June 2022

Faithful Footprints June 2022 Newsletter

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.

Program Updates

Every month, the Faithful Footprints program approves several applications and welcomes new United Churches and affiliated properties into the program, as a number of congregations complete their projects and receive their final energy reduction results.

Data from May 26 - June 26, 2022 

New to the program: 

  • Crystal City United Church, Crystal City, MB

  • Old Barns United Church, Lower Truro, NS

  • St. George and St. Andrew United Church, Annapolis Royal, NS

  • St. Paul’s United Church, Midland, ON

  • St. Paul’s United Church, Saskatoon, SK

  • Transcona Memorial United Church, Winnipeg, MB

  • Wesley United Church, Montreal, QC

Projects completed:

First United Church, Wetaskiwin, AB
Received a grant in support of the installation of 50 solar panels; and the replacement of a commercial dishwasher.

Huron Shores United Church, Grand Bend, ON
Received a grant in support of the replacement of sanctuary windows and rotten wooden frames.

Knox United Church, Three Hills, AB
Received a grant in support of the replacement of a 1965 natural gas boiler with 2 modern fuel models.

Energy results:

Knox United Church, Lower Sackville, NS
Received a grant in support of the installation of 38 kW of solar PV panels. A year following their projects, Knox United reduced its GHG emissions by 16.1%, electricity usage by 15.1%, and energy costs by 0.2%.

Trinity United Church, Creston, BC
Received a grant in support of the replacement of the building’s front wall, consisting mostly of windows. A year following their projects, Trinity United reduced its electricity usage by 35.2%.

 

Highlight of the Month

Transcona Memorial United Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba has made the commitment to protect the Earth. Earlier this year, the congregation voted unanimously to adopt an Environmental Policy to formalize their commitment to continually look for ways to do less harm to this planet, and find ways to remediate the harm that has already been done. With the support of Faithful Footprints funding, Transcona Memorial United will act on its commitment to energy use and carbon footprint reduction.


To read the full policy, click here.

 

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 June 2022 Roundtable we identified that: 

  • Communications is the #1 priority for regions.

  • There is a strong desire for further actionable advocacy and climate justice work.

  • Interest in growing youth engagement and collaboration.

 

Faithful Footprints in the News

Placed in Canmore’s local newspaper, The Rocky Mountain Outlook, highlights the outstanding solar energy produced at Ralph Connor United Church, in Canmore, Alberta. In addition to several other renovations, this massive solar project was supported by Faithful Footprints funding. Click here to read. 

Ralph Connor United will be participating in the ‘Open Doors Canmore’ event of the Canmore Heritage Festival in July. One of the story boards will share the story of the Faithful Footprints project and its role in keeping the historic building relevant to today’s issues.

To learn more about Ralph Connor United’s Faithful Footprints supported projects, read our blog ‘A Great Team Making Great Decisions - Ralph Connor Memorial United Church’ written by Faithful Footprints building manager Stephen Collette.

 

Indigenous Eco-Justice

In commemoration of World Environment Day, UCCan Indigenous Minister, Tony Snow from Chinook Winds Region, hosted a special dialogue on Indigenous Eco-Justice, Environmental Sustainability and the Calls to Action. Sponsored by the Urban Indigenous Circle, Chinook Winds Region and the For The Love of Creation Campaign, many gathered to commemorate the Earth and our impact upon it, and to hear the wisdom of the Elders who speak in defense of Creation, our Mother Earth. 


To watch the recording, click here.

 

Supporting Community Prosperity

Serving the Edmonton community since 1910, Bissell Centre sat down with Faithful Footprints Western Regional Support coordinator Cari Kilmartin at Newo Energy, to discuss Bissell’s commitment to ending poverty and supporting financial, cultural, and environmental prosperity in their communities.

The Faithful Footprint grant, which supported a LED retrofit at their thrift store, has helped contribute to this commitment by supporting Bissell's employment services, increasing revenue from their thrift shop, and decreasing their monthly energy bills.

Features: 

Louise Traynor, Bissell Centre COO
Ron Boodoo, Apprentice Electrician 
Drew Mair, Electrician and Retrofit Lead

To watch the full interview, click here.
To read the article, click here. 

 

Encouraging Dialogue

To make meaningful change, climate action needs collaboration, communication, and open dialogue. As a pre-discussion to the A Climate of Hope: Faith Communities Confront the Climate Emergency conference happening this fall, Faithful Footprints Atlantic Regional Support Centre, Ecology Action Centre set the stage with an online webinar Faith Communities Confront to Climate Emergency: A Conversation. This workshop explored the many ways that faith communities are addressing the climate crisis as well as lessons, tools, and resources that can help to transition to a post-carbon society. To watch the live recording click here.

This conference will take place in the fall with keynote speakers, workshops, resource sharing, and opportunities for faith communities to have faith-based climate conversations.

 

Faithful Footprints Monthly Blog

Many Canadians are all looking at ways to beat the heat and stay cool. In doing so, we often chase the newest technology to cool both ourselves and our buildings, without considering the many unique ways that some of our buildings can cool naturally, and that don’t involve a mechanical system. Learn more in our new blog ‘Cooling Older Buildings Cheaply’ written by Faithful Footprints building manager Stephen Collette. 

Features: St. Lambert United Church (Saint-Lambert, QC), St John the Evangelist United Church (Crapaud,PEI)

Faithful Footprints Monthly Blogs are published the 2nd Tuesday of every month.

 

Upcoming Events and Webinars

July 23 - 24 : Doors Open Canmore

Coinciding with Canada’s Historic Places Days with a focus on sustainable and inclusive community heritage and stories, ‘Doors Open Canmore’  explores Canmore’s hidden historical, architectural and cultural gems. Visit Faithful Footprints participating property, Ralph Connor United Church, as they showcase their newly retrofitted building to the public.

To learn more click here

 

Explore the Program

Explore Faithful Footprints Grants and Energy Data online interactive maps to learn more about the properties that have participated in the Faithful Footprints program as well as the energy data of finished projects.