Eco-Justice Connection

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Success Stories

SPOTLIGHT: University City United Methodist Church

By chris

University City United Methodist Church in Charlotte has been busy over the past few months. Inspired by a study of the text Welcome to Dinner, Church by Verlon Fosner, members of the congregation began […]

SPOTLIGHT: University City United Methodist Church

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University City United Methodist Church in Charlotte has been busy over the past few months. Inspired by a study of the text Welcome to Dinner, Church by Verlon Fosner, members of the congregation began dreaming up ideas for a church garden in January of this year. They formed a sub-committee, and after meetings with interested members made it clear that the church garden could become a reality, they got to planning. Planting started in April. 

From May to September, weekly work-days were hosted in the garden space. Members of the church and community gathered on Wednesday evenings to plant, weed, and participate in a devotional time. The group used the book, The Green Bible Devotional, to connect their work in the garden with the environmental themes of their faith. Garden committee leader, Sabrina Do Rosario, says that the mission of the garden was always to build and experience community. Reflecting on the weekly multigenerational gatherings, Sabrina says that this has been a success!

Throughout the summer, the fruits of the garden were harvested for various purposes. The church hosted a BLT fellowship meal in which congregation and community members enjoyed tomatoes from their own garden. A “Blessing Table” was then installed in the foyer of the sanctuary. Every week, the table is filled with the harvest of the garden. Congregation and community members are invited to take what they need. Whatever is leftover is donated to a local food pantry. 

As the seasons change, there are many more plans for the garden. The church hopes to host a pumpkin patch in October. Additionally, a new environmental study will begin this month. Church members will start meeting on September 11th to read through the text, Climate Justice: A Call to Hope and Action. Book study members will meet in both the community garden discussed above, the congregation’s celebration garden, and a wooded area behind the sanctuary where “worship in the woods” is held each Sunday morning at 8:45am. That’s right. In addition to two gardens on church property, this community holds a weekly worship service in the forest behind their building.

University City United Methodist Church is bringing their faith to life by getting their hands dirty, building community, and learning about the need for climate justice. How are you creatively engaging faith and acting on climate change?

To submit your congregational story for a spotlight, email programs@ncipl.org. 

Community UCC Solar Project

By chris

Community UCC is a relatively small (about 120 active members) congregation located in Raleigh, NC, that has long had an active interest in environmental stewardship. We created our Justice in a Changing Climate initiative (JCC) in 2007, recognizing that climate change will affect those with the fewest resources more adversely and sooner than the rest of us.

Community UCC Solar Project

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CUCC-child-with-solar-banner

Bringing Community Solar to Your Church
– Here’s One Way

Community UCC is a relatively small (about 120 active members) congregation located in Raleigh, NC, that has long had an active interest in environmental stewardship. We created our Justice in a Changing Climate initiative (JCC) in 2007, recognizing that climate change will affect those with the fewest resources more adversely and sooner than the rest of us. The JCC began with a focus on educational activities, attempting to engage the entire congregation, including the kids.

In 2012, the congregation held a retreat at which members requested that the JCC investigate installing solar panels. The JCC explored various funding models, talking with and visiting a number of churches and synagogues that had already installed an array. We got help and advice from non-profit groups with experience and expertise in renewable energy installations. We solicited bids from three vendors. Throughout the research phase we kept the congregation in the loop.

To enable broad participation, we decided to use a direct donation model to fund the project. We realized that our array might serve as a pilot project testing community-funded solar, and be an inspiration for other non-profits. Ours is a small church, and if we could pull this off, others could as well. Throughout our research phase we had heard from neighbors and friends who wanted do something to combat climate change and to offset their personal output of CO¬2, but who were not able to install solar at their homes or afford an entire array. They could achieve some of their environmental goals by contributing to a project such as ours, and, in many cases, receive tax benefits as well.

