Our church mission is to revere and care for God’s creation. In order to fulfill our mission, we are committed to correcting our misuses of creation and drawing on the gift of human creativity to adopt environmentally friendly solutions and alternatives to current practices. Biblical Scripture teaches us to see the earth and its ecosystems first as expressions of God’s abundant love, and secondarily as resources for us to use.
In 2017, Trustees completed a Green Church review, using the Connecticut Conference’s Action Steps for Green Churches (www.ctucc.org/files/ct+documents/justice+ministries/environmental+justice/green_action_steps
.pdf). While our church could check a lot of those Green Church boxes, there was more to do. Subsequently, the Church Council formed a “Green Team,” changes were made in Hospitality/Coffee Hour to reduce waste, a lighting efficiency LED conversion was completed, and the church engaged MHR Development to conduct a Solar Sustainability and Energy Audit.
Because the church is facing several major capital improvements for our furnaces, air conditioning, and roofing in the next several years, we decided to look at our total energy use in the context of our carbon footprint and our ability to act as good stewards of our air, land, and water. We decided to look at our heating and cooling needs in the context of net-zero emissions. Could we, by choosing to generate our own power and using highly efficient heating and cooling equipment, reduce our emissions and use of oil? The Solar Sustainability and Energy Audit indicted these goals were achievable.
In January 2021, our church adopted the Solar Sustainability and Energy Audit recommendations of the Green Team. Referred to as the Energy Master Plan, the recommendations are our guideposts to improve our energy efficiency, reduce our carbon footprint and strengthen our ability to act as good stewards of our air, land, and water.
The Energy Master Plan has five components: Lighting (completed), solar and roofing, HVAC, air and water quality, and weatherization. As we embark on a multi-year, and multi-phase effort, to give public witness to our faith by putting
theory into practice, The MeetingHouse Times will provide frequent updates. Please contact the Moderator, a member of Trustees, or a member the Green Team for more information.