CEMET advises the Bishop and the Diocese on the environment and on medical ethics. It works to build Christian stewardship of creation into ordinary parish life, and to help the church think about advances in medicine in the light of its faith.
The parish network
Every parish is asked to name at least two people as its CEMET representatives. In May 2026, fifty six of them came from seven deaneries to a workshop on what a parish, a deanery and the whole Diocese could do, and most of them were young people and women. Representatives work through WhatsApp groups in English, Sinhala and Tamil, sharing plans and ideas, and carry the CEMET Environment Conservation Pledge Card. The aim is a Green Church: carbon neutral premises, and a project called Plant as a Pet.
Mini-forests
Parishes with land are invited to grow a mini-forest. Conversations are under way with Christ Church, Baddegama and Christ Church, Nivitigala. The Commission also paid for tree planting at Kurana in 2025.
With children and young people
CEMET has run three campaigns with the Board of Christian Education, for Children's Day, World Environment Day and the Lenten Carbon Fast, and will work with Sunday Schools in Baddegama and Galle this year. At the Youth Movement's conference in April 2026 it gave a presentation, handed out seed packets, and helped the organisers keep the conference free of plastic and cut food waste.
Through the year
Flyers go out through the parish network at Christmas, the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Eastertide, World Forest Day and World Environment Day. The Carbon Fast is kept through Lent. Parishes are asked to give part of their notice board to CEMET material. Liturgies for Environment Day in June and for St Francis' Day in October are being finalised in all three languages.
At the Diocesan Council
The Commission has run a stall of environmentally friendly handicrafts at the Council and started a drive to reduce food waste at the Council meals and feed the surplus to street animals. Councillors were asked to notice how much was being thrown away, which was not a comfortable exercise.
A policy for the Diocese
At the 2025 Diocesan Council, CEMET sponsored a resolution committing the Diocese to the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Decade for Climate Justice and Action. It has since drafted an Environment Protection Policy for the Diocese, now with the Standing Committee for approval.
Medical ethics
The second half of the Commission's mandate. Webinars and seminars on medical ethics are planned for 2026.
With clergy
The executive committee has spoken at the monthly clergy meetings of the Colombo North and Moratuwa deaneries, on the theological case for environmental responsibility and on what a parish can actually do about it.
Chair: Esther Jansen Haturusinghe. Secretary: Nagulan Nesiah.