In January 2015 we were ready to seek the congregation’s approval for the fundraising campaign. Our proposal included information about the array and installer, including the environmental and economic justice impacts for the equipment producers and installers. We also had in-hand pledges covering 15% of the cost from a mix of members and friends who had approached us including the offer of a seed grant from Temple Emanuel in Greensboro who had advised us. The JCC’s passionate message that climate change is real, severely impacts the poor, that we must reduce our fossil fuel consumption to combat it, and that the solar installation would help brought the buy-in from the church to go ahead. With the congregation’s approval, we solicited donations from church members, friends and family members. We set a schedule for raising the total we needed and each JCC member used fundraising methods that felt comfortable for her or him. We wrote emails, talked to fellow bus commuters, reached out to friends in local environmental groups and a book club, suggested a donation in lieu of Christmas gifts, and organized an honorarium for a family member. At mid-point in our timeline, we launched a one-week social network campaign (our youth group played a big role here) and reached our goal two months early. Throughout the process we kept the congregation informed by adding a sparkly solar panel to a worship banner (see photo) each time we raised enough to pay for another panel; this kept energy high and was another way for children to be involved. In the end we actually exceeded our goal. The excess is being used to seed solar projects undertaken by other non-profits (two churches, a school, and an affordable housing quadruplex) continuing the Temple’s “pay it forward” gift to us.

Keys to fundraising included our passion for the project and opening the opportunity to the community. Breaking the funding goal into chewable amounts – for example, the cost of one kW of energy or one solar panel – helped donors see how they could have specific impact on the project. And the 35% NC income tax credit to donors of non-profit renewable energy installations (terminated in Dec 2015) enabled some donors to give more.

Blessed by our God and our community, we now have a 28-panel, 10kW solar array on the south-facing roof of our fellowship hall. We estimate that it is cutting our main building’s electricity bill in half; the money saved is being put toward other work of the church. It’s like an extra shot in the church budget. True to our goal to serve as a pilot project, we continue to provide best practice suggestions to congregations and non-profits, and to share the story with North Carolina’s administrative and legislative leaders.

Learn more about the project, fund raising, system performance, see photos, and find links to other solar projects accepting donations at cuccsolarproject.blogspot.com. Questions: contact Gary Smith (smithgk@mindspring.com).

Visit Community UCC online at: http://www.communityucc.org/

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville

By chris

UUFH Celebrates Its Commitment to Renewable Energy The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville (UUFH) is celebrating the installation of a 40-panel solar array on its sanctuary roof. This installation is […]

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville

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UUFHsolarpanels

UUFH Celebrates Its Commitment to Renewable Energy

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville (UUFH) is celebrating the installation of a 40-panel solar array on its sanctuary roof. This installation is evidence of the congregation’s commitment to renewable energy and is the culmination of a two year program to become more environmentally friendly according to the Green Team coordinator Jan Partin.
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After a year of planning, the UUFH Green Team took bids to install a system that would produce 80-90% of the 20000 KWhr electrical usage in its main building. The congregation anticipates an annual energy savings of $2400-$3000. M.B. Haynes Energy Solutions was selected in August and construction began in October.

The congregation has been working toward certification as a “green sanctuary,” an environmental and conservation program sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association. The overall greening of the church encourages the congregation and individual members to adopt sustainable practices. The solar panel project, titled Let the Sunshine In, was an opportunity to fulfill the congregation’s desire to demonstrate green principles and to take advantage of North Carolina’s renewable state tax credit. The congregation raised $40,000 in two months to fund the project. Solar panel project team members were Jan Partin, Steve Tipps, Joe Criscione, RE Director Vicki Benavides, and Reverend Jim McKinley.
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This effort aligns with the core values of Unitarian Universalists and brings our faith into action. By adopting solar energy for our building, we set an example for our congregation, our community, and other Henderson County area faith communities considering how they could also reduce their carbon footprint with sustainable energy sources such as solar.

