South Church Green Team - meeting notes – 1/19/2017

Green Team - meeting notes – 1/19/2017

Attendees: Candy Dann, Mark Bohrer, Fran Fink, Steve Fink, Terry Ebner, William Wood (first topic)

CC: Janet Clarke, Iric Rex, Dana, Alex

1)      William Wood presented request to provide annual review feedback to Dana

·         Input to William/Fran - Deacons

2)      Place/presence of environmental message in the church’s religious life and vision

·         What we have done in regular life of church

1 Annual green service
2 Harvest dinner / support, promotion of Giving Garden

3 Church picnic – composting!

4 place at the table now with trustees and council

·         Council is now thinking about efficiency as a matter of course

 5 Activities during past years

·         Green retreat

·         Green children services

·         Green service projects

 6. Longer term plans - ongoing

·         Divestment : Next step here: Divestment - start with our own personal assumptions/actions

-          Immediate Actions

o   ACTION: Candy – Talk to Wally and walk around church to restore trash/recycling bins in church

See what equipment he needs

o   ACTION: Bill and Candy – (In context of heating system “end of life”)

revisit heating performance, plans for replacement?

-          Forward looking

o   Next step #1: Meet with Dana to discuss religious environmental vision, message and plans

ACTION: Mark – contact Dana – invite her  to next meeting, or schedule another meeting

o   Host at Mark’s house

·         Green message in Sunday services, in life of the church

o   Regular message ofHeartful of love and inspiration and encouragement to act

o   Propose Earth Day Sunday – April 23^rd to Dana

·         Green Retreat for the Future 2.0

o   Plan for Fall 2018!

o   Market as Family Christmas gift December 2017

o   Similar format & structure, Guest speaker

o   Lead in: In House Multi-generational event – September 2017

§  Afternoon internal retreat – science fair

§  Lead in to Harvest Dinner

§  Have  readout on the projects

§  Speaker is  (for example) UCS, John Rogers??

·         Connecting church to green activism

o   Next Step #2: Green elements of Lupine Road

ACTION: Steve – talk to Iric about making Lupine Road super green,

·         Make project “as green as we can make it”

o   Next Step #3: Earth Day – Sunday April 23^rd

Recycling sign making activity on April 2^nd as part of Sunday school

·         ACTION: Terry – propose this to CE

·         ACTION: Candy – templates for recycling signs

Children’s message – kids show the signs on Sunday April 23^rd

o   Next Step #4:

Church is hosting MIPL SHOW Sustainable House of Worship workshop!

·         Sunday February 12, 2017 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm

·         http://www.mipandl.org/

o   Future Plans: Green Activism

Connecting church to green activism - Choose actions/protests to promote

Ongoing activities/discussion

o   Need long term green church investment plan

§  Present to Trustees

§  Start with 3 renovations below

o   Workshop on energy efficiency

§  LED Lighting

§  Sealing & Insulation

o   Green Movie Night – do together with North Parish, West Parish

o   Church energy efficiency

3 energy conservation renovations projects  - Iric

Here are some steps to improve energy performance at SC:

Determined 3 fairly easy renovations to help with energy use.

Talked with Tom Ozirsky about the  budget for each, as he was putting together this year’s budget.

Talked with Betsy Davis about the 3 things, but still want to get her comments/ opinions.

Talked with Wally about the 3 things.

I think one or more of them, if Betsy approves, would make good DOS activities.

The three renovations:

1.       Airseal and insulating panel at men’s bathroom exhaust fan (near stairs at front of church). There is significant heat loss (and an uncomfortably cold, drafty bathroom) at this location. Budget $100 for materials.

2. Airseal and insulate at large inter-wall space at front of Sanctuary (both sides). There appears to be a large volume of heated air that travels through this space from the boiler room/ lower floor area up through the attic. Budget $700 for materials.

3.       Apply rigid insulation to the bare concrete wall on the back side of the church, basement level, Rompers area. Refinish with GWB. The wall is presently uninsulated, and is an area of great heat loss. The insulation will cut heat loss and also improve comfort in the room. Budget $1,800 for materials. Will also require some time from a plumber (to move hydronic convectors away from the wall) and electrician (to move wall-mounted electrical). Budget $2,500 for trades? Total guess.

- Possible use of Black Dog basement insulation system?

All budget costs are rough estimates. I assume all labor would be donated, except for plumbing and electrical.

