Faithful Footprints October 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 September 28 - October 25
New to the program:
Projects Completed:
Camp Scugog, Nestleton, ON
Received a grant in support of the insulation of the dining hall and installation of geothermal heating and cooling system.
Forest Hill United Church, Fredericton, NB
Received a grant in support of the installation of two 30,000 BTU heat exchangers, two programmable thermostats; the replacement of two ceiling fans, five exit lights to LED lights, five fluorescent hall and stairwell lights with LED pot lights, eight incandescent lights with LED pot lights, occupancy sensors in two offices, one exterior dusk to dawn light, a small entrance door, the second floor fire escape door, and refrigerator.
Lamont Health Care Centre, Lamont, AB
Received a grant in support of the installation of 50 solar panels, in addition to its existing 100 panels.
Middlewood United Church, Middlewood, NS
Received a grant in support of the replacement of windows and the insulation of the building.
Rock Lake Pastoral Charge, Crystal City, MB
Received a grant in support of the replacement of windows and a refrigerator; and the installation of LED lighting tubes in church office, lobby, bathroom, stairwell, and basement
Transcona Memorial United Church, Winnipeg, MB
Received a grant in support of the replacement of gas furnaces, transitioning from three to two; and the installation of heat recovery ventilators.
Energy Results:
St. John’s United Church, Big Bras d’Or, NS
Received a grant in support of the sealing and additional insulation of its attic from R-24 to R-60; the installation of two airtight attic hatches, a centrally-ducted heat pump, and a programmable thermostat; and the replacement of two refrigerators and the lexan on its stained-glass windows. A year following their projects, St. John’s United reduced its GHG emissions by 11.5%, and energy costs by 35.0%.
St. Luke’s United Church, Sarnia, ON
Received a grant in support of the replacement of three ceiling fans and three furnance; and the installation of LED lighting, and two air conditioning units. A year following their projects, St. Luke’s United reduced its GHG emissions by 1.5%, and natural gas usage by 1.7%.
Highlight of the Month
Lamont Health Care Centre has been a United Church of Canada Hospital for over a century. The centre cares not only for the people they serve but also for the planet they live on. With the support of the Faithful Footprints grant, the hospital was able to live out its core value and commitment to stewardship of their resources. The centre would like to continue to focus on being a sustainable facility, to act in a leadership capacity for ‘greening’ and to build its resilience to manage shifting issues in the world.
“We are grateful for the opportunity that Faithful Footprints have given us to do this good work - it will enable us to achieve our goal of reducing our carbon footprint and practicing greater stewardship”
- Lamont Health Care Centre
Faithful Footprints Maps
Wonder what properties have participated or are currently involved in the Faithful Footprints program? Explore your region on the newly updated Faithful Footprints Grants and Energy Data interactive maps. Read summaries of properties that have completed the program as well as the energy data of finished projects.
*Note: These maps are produced in collaboration with EDGE and are updated on a quarterly basis.
Celebrating Your Retrofits
Faithful Footprints asks participating properties how they plan to celebrate their building upgrades and share their retrofit story with their neighbourhood and wider community. Glen Morris United Church (Glen Morris, ON) hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and celebratory event this month, which included touring the building's new addition, and the extensive renovations that have been made over the last few years, with the support of the Faithul Footprints grant.
“Faithful Footprints played a major part in our ability to upgrade facilities at our Church - we’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished during our Phase 3 Renovations”
- Margaret Fleury, Glen Morris United Chruch (Glen Morris, ON)
A Vision for Community and the Planet
Faithful Footprints Western Regional Support Centre, Newo Global Energy was established with solar design and installation as its main service.To date, the non-profit social enterprise has completed 35 solar installations. Among these include solar installations for Faithful Footprints participants First United Church (Wetaskiwin, AB) and Riverbend United Church (Edmonton, AB), as part of their latest program, Pecamu Makoce (Stoney for “fixing the earth”). This program is an Indigenous-led training and employment program, specifically targeted to the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, and headed by one of Newo’s first ever trainees, Joby Yellowdirt, member of Alexis. Learn more about the vision and work of Newo Global Energy in our blog “Newo: An Extraordinary Organization with a Vision to Serve Community and Planet”.
