Churches win awards for environmental projects in Lower Austria

Several parishes in Lower Austria have received awards for environmental projects, ORF reported. The diocesan environmental prizes were presented on Thursday at the St Hippolyt educational centre in St Pölten.

The winning projects included the reuse of construction waste, renewable energy initiatives and events for exchanging fruit and vegetables. Projects from the Diocese of St Pölten, the Archdiocese of Vienna and the Protestant Church in Lower Austria were recognised.

During the renovation of the parish hall in Haag in the Amstetten district, around 4,000 cubic metres of construction waste was recycled, according to the Diocese of St Pölten. The material was shredded and used to repair existing forest roads, as a foundation layer at the construction site and in garden landscaping.

The parish of Viehdorf, also in the Amstetten district, connected its parish hall to the municipality’s wood-chip district heating network during renovations in 2024 and 2025. Since 2023, it has also organised “Across the Garden” events every second Saturday during the summer months, where people can give away and exchange fruit and vegetables.

The parish association in the Horner Becken received another award for its “Pilgrimage Marathon of Hope”, which aims to combine faith, experiences in nature and ecological awareness.

Youth award for children’s festival

The youth award went to the Lower Austrian Children’s Summer Games at Herzogenburg monastery in the St Pölten district. The festival for children and young people takes place over two weekends and includes theatre, music, circus performances and workshops.

According to the Diocese of St Pölten, around 1,500 volunteers work across the festival’s six days, which attract between 15,000 and 16,000 visitors. The event was recognised for its efforts to reduce its climate impact.

Electric car for parish priest

The Protestant parish in Mödling also received an award. Last year, it installed a photovoltaic system and charging station and bought an electric car for its pastor. An electric bicycle had already been purchased for the pastor in 2019.

The Catholic parish in Neunkirchen was honoured for its “Song of the Sun Trail”. Ten stations around the city feature panels about creation and the environment, produced together with students from Neunkirchen vocational school.

A photovoltaic system with an output of 12.3 kilowatt-peak was also installed on the roof of the Minorite monastery. The parish’s two photovoltaic systems are equipped with storage units with a combined capacity of 44 kilowatt-hours, according to the diocese.

Parish garden and cemetery redesigned

The parish in Kritzendorf in the Tulln district redesigned its large parish garden and a cemetery to promote biodiversity. According to the diocese, past decisions such as the planting of a thuja hedge were corrected. A strip of trees and shrubs and a “wild island” with various shrubs and trees were created.

The diocesan environmental prize was held under the motto “Going the Extra Mile”. Representatives of the Catholic and Protestant churches and Lower Austria’s deputy governor Stephan Pernkopf discussed the role and commitment of church communities in protecting creation, according to a statement issued on Friday.