SC Green Team - meeting notes – 11/10/2016

Green Team - meeting notes – 11/10/2016

SC Green Team

Attendees: Candy Dann, Mark Bohrer, Fran Fink, Janet Clarke, Steve Fink

-          ACTIONS: Mark – talk to Dana

o   review proposed plans and possible dates for internal 1-day retreat Fall 2017

o   All-Generation big retreat Fall 2018

o   Green Movie Night – Possible Dates - Jan 29

-          ACTIONS: Steve – talk to Highland

-          Next meeting – December 15^th – move meeting to 3^rd Thursdays!

o   ACTION                : Mark – tell Linda Hacker

1)      Agenda/Minutes

o   Green Retreat for the Future 2.0

§  Plan for Fall 2018!

·         Market as Family Christmas gift December 2017

§  Similar format & structure

§  Guest speaker

o   In House Multi-generational event – September 2017

§  Afternoon internal retreat – science fair

§  Lead in to Harvest Dinner

§  Speaker is a readout on the projects?

§  Speaker is UCS, John Rogers

§  Can have kids activities

o   Need long term green church investment plan

§  Present to Trustees

§  Start with 3 renovations below

o   Christmas Table 2017

§  Sell LED lights

§  Re-usable

o   Workshop on energy efficiency

§  LED Lighting

§  Sealing & Insulation

2)      Green Movie Night – do together with North Parish, West Parish

a.       Possible Dates -

                                                               i.      Jan 29 Sunday

                                                             ii.      Feb 12 & Feb 19

                                                            iii.      Mar 11^th Saturday

3)      Church energy efficiency

3 energy conservation renovations projects  - Iric

Here are some steps to improve energy performance at SC:

Determined 3 fairly easy renovations to help with energy use.

Talked with Tom Ozirsky about the  budget for each, as he was putting together this year’s budget.

Talked with Betsy Davis about the 3 things, but still want to get her comments/ opinions.

Talked with Wally about the 3 things.

I think one or more of them, if Betsy approves, would make good DOS activities.

The three renovations:

1.       Airseal and insulating panel at men’s bathroom exhaust fan (near stairs at front of church). There is significant heat loss (and an uncomfortably cold, drafty bathroom) at this location. Budget $100 for materials.

2. Airseal and insulate at large inter-wall space at front of Sanctuary (both sides). There appears to be a large volume of heated air that travels through this space from the boiler room/ lower floor area up through the attic. Budget $700 for materials.

3.       Apply rigid insulation to the bare concrete wall on the back side of the church, basement level, Rompers area. Refinish with GWB. The wall is presently uninsulated, and is an area of great heat loss. The insulation will cut heat loss and also improve comfort in the room. Budget $1,800 for materials. Will also require some time from a plumber (to move hydronic convectors away from the wall) and electrician (to move wall-mounted electrical). Budget $2,500 for trades? Total guess.

- Possible use of Black Dog basement insulation system?

All budget costs are rough estimates. I assume all labor would be donated, except for plumbing and electrical.

 4)      Divestment

Hello Green Team:

Here is a summary of the meeting that Candy and I had with Kate Jagger yesterday regarding fossil fuel divestment.  It's my notes.  Candy has not had time to offer her edits.  But I wanted to get this in your hands before tonight's Green Team meeting, so you all would have something to think about.

See you tonight,

Bill

SC Green Team – meeting notes – 8/18/2016

SC Green Team – meeting notes – 8/18/2016

Attendees: Bill Schroeder, Candy Dann, Terry Ebner, Steve Fink, Fran Fink, Mark Bohrer, (Dave Welbourn – phone)

1.       Giving Garden / Harvest Dinner celebration Sunday Oct 2^nd

o   Starting point: Alex’s idea to have a service and dinner at the Giving Garden

§  Questions about workability of dinner there – suggest to move dinner to church?

o   Idea for a two part event on Sunday October 2^nd

§  Part 1) ecumenical service at Garden, for all volunteers and families

§  Part 2) pot-luck dinner at the church

o   Green education program element to evening

§  provide material at each table?

§  ideas for how to mix table seating – a concierge? 2 youth doing this?

§  Displays on Giving Garden’s output & other green topics like last year?

o   Invite North Parish Sustainability Team

§  Part of making the connection to other church green teams, a goal of Dana’s too

o   Other invites:

§  Anil Navkal

§  Karuthika (connection to Chinmara Center)

o   Next step: planning meeting on Tues 9/6

2.       Divestment – phone call with Dave Welbourn

o   want to start the discussion

§  want a discussion with Trustees of Trust Funds

§  want a discussion with church membership

o   Dave’s thoughts – broached idea that church should/might want to act on our principles, and do investments the same as we act in the community

§  Dave asked the question - in addition to divestment from fossil fuels, should we frame the question larger, should church make investments in alignment with social justice?

