Interview with Environmental Officer Claire Simpson

How did you come to Porto, Claire, and to the Environmental Officer role in St James?

To Portugal after Brexit – it was, as far as my husband and I were concerned, the most

attractive of the EU countries to retire to. I’ve always been competitive and ambitious – my career was as a psychiatrist and medical manager in the UK – and I wanted to contribute something significant to the life of St James.

Meanwhile, becoming more “green” in our family had been my private passion for

years: reducing my own carbon footprint, rewilding our previous big garden in Dorset in the UK, and limiting the meat in our diet.

When I discovered that the Church of England plan is to be carbon neutral by 2030, I

felt apprehensive but personally challenged to take on the role of Environment Officer for this congregation.

What are your main areas of focus in the church, what themes come up?

For environmental management, we have to begin using the tool 360-degree Carbon, which will take account of light, heat, staff mileage – everything has to be entered. We are right at the start of this but ultimately it will give a report on St James’ carbon footprint, which will hopefully show progress year on year.

Then there are special projects. The first big thing coming up is World Environment

Day on 5th June 2025, which this year is about reducing plastic pollution. From my own life experience: my daughter gave me an insulated metal water bottle I carry with me always, which must have saved thousands of plastic bottles. And in Portugal, although we’re well provided for with public recycling bins, only 50 per cent of recyclable

goods find their way into them.

Plastic that goes into the ocean breaks down, microplastics get into the food chain,

and worrying quantities have been found in the human brain and even the placenta.

I’m planning to create a poster about this to encourage everyone. As a psychiatrist, I

know I can’t succeed by telling people what to do. It’s human nature, up go our defences and barriers to change. But if the argument makes sense, we ourselves buy into it.

Then there’s the garden at St James – the plant environment is lovely already, but I

have a particular hope how it may benefit the children in the church. When my family rewilded our English garden, not cutting the grass or the hedge at all, we observed over the course of a year how the numbers of butterflies, wild and bumble bees, and native birds more than doubled. The population of insects is plummeting worldwide – including here in Portugal, where of course it means fewer swallows and other insect-eating birds as well as reduced pollination of plants.

Our answer at St James is for the children to create a small garden of native pollen-

producing plants and herbs, providing food and nectar for the insects. I would love to see them spending a few minutes of every Sunday service there – tending it, taking photos to post in the Well House to proudly show not just the congregation but also others such as the play group who meet there, and building a bug hotel. A “rockery” garden has already been identified which is great news.

If the children grow up with a sense of ownership, feeling they can make a difference,

we will have done our job. Because among young and old, there’s a lot of environmental anxiety. But when we do something about it, we feel better.

How would you describe St James’ environmental vision going forward?

It’s for the next generation, and our grandchildren. We don’t have to look far to see what is happening in the world. I make no great claims for myself – but a lake, a waterfall, the sea is made up of tiny drops and we can each be a drop! If we all try to change something, our mindset will shift. If as a community we take a gentle approach, bitesize, consciousness raising.

In practical terms, because Portugal is excellent at wind power, we are changing our

energy supplier so that our telephone, internet, and electricity are all renewable. The church is also recipient of a Quick Wins grant for €2800 specifically to introduce eco lighting, insulate the hot water pipes, put in draught proofing, improve recycling (of materials from our regular refreshments), and install a “SMART” heating control system.

St James already has a Bronze EcoChurch Award. I think it’s time we go for Silver!