Gold for greening – Parish reaches top pinnacle

The Church of Our Saviour The Redeemer Stoney Creek is, according to the Chair of Greening Niagara Sue Carson, one of only five parishes in Niagara diocese to have attained the gold level for greening. Niagara Anglican asked what was accomplished to receive the award; Churchwarden and Greening Co-ordinator Jim McConnell responded.

We have been involved in the Greening Sacred Spaces Program since the beginning. 

To receive the Gold Level we concentrated on the suggestions noted in the following inspections: Decennial, Fire, Risk/Insurance, Retro Fit, Niagara Green Audit and Best Practices, and Accreditation Programs.

What was completed

• Replaced the furnace and air conditioner with high efficiency units in the Church.
• Upgraded the furnace and air conditioner in the Common Hall to be more efficient and removal of electric heaters.
• Replacement of lighting in the Church, Chapel, offices, kitchen, main hall and main hallways, along with Sunday and meeting rooms.
• Kitchen and main hall have been renovated and are now more efficient, user friendly, environment friendly and energy saving.
• Installation, caulking of all windows and weather stripping of all outer doors of all Church buildings.
• Signage and enforcement of blue and green boxes have been posted for proper use. 
• Signage at fire extinguishers in the building explaining usage and actions to be taken in the event of a fire.
• Inventory of storage and retention of items, etc. and have utilized recycling facilities within the church and the community for items not required.
• We have installed an on-site defibrillator and EpiPen station in the main hall.

Why was it done

• To ensure the safety, efficiency, environmental and energy savings, upgrades have been carried out. To ensure that our facilities are user and environmentally friendly. 

What it means to people

They have been made aware of and are participating in The Greening Sacred Places, Best Practices, Accreditation Programs of the Church and practicing the same programs in their homes.

With congregational involvement in making the decisions to what had to be carried out to the Church properties they now feel ownership and part of the Church.

What improvements happened

• We have already noticed a decrease in our hydro, water and gas usage bills.
• We have noticed that members of the Church and the community are wanting to use our facilities more. 
• The Church has also received a Heritage Property Recognition Award for showing outstanding contributions to the conservation, restoration and preservation of Hamilton’s Built Heritage.