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville, located on the corner of Kanuga and Price Roads, offers Sunday services at 10:30am; Religious Education classes at 10:15am; and childcare at 10:15am. For more information, contact the UUFH office at 828-693-3157 or office@uufhnc.org, or visit us online at www.uufhnc.org.

United Church of Chapel Hill Solar Project

By chris

Our Solar Journey at United Church of Chapel Hill On November 6, 2015, the latest photovoltaic array on a North Carolina house of worship went online. The 84.76 kW, 326 […]

United Church of Chapel Hill Solar Project

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ucch-solar-compelte-2-1024x576

Our Solar Journey at United Church of Chapel Hill

On November 6, 2015, the latest photovoltaic array on a North Carolina house of worship went online. The 84.76 kW, 326 panel system will generate 60% of our annual electricity needs at United Church of Chapel Hill (UCCH) and reduce our overall carbon footprint by a minimum of 44% next year and for years to come. The project was funded as part of a congregation-wide, multi-purpose capital campaign using a “donation model” with the option for individual donors to receive North Carolina state tax credits for the portion of the campaign devoted to the solar project.

Our solar journey began in 2011 when a subcommittee of United Earth Ministries (UEM) formed to explore significant energy saving and renewable energy options for the church. UEM is a committee of the Board of Justice, Outreach and Service, housed in this board because of the intersection of care of God’s creation, and both social and intergenerational justice. Prior to the solar project, UEM had laid ground work with the congregation by sponsoring education and devotional programs for adults and youth, and by working with the building and grounds volunteers and staff toward sustainability by going after the “low hanging fruit” of energy efficiency. By 2011, with the science of climate change strengthening, we began to think beyond energy efficiency, fact-finding and brainstorming about renewable energy sources and financing.

Initially, we investigated both solar and geothermal HVAC, and concluded that solar was our only realistic choice. We then looked into funding options for solar that would allow us to benefit from both state and federal tax credits using the standard calculus of “return on investment” and the concept of forming a small limited liability company (LLC) with a few investors as funders. The LLC idea was that the net cost to the church would be minimal and to the investors virtually nil. What we concluded after many months of research and discussion was that such an approach would likely result in an array that would generate less than 3% of our electricity needs and exclude most of the congregation from participating in the project.

Our breakthrough came when we realized that our thinking about funding was out of sync with our faith and mission as a congregation. The “return on investment” (ROI) calculus was the wrong metric. We remembered that care of God’s creation was/is part of our call to faith and mission. As a congregation our decisions on mission work have always been based on what is right to do. Once we discern what is right, we figure out how to fund the mission. UEM realized we needed to think of the solar project in the same way. This opened the way not only to dream of a much larger system but also to invite the whole congregation to participate in this mission.

As UEM was coming to this important realization, our church leadership was also realizing that it was time for a capital campaign to do some critical maintenance of our building. They decided to think big and develop a “vision 2020” for the whole church. All the boards were invited to propose high priority projects for the campaign to be launched in 2013. UEM was ready and proposed the large-scale project that would reduce our carbon footprint substantially and align with the global needs identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We also wanted a project that would have a visible component to act as a “billboard for care of God’s creation” and hopefully as an inspiration for other churches, synagogues, mosques and temples in the state. The congregation embraced the project whole-heartedly. All those who participated in the capital campaign contributed a portion of their gifts to the solar project. Our roof was made solar ready in 2014 and the solar array was designed, approved by the congregation, and installed in 2015. This has been one of our most exciting and energizing mission projects in recent years.

We are fortunate to have members of our congregation who were able to provide technical expertise on this project. Among the talents on the energy committee were engineers who asked and received answers to all the important technical questions and managed the project, a lawyer who researched and explained the federal and state tax credit rules to the church leaders, and energetic volunteers who communicated the project to lay leaders and the general congregation. Once we decided on the donation model, we interviewed three solar installers, developed a rating instrument to help us choose among them, and settled on YES! Solar Solutions as our provider. YES! calls the UCCH installation their crown jewel, because it is large and especially because it includes a highly visible portion on a trellis that spans over 120 feet across the front of the church. This beautiful 76-panel array on the trellis truly is a billboard for care of God’s creation and a daily reminder to all who enter the building of the congregation’s commitment to sustainability and future generations.

