Clergy learn how to become better stewards of energy
Written by Doug Weller
Thursday, 07 May 2009 08:00

Concordia — Climate and energy shouldn’t be a political issue but a spiritual one, Bishop Paul Coakley told clergy gathered here April 30.

“Creation is God’s handiwork … and we have been made stewards of the goodness of Creation,” he said.

So even if one is skeptical about the reasons for climate change, our faith tells us to do a better job caring for what we have, he said.

Eighteen clergy gathered for a continuing education day that included suggestions on reducing personal and parish energy consumption, as well as a tour of the new wind farm just south of here.

“Even if a small bit of what we are told (about the reasons for climate change) is true, we ought to be concerned as good stewards of God’s Creation,” Bishop Coakley said.

That spiritual approach to climate change is growing rapidly among all believers, said Eileen Horn, who spoke to the group as a staff member of the Climate and Energy Project based at the Land Institute in Salina.

On Earth Day April 22, a coalition of Catholic organizations launched the Catholic Climate Covenant, which seeks to curb carbon emissions, and just recently, Kansas became the 28th state to join the Interfaith Power and Light campaign, which is mobilizing a national religious response to climate change while promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation.

A recent poll shows 55 percent of Catholics agree climate change is a serious problem, Horn said, and about 65 percent say that even though scientists don’t know everything about the cause of climate change, people still should take action.

It comes down to the “principles of prudence,” Horn said. That means having respect for Creation, wanting a safer world, protecting the poor and helping those with fewer resources.

“It’s not just Catholics,” said Horn, the product of Catholic grade school, high school and university educations. She cited campaigns by the Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Evangelical and Jewish faiths that focus on reducing energy consumption and raising consciousness about climate change.

Many scientists, Horn said, now believe that global warming has advanced so far that there is little humans can do to turn it around. The focus, she said, then has to be on mitigation.

“Reducing energy use is the biggest impact we can have on greenhouse gases,” she said.

Taking action can range from no-cost behavioral changes to substantial investments in heating and cooling technology. Saving energy can be as simple as unplugging cell phone chargers when they’re not in use or using compact fluorescent lighting, she noted.

Energy audits can help homeowners and parishes alike learn where they can realize the biggest savings.

For example, replacing infrequently used sanctuary lighting with more efficient bulbs won’t have as much of an impact as reducing the energy consumption in the parish office, which is utilized throughout the week, Horn said.

Supporting renewable energy sources also helps reduce greenhouse gases, she said.

Participants toured the Meridian Way Wind Farm south of Concordia to learn more about the project, one of eight in Kansas and the second located in the Diocese of Salina.

The project can produce a peak of 201 megawatts of energy from 67 turbines located east and west of U.S. Highway 81.

Project administrator Michelle Graham, a parishioner at St. Anthony’s Parish in nearby Miltonvale, described the 10-month construction process before leading the clergy on a tour.

While construction costs for wind farms are high — industry estimates are $1 million per megawatt produced — the energy source is free. Horizon Wind Energy of Houston, which owns and operates the Cloud County project, says Kansas ranks 12th in the nation for wind energy potential.

The scale of both wind farms in the diocese is massive.

At Concordia, the Meridian Way Wind Farm uses 3-megawatt turbines on towers that jut 240 feet into the sky. Each turbine blade is 146 feet long, and the turbine housing is about the size of a tour bus, Graham said.

Each tower’s foundation took 41 tons of reinforcing bar and 525 cubic yards of concrete to build.

It takes at least an 8 mph wind to move the blades. Computers adjust the angle and twist of the blades to get the most generating capacity from the wind.

The turbines produce peak energy when the wind is blowing between 20 and 40 mph. They must be shut down when winds exceed 45 mph because of potential damage to the blades.

Peak production of 201 megawatts is enough to power 60,000 homes, Graham said.

So far, the Horizon Wind team at Concordia has learned that it’s actually windier at night than during the day and that April and October are the windiest months.

