-to-day work to maintain this historic site. It’s an electric vehicle which aims to drive down our carbon footprint, and there’s no mistaking it if you’ve seen it in and around the city centre!

The Cathedral’s on-site café, The Monk’s Kitchen, uses recyclable cups and straws in addition to recycling all glass, plastic, tins and carboard. Much of the produce used is from local suppliers, and we also stock a range of Fairtrade accredited chocolate bars. Meanwhile, the Gift Shop stocks many local, handmade products too.