UCCH-solar-front

Some facts about the UCCH project that might be of interest include:

  • 326 REC solar panels (260 watts each)
  • 4 SolarEdge inverters
  • 163 SolarEdge optimizers
  • 5,720 square feet of roof
  • We can monitor the function of each pair of panels individually through the SolarEdge website and quickly identify problems for rapid resolution
  • We are net-metering which means that we use our own solar power but have no storage batteries.
  • When we make extra energy it goes back to the grid and Duke Energy subtracts an equivalent amount of energy charges from our bill, saving us money.
  • The solar panels will degrade by no more than 0.7% per year and after 25 years they will still perform at 80% or more of their original capacity. They will likely continue to produce electricity for much longer.
  • The project cost approximately $240,000, all of which was raised by donation within the larger capital campaign. If we were measuring ROI, the project will pay for itself in energy savings over its useful life

Our system’s 84.76 kilowatts will generate 110,920 kilowatt hours of electricity each year, enough to power 10 homes each year and annually equivalent to

  • Removing 151,000 pounds of carbon from the atmosphere
  • Eliminating 149,000 vehicle-miles from the road
  • Preventing 90,000 pounds of coal from being burned
  • Planting 1760 trees to help sequester carbon
  • In combination with energy efficiency measures undertaken at UCCH regarding HVAC and lighting systems, we have reduced our carbon footprint by 53% per year.

The congregation of UCCH is thrilled to be harvesting clean, renewable energy from the sun. This is the story of our love for the world and our hope to be a good family member with our sister faith communities who are also working for the welfare of all. We are joining 14 other faith communities in collectively bringing 336 kW of faithful power to North Carolina. We are eager to share our story and our practical experience with interested faith communities. We hope that this work will “go viral” and many other congregations will commit to help our world transition to truly clean, renewable and sustainable energy, honoring God and preserving the world for future generations.

May it be so!

Visit United Church of Chapel Hill online at: http://unitedchurch.org

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Hayesville, NC wins national award for work at nexus of climate and poverty

By nancy

Energy saving volunteers in North Carolina work at nexus of climate and poverty Community Inspiration Winner of IPL’s Cool Congregations Challenge Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Hayesville, North Carolina CO2 Reduction: […]

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Hayesville, NC wins national award for work at nexus of climate and poverty

Energy saving volunteers in North Carolina work at nexus of climate and poverty

Community Inspiration Winner of IPL’s Cool Congregations Challenge

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church
Hayesville, North Carolina

CO2 Reduction: 33 metric tons/year
Prevents: 35,000 lbs. of coal from being burned
Families helped: 40 and counting
Percent CO2 Reduction: 10-20% per household

Good Shepherd Episcopal HayesvilleA group of around ten climate concerned volunteers from Good Shepherd Episcopal Church and the Hayesville community are answering a combined moral calling to help the poor and be good stewards of Creation. Working with local poverty and charity organizations, they have helped 40 disadvantaged families reduce their carbon footprint and save money on energy bills. After a referral is identified, the volunteer team performs a free energy assessment, identifies sources of free or low cost materials, locates sources of funding, and then provides free labor to get the job done. Upgrades include such things as LED lighting, weather stripping, insulation, and replacing inefficient heating and cooling systems. Some of the work is done in conjunction with the Hinton Center which operates a retreat / mission center in the local community and which brings in mission teams from all over the country as part of their work. Good Shepherd will be integrating its efforts with the Hinton Center so that a side benefit will be that volunteers from Hinton will learn some exposure to the energy saving approaches and ideas.