The Smoky Hills Wind Project south of Lincoln has far more turbines, but each produces less energy, from 1.5 megawatts to 1.8 megawatts per tower.

The project, operated by TradeWind Energy, has 155 towers primarily along Interstate 70 west of Salina.

Horn, of the Climate and Energy Project based in Salina, said using wind and solar energy won’t replace traditional sources of power, but they can reduce the need to build more power plants that emit greenhouse gases.

Still, she said, cutting energy consumption will have the greatest effect in addressing climate change.

“Conservation is the cheapest, most efficient solution we have,” she said.

Covenants seek individual, parish participants

Parishes and families can become better stewards of the earth by participating in two covenants.

Kansas Interfaith Power and Light sponsors the Congregational Covenant. Parishes can commit to any of seven steps to help reduce energy consumption and promote stewardship of natural resources.

Eileen Horn, director of community outreach for the Climate and Energy Project at the Land Institute in Salina, said 16 Kansas congregations have signed the covenant.

The covenant asks congregations to commit to one or more of these policies:

• Engage in ongoing education on environmental stewardship, energy production and energy usage.

• Incorporate elements of ecological spirituality in worship.

• Conduct an energy audit of church buildings.

• Make energy efficiency improvements to facilities and vehicles.

• Promote renewable energy.

• Analyze, reduce and offset the environmental footprint of the congregation.

• Support public policies that contribute to KIPL’s mission to help halt the Midwest’s contributions to global warming and climate change.

More information is at www.kansasipl.climateandenergy.org.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Climate Covenant asks individuals and families to take the St. Francis Pledge:

• Pray and reflect on the duty to care for God’s Creation and protect the poor and vulnerable.

• Learn about and educate others on the causes and moral dimensions of climate change.

• Assess how we contribute to climate change by our own energy use, consumption, waste, etc.

• Act to change our choices and behaviors to reduce the ways we contribute to climate change.

• Advocate for Catholic principles and priorities in climate change discussions and decisions.

More information is available at www.catholicclimatecovenant.org.

RESOURCES

Energy Star for Congregations

www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=small_business.sb_congregations

Energy Star says most congregations can cut energy costs by up to 30 percent by investing strategically in efficient equipment, facility upgrades and maintenance.

The Regeneration Project and the Interfaith Power and Light campaign

www.theregenerationproject.org

This ministry is devoted to help people recognize and fulfill their responsibility for the stewardship of creation.

Kansas Interfaith Power and Light

www.kansasipl.climateandenergy.org

Kansas Interfaith Power and Light is working with congregations to put faith into action by promoting energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Catholic Coalition on Climate Change

catholicclimatecovenant.org

This coalition of numerous Catholic organizations advocates for those who will be left out of the public policy debate on climate change.

By Katie Stockstill, managing editor
McPherson, Kan. -

LINDSBORG- Of all the ways the public has been informed about being more eco-friendly, one place it hasn’t heard from is the church. Pastor Lynn Schlosser, with Bergthal Mennonite Church in Pawnee Rock, and Eileen Horn, with the Kansas Interfaith Power & Light, met with area ministers at Bethany College Wednesday to discuss how churches could promote eco-friendliness through scripture and example.

Noni Strand, Bethany College campus minister, said she heard about Horn while doing some research on the Land Institute’s Web site. After she spoke with Horn, she decided to sign up to be part of the Kansas Interfaith Power & Light program.

Horn suggested Strand include other faith leaders, so Strand organized the workshop to allow others to hear Horn’s message.

“I am thrilled at the turnout,” said Strand. “I am thrilled at the variety of people. To get a different group of people with a different group of energy across faith groups, I think, is so important because we are all pulling in the same direction.”

The event kicked off with a sermon and findings from Schlosser. She entwined scripture with scientific facts to show her audience of both young and old that the Bible asks them to not only be eco-friendly, but to also help others to be eco-friendly as well.

“Controversial predictions abound” Schlosser said. “There is no controversy, at least in the scientific community, about the fact that a lot of scary stuff is coming at us a lot faster than anyone expected. I pray we would have the will to make the changes, to make the sacrifices we need to make. If we do not have the will, then I pray God finds another way. Our hope is in God and we shall praise God for hope and strength.”

