Green Team Meeting Notes 12-16-2020

 Green Team Meeting Notes 12/16/2020

Attendees: Steve Fink, Mark Bohrer, Susan Johnston, Mary Pritchard, Bill Schroeder, Janet Clarke, Iric Rex

Away: Candy Dann, Fran Fink

Next meeting is 3^rd  Wednesday 1/20  - Inauguration Day!

 

·         Green Team Mission

o  We asked - what is our mission? 

o   How far does it extend beyond South Church? How far should it?

o   Actions/campaigns have a South Church center but often reach into the larger community

o   We’ve partnered/joined with/taken the lead (as GT members) on other organizations

§  WECAN, North Parish (on retreat), Historic Mill District

o   There is an opportunity to reach out more - especially to other faith communities, our sisters and brothers in this mission

§  Christ Church, Lutheran Church

·         ACTION – Mark – reach out to these churches

§  Kate Margolies, West Parish (is also on WECAN)

o   Suggestion of a local summit to other groups – share ideas, get to know each others groups

·         Creation Care Voter Pledge

o   71 South Church people signed

o   ACTION – Mark – send an email to thank all those & share their names

·         New West Elementary – Steve shared an update on his involvement

o   The latest plan is going towards an “all electric” facility –

§  Electric is coming in cost effective compared to natural gas

·         Film Condor & Eagle – Bill

o   Plan as Faith Forum – Discussion topic of Sun Dec 27

o   ACTION – Bill – send a message to Faith Forum list

§  Mark – FWD to expanded green team

o   Note that it can be watched anytime Dec 18-20

·         Briefly mentioned

o   Retreat

o   Historic Mill District

o   CCA – Community Choice Aggregation in Andover

o   Charging Station at Church

o   Church Ceiling/Insulation

Green Team Meeting Notes 8-27-2020

 Green Team Meeting Notes – 8/27/2020

 

Attendees: Steve Fink, Mark Bohrer, Mary Pritchard, Candy Dann

Away: Bill Schroeder, Janet Clarke, Susan Johnston, Fran Fink

Next meeting is 2^nd Wednesday 9/9 (proposed)

 

1)     WECAN – Brief update from Mary Pritchard

2)     Environmental Voter Pledge – Candy Dann (for Bill Schroeder)

·        ACTION – Mark – contact Dana & Alex about how can we get this campaign into the church service, out to the church? What are their ideas?

·        ACTION – Green Team meeting in 2 weeks to focus just on this

·        ACTION – Candy & Susan – draft an email to send to “Greater Green Team”

·        Climate Voter Project organized by SNEUCC (Southern New England UCC)

·        https://www.sneucc.org/blogdetail/congregation-climate-justice-voter-pledge-14169816

·        What is the “Why” – Are you tired of not being heard? Amplify your voice by joining together!

·        Goals - campaign to challenge the congregation to reach 75% of church membership – 600 people

                                                              i.     In Buzz, onto church website

                                                             ii.     Green Team committee – Divide up “Greater Green Team” list – 43 names -

1.      Divide up list - each of us contacts 8, ask each person to contact 2 more

                                                            iii.      Get into the Andover Townsman

                                                            iv.     Get other churches/temples to join in - point them to Interfaith Power & Light

                                                             v.     Idea – monthly focus for Missions (Board of World Service) –

1.      ACTION - Steve – bring it up there

                                                            vi.     Request to have it part of the church service

3)     Retreat – early plans discussion – Steve Fink

·        Steve shared ideas/brainstorming – earliest in person would be Fall 2022

·        Real thoughts wait until after the election

·        Thoughts about a Zoom online “Green Retreat” event

                                                              i.     Find a local social justice / climate justice speaker – do it online? in church parking lot?

                                                             ii.     invite local religious organizations & green groups to start building connections for in person retreat

4)     Green Bee – Susan & Candy

·        Brainstorm ideas – Environmental/Climate Voter Project

 

Other topics – not discussed

5)     Church Insulation Update – Bill Schroeder

6)     Trustees of the Trust Funds

·        Candy will work Tim to a letter to the TOTF, asking for an update on divestment and social justice

7)     State Bill – Roadmap 2050 – sent an email about contacting your State reps

·        Mary Pritchard sent out an email about how to support this

·        Action needed before end of July to move

8)     Mass Interfaith Power & Light

9)     Church Capital campaign -  (On Hold)

