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Putting Preaching into Practice:
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In their advocacy to urge the Canadian government to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and to seriously address climate change, the churches also committed themselves to action to reduce the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol means all sectors of Canadian Society must contribute their share to its implementation. Now the pledge has come due and the challenge to those same churches is to change the way they spend the precious energy derived from fossil fuels through their concerted actions. Leadership in the faith communities must encourage members to decrease their reliance on unsustainable energy sources personally and collectively and creatively seek new and comfortable greener lifestyle choices. |
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In this Section
- What can KAIROS do to help?
- Background
- Why should KAIROS and faith communities get involved?
- What is available from the Energy Innovators Initiative (EII)?
KAIROS, in partnership with Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency is undertaking an initiative, coordinated by the Ecological Justice Program Coordinator, designed to:
- encourage and assist faith communities to do their part in Canada’s implementation of the Kyoto Protocol commitment;
- educate and inform members of faith communities, especially those with responsibility for buildings and properties, about specific programs and opportunities they can access to reduce their GHG emissions, in particular through the Energy Innovators Initiative (EII);
- assist “early adopter” faith communities to access available resources to help them accelerate the retrofitting of religious buildings in order to improve emissions reductions from the Religious Institutions Sector (RIS);
- develop case studies and information about success stories within the RIS;
- present workshops customized for the unique kind of building challenges inherent to religious buildings, to determine with technical expertise the best ways to assess and retrofit these buildings, which are often symbolic to communities and can model positive social change.
KAIROS will work closely with supportive groups, such as the Canada Green Building Council; professional consulting groups who include architects and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (L.E.E.D.) professionals; with community groups and religious leadership across Canada.
What do we hope to see?
As a result of this initiative, many more Canadian faith communities will begin to contribute substantively to assist Canada in meeting its international obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. The long-term objective is that:
- Faith communities collectively will have adopted the specific goal to meet and exceed the Kyoto target of 20% GHG reductions;
- A renewed vision will have been embraced, based on spiritually-grounded, practical values, which foster energy efficiency for the buildings of faith communities;
- Faith community constituencies will demonstrate responsible leadership in society as they become more actively engaged in practicing eco-sustainability.
In November 2003, KAIROS hosted a multi-stakeholder National Feasibility Consultation on Energy Efficiency for Religious Buildings. The 45 participants from a range of sectors indicated that there is a perceived need for a more coordinated effort. They demonstrated a willingness among a wide range of potential partners and funders to collaborate with KAIROS on an initiative that would be viable in the various regions of Canada.
The Religious Institution Sector (RIS) is a sizeable sector of Canadian society, (at least 84% according to StatsCan reports) and has an opportunity to make a unique contribution to the reduction of GHG emissions through improving the energy efficiency of the buildings and properties for which it has oversight. It also has the power to influence, educate and model long-term changes in behaviour. However, to date attempts to respond as a sector have been somewhat halting and fragmented. It has become clear that there is a need for additional assistance and incentives in order to realize the sizeable potential available in such a large and diverse constituency. The challenge is to better coordinate and enhance efforts.
In 2002, Natural Resources Canada conducted initial research on the Religious Institution Sector (RIS) regarding energy consumption. The results were mostly inconclusive, but did show that energy intensity in this sector was on the increase.
Religious buildings, especially older ones, present a difficult challenge to those considering retrofitting them for energy efficiency. Most energy audit organizations who assess households (e.g. through EnerGuide) are incapable of conducting audits for this sector and more specialized consultant services are required, often at seemingly prohibitive costs. To uphold their integrity in promoting reduction of GHGs and their ecological footprint, religious organizations need help in dealing with the energy challenges of their own building stock. Most, however, are unaware of the energy incentives and resources available to them for audits and retrofits.
In partnership with the Office of Energy Efficiency of Natural Resources Canada, KAIROS will address both needs and opportunities of the RIS.
Why should KAIROS get involved?
As members of the international ecumenical community we are called to seek ways to demonstrate actively our solidarity with victims of climate change. This project provides a visible way to make a faith statement that we, from an affluent country of the North, are prepared to take responsibility for reducing our disproportionately high levels of accumulation of GHGs in the atmosphere and the imprint of our large ecological footprint.
Long term behavioural change relies on influencing the underlying values and belief systems that motivate people and societies. Faith communities have a good deal of experience in this area and, as has been shown through various surveys, a demonstrated high level of trust. They can play a leadership role in helping a large portion of society act on a more ecologically just and sustainable vision, by reducing GHG emissions through energy efficiency.
Increased awareness of the needs and benefits of adopting energy efficient lifestyles will lead to more members of faith communities embracing programs such as residential audits and retrofits, thereby modelling such transformation in individual households and in the wider community.
Those communities that follow through will see energy reductions and thereby actual cost reductions that can be freed up to be applied to other good causes.
Increased awareness will help members of faith communities embrace further programs available to the community, such as the One Tonne Challenge.
The Energy Innovators Initiative (EII) will fund up to 50% of eligible costs for institutions – including religious organizations through the program for Energy Retrofit Assistance (ERA).
What is available from the Energy Innovators Initiative (EII)?
Energy Retrofit Assistance (ERA) funding is available for projects in institutional organizations (including religious organizations) that own, manage or lease three or fewer buildings – or ERA (3).
After becoming an EII member, eligible organizations can receive up to 50% of eligible costs up to $1. per gigajoule* of annual energy consumption in the affected buildings – whichever amount is less – to a maximum of $25,000. (*1 GJ = 277.8 equivalent kilowatt hours)
Eligible Measures include:
- Energy audits that review your current consumption and suggest possible savings
- Feasibility studies that thoroughly analyze potential savings from specific measures
- Energy management plans that set a long-term and measurable path for your entire organization
- Other project development and facilitation measures that can lead to energy savings.
Technologies that are innovative or that use renewable energy should
be considered.
Projects will require experienced energy professionals, accredited
Certified Engineering Technologist (C.E.T.), or Professional Engineer
(P.Eng.), or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (L.E.E.D.).
Lists of consultants, engineers and other service providers can
be found at the Energy Management Services Directory http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/providers
and the Qualified Bidders List for federal buildings
http://oee.nrcan.ga.ca/fbi/bidders.cfm
Projects with signed contracts or where work has already started are not eligible for funding.
More information can be found on the Office of Energy Efficiency website: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/eii
Check the KAIROS website for updates and more information: www.kairoscanada.org/ecology
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