Siloam United Church in London, Ontario, is stepping up as a local leader, with a goal to cut its operational carbon emissions by 15% annually over the next two years, for a total reduction of 30% by 2026. Aligned with The United Church of Canada’s ‘Deepen Integrity: Living Climate Commitment’, Siloam has set this target only after a few years of dedicated environmental and climate efforts within their church community.
Their journey began in early 2020 when a church member with expertise in environmental issues co-led a book study with the minister on You Can Save the Earth: A Handbook for Environmental Awareness, Conservation, Sustainability. This initiative inspired a series of seventeen “Greener Home” articles published by the church between June and September that year. Later, in the fall, the congregation took part in a tour of a church member’s LEED-certified home.
These activities raised awareness and enthusiasm within the congregation, and laid a strong foundation for Siloam United’s next phase. In August 2023, the minister announced that the church was ready to take action, with plans to replace an outdated refrigerator with an ENERGY STAR model, install three new energy-efficient doors, and replace 350 fluorescent tube lights with LEDs throughout the building.
“We had already laid the groundwork and created momentum and commitment both through our book study and sermon series. Our community is deeply committed to reducing our carbon footprint. We were ready and motivated to take tangible action” says Dave Dunham
These planned projects would build on the church’s previous efficiency improvements, of upgrading the central heating and air conditioning system to a staged air compressor system and converting half of the HVAC units to heat pumps. These additional upgrades would support the church’s goal of cutting its operational carbon emissions by 15% for the upcoming calendar year.
The Reduce Our Carbon Footprint Campaign (RCFC)
Siloam Unite, driven by its ambitious carbon reduction target, was ready to take action with significant building upgrades. The church council had already passed a motion to allow the trustees to match funds from the Faithful Footprints grant, unanimously approving a $14,000 contribution toward the project. However, even with combined funds, there were still concerns about whether they would have enough resources to complete all the planned upgrades.
To cover remaining costs, Siloam United ran the Reduce Our Carbon Footprint Campaign (RCFC) to fund their greening projects. This five-week campaign, leading up to Earth Day 2024, invited community members to financially support the church in achieving its carbon reduction goal for the year.
“We believed that engaging our congregation in this campaign would engage and excite our members and show how we could take action on environmental issues right here in our own building” shares Dave Dunham
The campaign received support from across the community. Members created promotional materials, including a video, posters, and social media posts, to increase awareness and engagement. The campaign was able to raise an additional 5,000 dollars for the project.
“Every dollar raised was invested into helping us complete the energy-efficiency renovations and upgrades – the campaign’s success is largely because the work was supported by The Faithful Footprints program which raised enthusiasm.” says Catherine Clover
To their surprise, Siloam United was able to complete their three initial projects under budget, allowing them to allocate the extra funds toward replacing three windows that had lost their energy seals. This additional upgrade brings them even closer to reaching their carbon reduction target.
Future Building Upgrades
Siloam United’s 30-year-old building is on a continued path towards achieving a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2026. Committed to operating as sustainably and efficiently as possible, the church has set plans to upgrade its infrastructure and implement additional energy conservation projects.
“Our Faithful Footprints-funded projects created awareness that our community of faith could have a positive impact in the reduction of our carbon footprint.” says Catherine Glover
Future plans include:
Installing louvered blinds on the skylights to reduce heat and sun entering the sanctuary,
Replacing six windows and installing light-reflective film on west and south-facing windows,
Replacing the remaining six individual heating units with heat exchange systems,
Integrating a Nest thermostat system for digital monitoring and control,
Replacing five additional windows,
Installing wiring and converting switches in interior bathrooms and hallways to motion-sensor switches.
Faithful Footprints Program
The United Church of Canada’s Faithful Footprints program offers inspiration, tools, and grants to help its faith communities reduce their carbon footprint. With the Church’s commitment to reducing its greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2030, this one-of-a-kind program offers up to $30,000 in grants towards energy conservation and renewable energy projects (conditions apply).
Faith & the Common Good is the delivery partner for the Faithful Footprints program. To date, we have engaged over 500 congregations, camps, and buildings across the country. Your participation in the program puts your faith into action and helps the Church reach its target.