 While this effort is sponsored by Good Shepherd, volunteers of all faiths and religious backgrounds are welcomed to assist in helping our neighbors become more financially independent and reduce the financial stress of occasional extremely high energy bills.  The volunteers at Good Shepherd are also available to help congregations in other areas create an Energy Saving Volunteers effort in your local congregation or community.
For more information contact the church office at 838-389-3397, or email Brad Rouse at brouse_invest@yahoo.com or Amy Nicolson at amyandgil@hotmail.com .

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of W-S

By chris

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem has a long and exciting set of goals, accomplishments, and challenges relating to its Green Sanctuary Program accreditation. We have a broad range of […]

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of W-S

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Winston Salem Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem has a long and exciting set of goals, accomplishments, and challenges relating to its Green Sanctuary Program accreditation. We have a broad range of practices to build awareness of the significance and complexity of environmental issues facing our society. We often have sermons by our minister and visiting experts on environmental justice and population issues. We recently participated in Interfaith Power & Light’s Preach-In on Climate Change, with a Pulpit Editorial and the collection of signatures on postcards to President Obama urging him to take climate change seriously. The children and teachers enjoy the religious education curriculum with lots of time outside, exploring our woods and big backyard. They pay particular attention to the different habitats we have on our property and discuss what types of animals live in each. Last summer, a group of families restored one of our gardens and we were happy to see it flourish with new sustainable plants (pictured below). We are also proud of our green kitchen which composts its food waste, uses only washable tableware and napkins, and has a high efficiency dishwasher.

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem
4055 Robinhood Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Contact: Gus Preschle, exploor@triad.rr.com

The Fellowship also sponsors programs designed to support sustainable lifestyles.  The Religious Education program, as well as environmental articles in our monthly newsletters, has highlighted opportunities for individuals to recycle more, use fewer toxic substances at home and at work, compost using a 2-barrel system developed by one of our members, and carpool to Fellowship activities. The Buildings Committee continues to keep our beautiful buildings green and healthy. This not only reduces our environmental footprint, but it serves as a model for committee members and all others visiting our building so that they may take lessons learned home and try them there. Our key actions regarding energy conservation include changing the air filters per schedule, annually testing the toilets and sinks for water leakage, maintaining thermostat settings for best efficiency, vacuuming major appliance coils each year, annually checking the windows and doors for leakage, annually checking the HVAC units for coolant leakage, and continuing to replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs. The Grounds Committee continues to use best practices for enhancing the quality of our habitat while minimizing the use of harmful herbicides and pesticides. They also limit mowing to an as needed schedule. They use community mulch and provide maintenance to the large rain garden installed in 2010.

We also engage in community action on climate change issues. Environmentally friendly, low-income housing is in great need in our community. To help with this, four members of the Fellowship organized and worked on a committee to design and build an advanced prototype Green Home for Habitat for Humanity. Over 50 UU volunteers contributed to the construction of the home. Lessons learned are already being used on new Habitat homes. We also had volunteer Saturdays for Habitat Women Build Energy Star rated homes.

An important part of our mission is to strengthen the connection between spiritual practice and Earth consciousness. We constructed our Green Sanctuary Program around our respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are all a part. The music and songs selected for Services, readings at Chalice lightings for committee meetings, and the dedication of the many volunteers that support these programs reflect these beliefs.

Many members work to heal environmental injustices. The aforementioned cards to our government, as well as Letters to the Editor, and organized emails and phone calls to elected officials are directed at resolving the unequal distribution of healthy goods and services, and the placement of unhealthy landfills, coal ash ponds, and poorly maintained schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Some of our members serve in leadership positions in environmental organizations such as the Piedmont Environmental Alliance, the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, the Neighborhood Alliance, and CHANGE (Communities Helping All Neighbors Gain Empowerment).

While we do not currently have an actively functioning sustainability committee, it is easy to see that environmental grass roots activities are well entrenched in our Fellowship Ministry and committee structure.  We look forward to even more exciting programs in the future.

– Gus Preschle, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem Member