Revitalizing the church towards a vibrant future

Frints is part of The United Church’s UCC’s plan  committment to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2030, starting with a focus on its buildings aithful Footprints


Advancing the United Church toward a bold and vibrant future 

The national ministry will dedicate its focus, energy, and resources to revitalizing the church toward a vibrant future. The national church will renew by strengthening existing communities of faith toward transformation.

The United Church of Canada’s Faithful Footprints program supports excited to see how regional councils and communities of faith, including congregations, camps, education centres, chaplaincies, community ministries, networks, clusters, and communities of the future (whose shape we do not yet know) will live out this renewed direction for the whole church.

Supporting the national Church’s climate and sustainability goals

The focus of our efforts to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint must be our buildings, where heat and light continue to be the largest contributors to emissions. Faithful Footprints has been successful in offering congregations opportunities to improvetr55e their buildings’ energy and carbon performance

The UCC General Council has long acknowledged that the global climate crisis poses a grave threat to our planet and must be tackled urgently. To be a truly credible and inspiring climate change leader, we are putting our own house in order.  

 

The united church is committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 80% by 2030. 

In 2016 the UCC General Council commissioned Caring for Creation, Our Communities and Our Congregations: The Case for a National Carbon Reduction Program for Faith Buildings. Faithful Footprints’ 5-year plan is the beginning of implementing those learnings, to move the UCC into a leadership position in building energy efficiency and climate action.

The energy used to light and heat UCC faith buildings is one of the UCC’s largest carbon contributors – and also one of its biggest expenses. This is where we will focus our efforts.

Faithful Footprints program highlights include:

  1. A public commitment announcement of 80% reduction by 2050 to launch the program and invite participation, during the GC43 in July 2018.

  2. A public goal of engaging 500 United Church congregations in the program by 2025.

  3. Establishing a national grant program for reducing financial barriers to building efficiency work.

  4. A five-year staged implementation, building regional partnerships with congregations and local organizations. (2019-2020: regional support hubs piloted in Atlantic Canada and Prairies; 2021 - 2023: regional support hubs expanded nation-wide)

  5. Providing regional input into a United Church National Climate Action Advisory Circle, to advise on the high-level vision, track project progress, and ensure smooth coordination with and input into various areas of the UCC’s climate related work.

  6. Regular reporting (including national sustainability reports) to track progress, amplify the stories of congregations, uncover barriers and connect the dots with other UCC Creation Care actions.

 

  • The United Church of Canada’s Faithful Footprints Grants and Energy Data maps are online interactive maps that are designed to share insight into the energy efficiency and decarbonization efforts of congregations and other properties through the Faithful Footprints program. These maps are produced in collaboration with EDGE.

  • Description text goes here

  • Description text goes here

Why was our program created?

The United Church of Canada’s Faithful Footprints program supports excited to see how regional councils and communities of faith, including congregations, camps, education centres, chaplaincies, community ministries, networks, clusters, and communities of the future (whose shape we do not yet know) will live out this renewed direction for the whole church.

How does our program support the national Church

Supporting the national Church’s climate and sustainability goals

The focus of our efforts to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint must be our buildings, where heat and light continue to be the largest contributors to emissions. Faithful Footprints has been successful in offering congregations opportunities to improvetr55e their buildings’ energy and carbon performance

Advancing the United Church toward a bold and vibrant future 

The national ministry will dedicate its focus, energy, and resources to revitalizing the church toward a vibrant future. The national church will renew by strengthening existing communities of faith toward transformation.

The United Church of Canada’s Faithful Footprints program supports excited to see how regional councils and communities of faith, including congregations, camps, education centres, chaplaincies, community ministries, networks, clusters, and communities of the future (whose shape we do not yet know) will live out this renewed direction for the whole church.

Over $220K dollars in energy costs savings for United Church buildings

By improving energy efficiency and switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy, Faithful Footprints helped United Church communities of faith cut energy costs by an average of 10% annually.

Our funding has eased financial burdens and supported sustainable economic growth for United Church communities through:

Our Mission and Strategic Goals

The focus of our efforts to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint must be our buildings, where heat and light continue to be the largest contributors to emissions. Faithful Footprints has been successful in offering congregations opportunities to improvetr55e their buildings’ energy and carbon performance

Lowering Utility Bills

Improving the efficiency of building structures and upgrading systems to modern models has reduced energy, gas, and water consumption for communities of faith. These improvements have led to lower utility bills and decreased operational expenses.

Reducing Maintenance Costs

Upgrading appliances and systems has cut maintenance expenses by reducing the need for frequent repairs on outdated equipment. By installing modern systems, communities of faith have experienced fewer breakdowns and lower overall required maintenance.

Ongoing communication

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Reducing financial barriers

Establish a national grant program for reducing financial barriers to building efficiency work