How a Community can Grow through a Building Project

The Ecology Action Centre has operated in many different buildings, from a downtown office space to an old house to its current building which Is a renovated saltbox style house. The Ecology Action Centre (EAC) is currently housed in a building that is 104 years old and yet it is considered one of the most energy-efficient office buildings in Canada.

The Ecology Action Centre and its green transition.

A building forms the center of an organization’s operations and should always reflect the values that the organization wishes to promote to everyone around them. The EAC bought and renovated 2705 Fern Lane in 2005 in the hopes that their workspace would finally represent the values that it wished to promote and preserve. Many United Church congregations in Atlantic Canada have older buildings compared to the EAC building and these churches have just as many opportunities to improve their energy efficiency.

Volunteers and the Community

Volunteers, EAC staff and architects formed the core project team responsible for the 2015-2016 renovation. This project team was responsible for doubling the office space within the building and at the same time cutting the building’s energy consumption in half. The EAC project team chose ambitious goals and other teams such as green teams or sustainability committees in faith-based buildings can do the same. There are many examples of green teams or sustainability teams being formed across Atlantic Canada to make environmental changes within their communities. Woodlawn United Church located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia has formed a Sustainability Committee as well as Beacon United Church, located in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Energy Efficiency Volunteers at Trinity United Church, Rosebay, Nova Scotia.

In the beginning, the EAC renovation team identified what they needed, what they wanted and what resources were available to them to make the proposed changes a reality. United Churches across Canada can access the same initial professional advice by using the Faithful Footprints website. Through the Faithful Footprints website, congregations or “green teams” can access the information they need to connect with building professionals that can help make their building project a success.

Planning is very important if you want to ensure that your building will last another 100 years. You need to consider the increased risks of extreme storm weather, the increased extreme cold/hot climatic conditions as climate change continues to occur. The renovation team at the EAC knew that future winters would be more extreme and planned for increased insulation that could withstand the test of time. Any green team must face the harsh reality of our current climate; we will never have the same winters we experienced 50 years ago and so we cannot continue to design buildings as we did 50 years ago.

Once the renovation team had a plan in place, they then proceeded to fundraise for the project and apply for various grants that were available. There are retrofit grants and rebates available in Atlantic Canada for non-profit organization projects (including church buildings) information about these funding programs can be found on the Faithful Footprints website.

Volunteers were then gathered to perform different tasks that would lower the overall capital cost of the project. Donated steel door insulation cut-outs were gathered and organized by volunteers. Volunteers applied natural non-toxic preservatives to spruce siding used on all exterior walls. Volunteers applied clay-based plaster and paints to the inside walls and helped reuse insulation in the attic. Over 150 volunteers dedicated more than 1,800 hours to the renovation, in addition to our full-time building crew. Nothing brings together a community like a building project and there are many people that like to help build things whether they are already connected to your community or not.

Focusing on the Future

It is important throughout a renovation project to think about the long-term goals and make decisions based on those goals. The renovation team was focused on ensuring that the building would let in more sunlight to help heat the building and provide natural sunlight for staff during the daytime. There was also a focus on preserving some historical aspects which led to reusing flooring materials, leaving original wallpaper in specific rooms and reusing doors inside the building. As people enter our building, after having seen our new exterior finishing, many are shocked when they see the number of old doors we have re-used inside our building.

Applying energy efficiency strategies in your building does not mean “Out with the old, and in with the new!” Single pane church windows can be preserved and/or re-used. Beautiful church steeples can be preserved by simply insulating specific areas of the steeple. Foundations can be better preserved by adding exterior insulation.

There are many examples across Canada of United Churches becoming rejuvenated from the energy efficiency improvements and climate change initiatives they have made. United Churches in Atlantic Canada have also been doing their part, especially Rockingham United Church, St. Paul’s United Church and Rose Bay Trinity United Church. Visit the Faithful Footprints, Inspiration Page, for more ideas.

The Ecology Action Centre and our newly renovated building is a place of learning and sharing for anyone interested in addressing climate change. As the Atlantic Information Hub for the Faithful Footprints Program, anyone willing to improve their church is welcome to organize a building tour or give Ben Grieder, the Atlantic Regional Coordinator, a call, 902-422-0199 or email, bengrieder@ecologyaction.ca.

“One of the great features of the Faithful Footprints program is that there is support for a range of different energy action projects. Taking care of the basics is a vital part of any congregation’s energy management journey.” Stephen Collette, Building Audit Manager, Faith and the Common Good