Horn began the second half of the presentation with a video, that delivered the message “love thy neighbor as thyself,” which suggested that people should be thinking about providing the next generation with the same quality of Earth as they would want provided to them. It also touched upon using the church as an example of what people could do to give back to the environment.

“The church is a medium that hasn’t really been tapped yet,” said Schlosser. “There are religious people across the state, across the world, who feel passionately about creation and what’s happening. This taps into that passion in a unique way that hasn’t been done to this point.”

The video was followed by a discussion from the local pastors of all denominations, from Catholics and Jews to Mennonites and Muslims.

“All the major faiths have come out and made very powerful statements about the need to address climate change,” said Horn. “If there is a moral call to address climate change, we need to know how to make that change happen in our daily lives.”

The discussion that followed was made up of topics such as how to bring the environment up in a relevant way in scripture and what churches are doing to tackle environmental problems. There was also talk about how to get churches involved in teaching people to make lasting changes in their lives which will help improve the environment.
Fr. Laird MacGregor of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in McPherson said he found a lot of value in the discussions and hearing how other churches are approaching the environmental subject.

“I always look forward for opportunities to meet with other churches,” said MacGregor. “It gets you into a comfort zone because you get out of the real small context of the church and you share ideas.”

Rev. Harry Grinstad of New Gottland Lutheran Church in McPherson concurred with MacGregor and added that he felt that though his church has made strides to go green in the past, but is always looking for new ideas.

“I am aware of a number of places that our congregation could make improvements,” said Grinstad. “We have made some, we have installed compact florescent lighting in most of the fixtures in the sanctuary, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. I came out here to get some ideas of what other folks are doing and also to find some ways of talking about energy stewardship with the congregation in a way that they will accept it readily.”

From the Wichita Eagle:

BY RABBI MOTI RIEBER AND THE REV. CONNIE PACE-ADAIR

Our state and federal legislators are once again poised to take up the difficult and interconnected issues of energy policy and environmental protection. As faith leaders, we urge our elected officials to take very seriously, as we do, the Bible’s injunction to care for the Earth and the creatures within it.

Kansas Interfaith Power and Light is an organization that engages diverse faith communities across Kansas in the issue of environmental stewardship. People of faith across the state are inspired by the benefits of a clean, sustainable and cost-effective energy future for Kansas.

Our member congregations are conducting energy audits, retrofitting their buildings with energy-efficient lighting and windows, purchasing renewable-energy credits, and speaking to their members about the moral imperative to adopt sustainable energy solutions. A clean-energy future protects creation, safeguards human health, provides family-supporting jobs, and alleviates the burdens that our energy policies place on the poor and vulnerable among us.

Our state is one of many that have canceled coal-fired power plant projects because of concerns about the likelihood of increased regulation of carbon-emitting energy generation and the impact of climate change. In this moment of opportunity, we can choose to utilize conservation, energy efficiency and our natural resources — particularly our free and abundant wind — to meet our future energy needs.

That’s why we are urging our legislators to support the efforts of Kansas Interfaith Power and Light member congregations and to create an energy policy that:

• Maximizes energy efficiency as the low-cost first step. For instance, energy efficiency resource standards give Kansans access to programs such as programmable thermostats and weatherization rebates that help reduce their energy bills.

• Makes the most of Kansas’ abundant, free resources for new energy generation. Policies such as a renewable energy standard (or renewable portfolio standard) create incentives for the construction of in-state renewable energy projects such as wind, solar and biomass, and also for the manufacturing jobs our struggling economy needs. In addition, we can allow consumers to participate directly in the renewable energy economy through net-metering policies and green-pricing programs.

• Protects Kansas ratepayers from rising, volatile fossil fuel prices. Energy efficiency and renewable-energy policies protect the poor and vulnerable from the rising fuel prices and provide our state with greater energy security. As the cost of coal is likely to rise in coming years, our investment in green energy today will protect Kansans in years to come.