§  (Mark had to leave at this point….)

§  Conclusions? Next step? Meetings to start congregational discussion?

3.       Idea for monthly environmental movie, together with north parish and maybe other area churches?  I mentioned it to Karen Martin of North parish, and she liked the idea.

NEXT MEETING – Giving Garden Service/Potluck Planning  meeting on Tuesday 9/6

SC Green Team – meeting notes – 03/23/2016

SC Green Team – meeting notes – 03/23/2016

Attendees: Mark, Candy, Bill, Linda Z

Green Service – scheduled for April 24

-       Theme: Climate Change is a container issue (this doesn't sound so spiritual - we'll do this in a spiritual way!)

o   Churches care about poverty, hunger, homelessness, clean water, justice, war, etc

o   Climate change affects all of these – Climate change is now the “container” of all of these

o    Climate change is not "another issue" - it effectively supercedes them all by making them all more likely if we let things get worse

-       Bill will give a personal witness / mission moment

o   Dana is also giving a message

o   Church green service is registered on both the UCC site and the Interfaith Power & Light site.

o   Does someone from the giving garden also want to contribute?

§  We could work this in if someone is interested.

-       Music

o   Pentecostal Pickers are on for April 24 – they know it’s a green service

§  They are planning on doing 3 songs

-       Children’s talk

o   Idea: a large white bucket with a map of the earth filled with all the things we care about

§  could use a 5 gal paint bucket

§  or a wheelbarrow instead to tie it to the giving garden – it’s large and dramatic too.

o   Need youth voice or voices

§  Candy talked to Jenn Murray – Jenn agreed to ask two kids to do this.

·         Mark will provide the initial script

·         Steve could coach when back?

§  Possible youth:  Anna McGrath, Katherine Gatewood, Carolyn Parker?

§  Other middle school kids?

§  Christina Nardini ? (graduate student attending Merrimack College)

-       ACTION: Bill - Get EDF “I’m a Climate Voter” bumper stickers to handout at fellowship hour

-       Steve Fink’s suggestion of a theme - Local connection – we work this in with the Giving Garden

-       Green Sunday - Bulletin idea

o   a photo of the Giving Garden with the new shed in the background would make a nice program for the bulletin.

Divestment Discussion

-       We will take up how to spur the divestment discussion at church (both with the Trustees of the Trust Funds and with general church membership) at our next meeting

-       Bill has a 4 page handout that goes into divestment reasons/justification – he will send this out to the core group again.

SC Green Team – meeting notes – 01/21/2016

SC Green Team – meeting notes – 01/21/2016

Present: Mark, Candy, Bill, Steve, Fran, Iric         We missed you: Janet, Terry

Paris Pledge 

            parispledge.org (sponsored by interfaithpowerandlight.org)

             – congregation and individuals commit to go carbon neutral by 2030 
             - can we do it??  How can we talk about it?

-       Could South Church go carbon neutral by 2030? Could we do it by 2025? Sooner than that?

-       Practically speaking, what are the areas to go after?  

-   Insulation in the sanctuary

§  Insulation… there are challenges with this - makes humidity changes,

§  organ/steeple opening – need to create an insulated, airtight box around organ pipes

-  (#1) Air sealing in the sanctuary, fellowship hall, office, library, parlor might be the best, first step

§  Ian Rex (Iric’s brother) has an energy efficiency business

§  ACTION: Iric – invite Ian to evaluate air sealing

-  (#2) Church Office is cold now, needs to be heated, requiring main boiler to run to heat it

§  Look at mini-split heat pump – can provide heating and cooling efficiently

§  Insulation improvements in office?

§  ACTION: Candy to send previous energy stewardship report from Thomas Nutt-Powell

-   Heating system efficiency – long term replacement for boiler

§  what is the separate gas usage of boiler in old church vs addition (forced hot air heated powered by natural gas furnaces in addition)?

§  do we need to get a separate gas meter to find out?

Earth Day Service – propose Sunday May 1 - talk to Dana 

(on May 1 because mission trip returns on Sunday Apr 24th - want youth there & involved)

-       Tie in to Giving Garden fundraiser – already planned by Giving Garden committee for Saturday Apr 30

-       Church involvement – start the deep discussion on the Paris pledge in advance?

-       Youth involvement

-       Music involvement

Green Retreat for Families

-   Let's do it, it's time!

-       Shoot for early fall – late September, early October?

Topics we did not talk about

-       Divestment

-       LED lighting in the church

-       green thing of the month