Ask the Experts: EV Chargers - Q&A Session
Recorded November 2021
Speakers: Steve Hubbard - LightenCo. and Christopher Ralph - The Lion Electric Company
Description: As part of Canada’s mandate to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the Government of Canada has set an ambitious and mandatory target of every new light-duty vehicle and passenger truck being zero-emission by 2035 and is making investments to ensure this happens. One of the key barriers to zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) adoption is the lack of charging stations. With the goal to break down barriers associated with EV adoption, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is funding EV infrastructure projects through the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP). Hydro Ottawa has been selected as a delivery organization to distribute ZEVIP funding.
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Explore Project hereAsk the Experts! Part 1 - How to Finance Your Energy Projects
Recorded February 2021
Description: Learn how YOUR faith community can finance energy projects and benefit from the available energy programs offered through EnviroCentre and CoEnergy.
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Explore Project hereGSS Ottawa Webinar: Hope for the Future
Recorded December 2020
Description: What is being done by communities to be more sustainable? How does using clean/renewable energy aligns with faith community missions of environmental stewardship?
Find out the questions to these and what next steps you can take in this webinar hosted by GSS Ottawa.
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Explore Project hereGSS Ottawa COVID 19 and It's impact on Building Performance
Recorded October 2020
Description: Why our Energy Benchmarking Program is so useful for Faith Communities Now more than ever? Looking at the impact of COVID-19 on building energy efficiency and why we need programs like the Energy Benchmarking program more than ever.
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Explore Project hereVilla St. Joseph: Green Audit
We are Villa St. Joseph Ecology & Spirituality Centre in Cobourg, Ontario.
For us, it is important that both practical and spiritual aspects of ecology be integrated and run sustainably not only within our programming and ministry but, as well, throughout our buildings and land.
About twenty years ago, we had an audit done, and it was time for another. In November of 2020, we became aware of Faith & Common Good’s Green Audit Program. This program typically assesses seven key areas: Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Kitchen & Washrooms, Air Quality, Renovations & Construction, and Activities.
Read moreEnergy Efficiency at Eglinton St. George's United Church
Energy efficiency work pays forward for Eglinton St. Georges’ United Church at no cost!
Eglinton St. George's United (ESG Toronto) received $50,700 funding this summer, in order to improve energy efficiency at their building. The total cost of the project was paid for by the funds received. The project is part of an 18-year ongoing greening journey at ESG.
Energy Benchmarking Program: Impact and Sustainability
Energy Benchmarking Program: Impact and Sustainability
by Donna Lang – September 24, 2020
Faith & the Common Good’s (FCG) three-year-long Energy Benchmarking Program for the GTHA has come to an end. As Project Manager and Toronto Animator for the program, I greatly enjoyed working with our team of talented animators from Halton/Oakville, Hamilton, and York Region. Together, we surpassed our target of 100 faith communities (FC) for the grant period 2017-2020, with 103 participating congregations.
Site map of participating FC.
Read moreAction Workbook for Congregations: Faith & the Common Good partners with EPA’s ENERGY STAR® program
At Faith & the Common Good (FCG), our ongoing commitment is to provide tools and resources that enable faith communities to improve their carbon footprint and be more sustainable in their places of worship. To this end, we look for opportunities and partnerships that further this goal.
For example, along with our DIY Energy Audit Guide, we use the USA’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® resources, such as the Portfolio Manager software to help faith communities better understand their energy consumption patterns and empower them in making educated decisions on how to become more energy efficient. We are excited about our latest partnership with ENERGY STAR®.
Three Years of Energy Benchmarking: Project Wraps Up
Faith buildings account for about 42% of a typical faith community’s carbon footprint, according to a Canadian National Inventory Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.* With over 27,000 faith communities in Canada, the faith sector can do a lot to lower emissions, starting from their places of worship. Doing so also encourages congregants to follow suit at home. Energy conservation and efficiency is an obvious way to immediately reduce emissions and make a real impact.
As a start, it is useful to track energy usage, because you can’t change what you don’t measure. Over the last three years, FCG has been supporting faith communities to do just that, through our Energy Benchmarking program for faith groups. Now that the program is drawing to an end, this wrap-up blog offers insights to help your faith group tackle next steps in retrofitting. We will end with tips from one participant of the program.
We share insights from our Building Audit Manager, Stephen Collette. Stephen is a sustainable building consultant, and a heritage professional specializing in faith community buildings. He blogs at http://www.yourhealthyhouse.ca
Read moreHamilton Monthly Meeting Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Hamilton, Ontario Greening Case Study
Mission and Background:
The Hamilton Monthly Meeting Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) is located in Hamilton, Ontario. Their main message is:
The way is available to all. It may be particularly attractive to those strongly concerned with peace and social justice and to those with a meditative or mindfulness practice who seek a supportive community.
Quakers meet in silent worship to strengthen this connection and bear witness to its power in our lives. From the stillness that puts us in touch with the Divine comes our corporate testimony of simplicity, honesty, and non-violence. Work towards a just and equitable treatment of all human beings and close attention to the health and sustainability of our communities and the environment that supports them are examples of these testimonies.
Historically these testimonies have led many Quakers to the forefront of movements for social justice: prison reform, the abolition of slavery, pacifism, and indigenous rights, among others.
Meeting for Worship every Sunday at 10:30 am at Hamilton Quaker Meeting Religious Society of Friends located at 7 Butty Place, Hamilton, ON L8S 2R5
Download PDF (410 KB) to learn more about the Anglican Church of the Incarnation in Oakville and what you can learn from their journey.
Check out the blog post "Hamilton Monthly Meeting Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)" or "DIY Energy Audit Guide Event in Hamilton, Ontario" to learn more about Greening Sacred Spaces in Hamilton, Ontario.
Explore Project here