Faithful Footprints Monthly Blog
Over the past two years, due to COVID-19, Canadians experienced the brunt of timber scarcity, inflation, and building closures. Despite these challenges, many United Church properties were still able to see the crisis as an opportunity to retrofit their buildings, and become more sustainable, thanks to the support of the Faithful Footprints program. The Atlantic Christian Training Centre, also known as the Tatamagouche Centre was one of the many communities that took full advantage and continued their efforts to rejuvenate and upgrade their building. Learn more in our blog “How the Power of Perseverance Sustained the Tatamagouche Centre Rebuild Project” written by Faithful Footprints PR/Communication Coordinator, Aleyxa Gates Julien.
Features: The Atlantic Christian Training Centre/Tatamagouche Centre (Tatamagouche, NS)
Faithful Footprints Monthly Blogs are published the 2nd Tuesday of every month.
Upcoming Events and Webinars
October 26 - November 23: Encounter - Exploring the World’s Religions
Join Encounter for 5 evenings exploring the world's major religions. Hosted by The United Church of Canada and sponsored by The Anti-Racism, Interfaith and Intercultural Forum of the East Central Ontario Regional Council, this online program is welcoming to all. The program begins on Wednesday evening October 26 with an overview of foundations of the world's religions and then explores a different religion each Wednesday evening from October 26th - November 23rd.
To learn more and register for the event, click here.
October 28: Prairie to Pine - Faithful Footprints Webinars
Join Faithful Footprints Prairies Regional Support Centre, Purpose Construction to learn more about the Faithful Footprints program and how your congregation can get involved. To register, click here.
Another online webinar will be happening Friday, November 18th at 1pm (CST). Email Kalen Taylor, ktaylor@purposeconstruction.ca to register.
The Ecology Action Centre in partnership with Faith & the Common Good invites you to register for the ‘A Climate of Hope: Faith Communities Confront the Climate Crisis’ conference. The conference is intended to bring together different faith communities to explore opportunities to participate in climate action and make impactful change. Workshops will focus on what specific actions organizations can take to become leaders in the fight against climate change.
To register, click here.
October 29: Activating Hope: Faith and the Climate Crisis
What does hope look like as we face the climate crisis? How does faith help us to make a difference? Join Rev. Tony Snow, Sarah Arthurs, Liz Rees, Robin Hope Gayley, Dave Saude, and Doreen Kot, as they share faith resources to inspire hope and action. Join Kairos Prairies North Annual Gathering event for lunch, to hear stories from around the Prairies North region, share with others, and build new relationships.
To register, click here.
October 30: Faiths4Climate Conversations
Join the EnviroMuslims and Faith & the Common Good for an afternoon dedicated to learning how faith groups are working to take climate action. Connect with like-minded sustainability champions, explore synergies and potential partnerships, and celebrate the work that is being done across the Greater Toronto Area. A light dinner and networking will follow the event. Please note that this event is free, however we do ask that you register.
To register, click here.
November 15: Regional Ministers Climate Justice Roundtable - Fall 2022
The Regional Ministers Climate Justice Roundtable, co-hosted by The United Church of Canada General Council Office staff and Faith & the Common Good (FCG), is meeting this Fall to foster collaborative discussions among UCC Regional Ministers, General Council Office staff and the Faithful Footprints delivery team.
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.
Connect with Your Regional Support Centre
Faithful Footprints Regional Support Centres aim to encourage diverse faith based and multi-sectoral allied groups to work together and help create a regional climate collaborative network that will continue beyond the life of this project. Explore specific local and regional resources to assist you to reduce your faith building’s carbon and energy footprint.