·        sustainability – conversion to heatpumps, insulation, capital campaign

10)  Green Bee

11)  Charging station

12)  Faith forums

13)  Church service – climate witness / climate justice

 

 

SC Green Team Meeting Notes 7-16-2020

SC Green Team Meeting Notes – 7/16/2020

Attendees: Bill Schroeder, Steve Fink, Mark Bohrer, Mary Pritchard, Candy Dann, Janet Clarke, Susan Johnston, Fran Fink

Next meeting is 4^th Thursday 8/27

1)     Church Insulation Update – Bill Schroeder – see email he sent to the group this afternoon

·        Ross Lendway of Rise Engineering met with Betsy D, Tim O, Bill S at church

·        Ross proposed options for insulating church attic and walls also

2)     Political Action

·        Climate Action now means Climate Justice  (Social Justice, Racial Justice)

·        Mary noted “Mothers Out Front” is funding a local climate action coordinator position in Lawrence
https://ma.mothersoutfront.org/cambridge

                                                              i.     Could the monthly contribution go toward this?

3)     Retreat – early plans discussion – think about Fall 2022?

·        The best way to seed plans for the retreat is to start with questions

                                                              i.     What do people want it to be about? What themes should we cover?

·        Importance of inviting other faith communities in Andover

4)     Trustees of the Trust Funds

·        Candy will work Tim to a letter to the TOTF, asking for an update on divestment and social justice

5)     State Bill – Roadmap 2050 – sent an email about contacting your State reps

·        Mary Pritchard sent out an email about how to support this

·        Action needed before end of July to move

Other topics – not discussed

6)     WECAN coordination

7)     Mass Interfaith Power & Light

8)     Church Capital campaign -  (On Hold)

·        sustainability – conversion to heatpumps, insulation, capital campaign

9)     Green Bee

10)  Charging station

11)  Faith forums

12)  Church service – climate witness / climate justice

Green Team Meeting Notes 10-15-2019

Green Team Meeting Notes 10/15/2019

Lots of good energy! If you weren’t here, we missed you! And you missed a good meeting! 😊

Reminder: meeting night is the 3^rd Tuesday of the month – next meeting is Tuesday 11/19

Attendees: Bill Schroeder, Steve Fink, Mark Bohrer,  Susan Johnston, Iric Rex

Away: Candy Dann, Graham Long, Janet Clarke, Tim Smith, Fran Fink, Mary Pritchard

Add to invite: Marty Mason

Followup: conference calls will be scheduled for afternoon of Wed 10/23 & Mon 10/28 –

Steve will send out Skype invite!

Agenda/Notes

We read the poem by Barbara Kingsolver at the beginning of the meeting.

(from Time Magazine, September 23, 2019)

https://time.com/5669066/barbara-kingsolver-great-barrier-poem/

1)     Climate Strike

-        Learn more at strikewithus.org/boston

-        Next strike is Friday November 29 (black Friday)

2)     What is the next thing we need to do: The big thing to make the church sustainable

-        We need a dream – why/how/what

-        Big view: We need to convert from gas to to electric (heatpumps)

·   Insulation / efficiency is a part of this conversion

-        Conversion needs to be done as part of the capital campaign

·   Replacing the plaster is the context of doing the insulation

-        Green needs to be a big part of the capital campaign

-        How does this fit to ONCET

·   Setting an example in the community as a congregation is the key part

·   Doing & spreading the word is as important as what is done

-        From Iric: We need to call Sergio! The mechanical company is Sergio & Ciani.

3)     Socially Responsible Investing

-        Trustees of the Trust Funds – at last church meeting, TOTF agreed to buy 15% of SRI funds

·   Jane Ingram is the new head of the TOTF

-        Are they planning to buy more? Do they have a plan to transition to all SRI funds?

-        What can we do to keep the discussion going about having church members change their investments to sustainable/green funds?

4)     UCC Super Saturday – Oct 5^th in Framingham – we ran out of time – did not get a readout!

-        Mass Conference runs this event

·   Now joining with RI and CT conferences

·   Environmental Ministry – Ted Wade and Barbara Darling

·   Steve will represent Green Team and talk about SC Green Retreat

Not discussed this week

1)     Fellowship greening

2)     Faith forums

3)     Climate justice as a regular part of Sunday service

Report on South Church Solar Panels - first six years

Here is the PDF report on our solar panels, showing the results of the first six years of electricity generation, 2013-2018.

SC Solar Panel Report - First Six Years