Welcome to UCC’s Faithful Footprints Monthly Newsletter
The United Church of Canada (UCC) Faithful Footprints program offers grants, tools, and inspiration to help its congregations live their climate commitments. With UCC’s commitment to reducing its carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, this one of a kind program offers up to $30,000 in grants towards energy efficiency and decarbonization projects (conditions apply).
The Faithful Footprints Monthly Newsletter is designed to engage and provide on-going inspiration and support for United Church communities across Canada.
Our monthly newsletter will be released the last Wednesday of every month, and will feature:
New national and regional grants/incentives
Program updates (photos, stories, before/after energy results)
Climate justice and advocacy initiatives
Informative monthly blogs that include stories from our grants manager and program participants highlighting carbon reduction, energy efficiency, and climate justice
Upcoming events and webinars relating to climate action
New resources and tools available
Please feel free to unsubscribe to the mailing list (details at the bottom of this email), if the Faithful Footprints program does not align with your role/position.
Meet Our Team
The UCC’s Faithful Footprints program would not be possible without the outstanding work of our delivery team and program advisors. The Faithful Footprints team comprises staff of United Church of Canada (UCC), delivery partner Faith & the Common Good (FCG), and three regional support centres across Canada; Ecology Action Centre, Purpose Construction, and Newo Energy.
Michelle Singh, Program Manager
Stephen Collette, Building Grants Manager
David Patterson, Benchmark Manager
Aleyxa Gates Julien, PR/Communications Coordinator
Kim Fry, Atlantic Coordinator - Ecology Action Centre
Jill Hisco, Prairies Coordinator - Purpose Construction
Cari Kilmartin, Western Coordinator - Newo Energy
Dr. Lucy Cummings, Senior Advisor
Rev. Christine Boyle, Advisor
Regional Support Centres
Faithful Footprints Regional Support Centres (RSC) offers expertise to United Church of Canada congregations and properties, providing support throughout the entire Faithful Footprints grant and greening program. Ecology Action Centre, Purpose Construction, and Newo Energy can help connect UCC properties with contractors and retrofitters, help with grant applications, and provide any additional assistance that properties might need during their efforts to reduce their faith building’s carbon and energy footprint.
Available Grants and Incentives
There are several provincial and municipal grants and incentives available to find matching funds to support Faithful Footprints applications. Learn more about your specific local and regional resources and eligible incentive programs in the Atlantic, Prairies, and Western Regions.
*Work with your regional support centre coordinator and energy auditor to determine which government incentives might be applicable to your project.
Program Updates
UCC is committed to engaging 500 United Church congregations in the Faithful Footprints program by 2025. To-date, the program has had tremendous success with a total of 242 United churches engaged across the country. To learn more, following are two program tools to explore.
1) Click here to see the UCC Faithful Footprints Grants Map
2) Click here to see the UCC Faithful Footprints Energy Data Map
*Note that these maps are updated on a quarterly basis.
Faithful Footprints and Climate Justice
Climate justice is one of the key areas of UCC advocacy efforts. The Regional Ministers Climate Justice Roundtables, co-hosted by The United Church of Canada General Council Office staff and Faith & the Common Good (FCG), is a bi-annual event (every fall and spring) fostering collaborative discussions among UCC Regional Ministers, General Council Office staff and the Faithful Footprints delivery team.
During our Fall 2021 Roundtable we identified that:
Communications is the #1 priority for regions.
There is a strong desire to connect, find synergies and effectively work together towards climate justice.
Regional staff portfolios vary greatly - each region has different capacity and needs. There is no one one size fits all model of property/climate justice support for regional ministries.
Collaboration with the Climate Advisory Circle to design future Roundtables will help to address these priorities.
The next Regional Ministers Climate Justice Roundtable is scheduled for June 7, 2022.
For the Love of Creation
United Church of Canada congregations across the country are active members of the For the Love of Creation network, putting their faith into action for climate justice. For the Love of Creation is a coalition of Canadian churches and faith-based organizations working together under a unified banner to educate, reflect, act, and advocate for climate justice. To encourage dialogue on climate change, For the Love of Creation developed Faithful Climate Conversations, a series of guides to facilitate small group conversations on climate change.
Faithful Footprint’s Monthly Blog
Faithful Footprints Monthly Blogs come out the 2nd Tuesday of every month and provide knowledge and inspiration to UCC congregations through short and insightful stories from our grants manager and program participants highlighting carbon reduction, energy efficiency, and climate justice.
January Blog
Want to know how working together as a team can lead to incredible energy savings and conservation within your church buildings? Read our January Blog “A Great Team Making Great Decisions - Ralph Connor Memorial United Church” written by Faithful Footprints building manager Stephen Collette.
Upcoming Events and Webinars
FCG Taking Action on Climate Change - An interfaith Conversation
(February 2, 2022)
Join a conversation with FCG on taking action on climate change at their World Interfaith Harmony Week Virtual Event “Taking Action on Climate Change - An Interfaith Conversation”. Hear from several faith leaders and get inspired by faith-based climate action.
UN World Interfaith Harmony Week
(February 1- 7 2022)
Register among the thousands of events organized in celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week. UCC congregations can connect with faith groups and other groups of goodwill - bringing awareness of each other, strengthening the movement of ‘Love of God, and Love of the Neighbour’, and building ties and avoiding duplicating each other's efforts. Click here to register for events.
FCG’s Network Study group
(February 1 - July 15 2022)
Join members of the Faithful Footprints delivery team at Faith & Common Good and enroll in the University of Alberta’s free online course ‘Indigenous Canada’. Learn in community, and attend FCG’s Network Study group, for bi-weekly supportive and open discussion. For study group registration, contact Network Coordinator, Elyse at network@faithcommongood.org