• Unites government and industry in making clean-energy generation a priority for the health of our citizens, our planet and our economy.

We are at a unique moment in history, when the decisions we make today about how to meet our energy needs will have an impact on the kind of world we leave to our children and grandchildren. Kansas has an opportunity to model for the rest of the country and the world how we can meet our energy needs and still fulfill our duty for responsible stewardship of our natural environment. It is an opportunity that, for the sake of our planet and our moral legacy, must not be missed.

Moti Rieber and Connie Pace-Adair of Wichita are members of the steering committee of Kansas Interfaith Power and Light.

Tues. May 26th, 7:00 PM - Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS)

Wed. May 27th, 7:00 PM – Asbury United Methodist Church (Wichita, KS)

Tues. May 26th, 7:00 PM - Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS)

Wed. May 27th, 7:00 PM – Asbury United Methodist Church (Wichita, KS)

The gathering Thursday morning at the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse was “not political” and “not just an environmental issue,” said Eileen Horn of Kansas Interfaith Power & Light.

“It’s not even about (former vice president and global climate change guru) Al Gore,” she added, drawing a laugh from the 40 sisters and local clergy gathered for the hourlong discussion.

The point of becoming more energy efficient, using renewal energy resources and focusing on environmental concerns is about “protecting what God created for us” and “stewardship” of the earth, Horn said.

Horn’s discussion was the first of two parts that made up Energy Stewardship Day for the sisters and local clergy. The second part, in the afternoon, was a presentation at the Horizon Wind Energy offices south of Concordia and a tour of some of the 67 wind turbines that make up the Meridian Way operation.

The program was organized by the Justice and Peace Center in Salina, a project of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia through the efforts of Sister Esther Pineda, Sister Judy Stephens and others.

Horn is the director of community outreach for Kansas Interfaith Power and Light, a project of the Land Institute that was created in August 2008 to work with faith communities across the state. Her role is to help congregations with environmental stewardship and sustainable practices through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

And her focus is on the practical: Throughout her presentation, she used examples of churches across Kansas that have found environmentally friendly — and inexpensive — solutions for aging buildings and tight budgets.

One congregation, for example, replaced an aging heating and cooling system with a cutting-edge geothermal system. While the new system was slightly more expensive to install, the energy savings will pay it off in about two years.

Another congregation used Advent — “the season of light” — to provide energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs to its members.

Kansas is the most recent of 28 states that are now a part of the national Interfaith Power and Light coalition, and about 20 congregations have signed on to the seven-part “covenant” that commits them to work on environmental issues.

There is no charge for taking part in the programs offered by Kansas Interfaith Power Light, which is funded through private grants, Horn said.

Two pieces of the covenant asks congregations to “engage in an ongoing process of education” about environmental issues” and to “promote renewal energy.”

For the afternoon session Thursday, the group combined those two with a field trip to the wind farm just south of Concordia, on both sides of Highway 81.

Construction on the 67 wind turbines that make up the Meridian Way I and II operations began in February 2008, and the machines came on line as 2009 began. Together they have the capacity to produce 201 megawatts of electricity, or enough to provide power for about 60,000 Kansas homes for a year.

The tower and motor housing together are about 260 feet tall. The blades add another 146 feet, making the entire structure just at 410 feet tall — or about the height of a 30-story building.

Horizon leases about 20,000 acres for the Meridian Way turbines, and according to the company’s Michelle Graham, who led the tour, there are plans under way to double or even triple the wind farm.

“Kansas is No. 3 for states that have wind resources,” she said. (First and second in the “wind capacity” rankings are North Dakota and Texas.) “There’s a reason we’re here.”

The turbines dot the wheat fields both east and west of Highway 81 about five miles south of Concordia, and as sisters and local clergy asked questions about the machines, Graham explained their operation — and some problems that have cropped up with the new technology. On Thursday, many of the turbines were still; they had been shut down because of malfunctioning gear boxes, and Horizon was awaiting replacement parts.