Get Thee to an Eco-nunnery

At the Stanbrook Abbey in Worcester, England, a dedication to sustainability is a habit that the nuns wear proudly and well.

The community of nuns at the Our Lady of Consolation convent have recently moved into their new residence at Stanbrook Abbey which, as reported by The Guardian, features such cutting edge sustainable amenities as solar panels, a boiler fired by waste wood chips, a rainwater collection system and a green roof that insulates the residence as well as beckons local wildlife to come hither.

After spending nearly a decade contemplating the need to relocate due to declining membership in their community, the natural, best course of action seemed to be to set up their new residence to minimize impact through sustainable design. The convent has been through several relocations throughout its nearly 400-year history. While the sisters were sad to leave their previous home of many years, maintenance had become too costly in terms of both money and time, and the diminishing membership over the years made the recent move inevitable.

The community is looking forward, with enthusiasm, to settling into their new green digs, with a strong sense for the mission and responsibilities that they embrace with the new setting.

Convent representative Dame Andrea explains to The Guardian:

"What we were wanting was the simplicity and the sustainability, that's very important today. These elements are important for preserving our ecology, it's an investment for the future, and we're rejoicing in God's creation. We want to give back to creation what we have received."

Photo courtesy of keepwaddling1, via Flickr