St. Michael’s Episcopal, Brattleboro completes first phase of transition to 110% clean, renewable energy by 2030
Within three months of its campaign launch, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church on Bradley Avenue raised the lion’s share of capital funds needed to launch Phase One of its Building Hope for the Earth (BHE) project designed to make the church property — church, education wing, and rectory — 110% powered by clean, renewable energy by 2030. Within five months, the campaign had exceeded its goal by raising $850K to cover the multi-faceted project.
At its annual meeting in January, St. Michael’s community received an update from parishioner Cary Gaunt, who provided visionary leadership for the initiative: “We never know how a seed we plant will grow, but that should never stop us from planting seeds. A seed planted as a dream way back in 2008, when church members began expressing interest in addressing the climate crisis and living our stewardship commitments through tangible actions, began to germinate with vigor in the fall of 2021.”
That October, St. Michael’s rector, Rev. Mary Lindquist, formed a team to explore the potential of switching to solar power for the church campus. “None of us,” Gaunt continues, “could have imagined that the seed would blossom into a whole-church energy transformation, a strong commitment to pursue an end to our reliance on fossil fuels, and a transition to 110% clean, renewable energy by 2030, tithing 10% of our energy back to the community. Nor could we imagine the generosity of the parish in supporting with time, talent, and financial resources such an audacious vision. […]
“We decided to name the project Building Hope for the Earth,” Gaunt explained, “because hope is so desperately needed by so many during this time of global upheaval, social and environmental injustice, and the climate crisis. Earth’s cries grow louder every day as evidenced with even a cursory glance at the headlines or an attentiveness to what is happening in our own communities. The cries are many. Those who hear are few. Those who hear and then decide to sow seeds of hope are fewer still. Climate prophet and Vermonter Bill McKibben says that it is “high time for the human heart to do its job” in responding to these crises.”
The BHE project involved installation of a new roof—to replace an irreparably leaky one– adding insulation, changing to more energy efficient light fixtures, transitioning oil heat to electric mini splits, and adding solar panels to the roof of the church and of the rectory. Phase One was completed in early March when the last solar panel was installed.
“[This],” Gaunt explains, “gets us a long way toward achieving our vision and goal, but there is more to go. After a full year of using the mini splits, we will have a clear idea of how much additional solar energy we need to generate to achieve 110%. We also gathered ideas for next steps at an all-church celebration of the project in October. Each idea presented is another seed of possibility for the church, from creating pollinator gardens to tangible ways to better support and engage our broader community. Following nature’s wisdom, the BHE Team will gather energy through stillness, like the seeds in the ground, for the remainder of the winter. We look forward to reengaging with the church community come late spring to see what is emerging and to roll up our sleeves to build more hope for the earth and our community.” Phase Two of BHE begins later this year.
Rev. Lindquist shared this anecdote recently: “Yesterday as I departed through our backyard to [walk our dog], one of the contractors who was working on the rectory solar panels yelled, “You are generating!” […] He was standing in front of an electrical meter and a solar inverter pointing to a screen with numbers. He explained to me that the rectory solar panels were generating energy from the sun that was helping to generate electricity for our home. I had no idea how exciting it would be to witness this process and to think about how, through the magic of technology, we were using the sun’s own gift of energy to give power to our home. In addition, Jeanie [Crosby, parish secretary] told me last week that Dead River Heating Oil had come to fill our oil tank, and they were only able to fill one gallon because we had not used the oil since the heat pump system was installed last spring. Amazing!” The church’s solar panel system is now generating, as well.
Contractors on the project included: Phoenix Roofing, Farnum Insulators, Norwich Solar, ARC Mechanical, and the Resilient Building Group. Green Mountain Power also did a site visit and provided financial incentives, as did Vermont Interfaith Power and Light. In addition to Gaunt, the BHE team was composed of,” she reports, “dedicated individuals who each brought vital expertise to the table: Jon Davis, Alan McBean, and Vince Johnson offered hands-on building expertise, as well as engineering and project management understanding. [They] were able to track budgets, replace outdated lighting with energy-efficient LEDs, and work directly with the hired contractors to answer infrastructure questions. Steven Meyer created beautiful graphics and illustrations that explained the project to lay audiences. Judith McBean, Chris Hart, and Chris Chapman provided capital campaign expertise and vital fundraising support. Reverend Mary Lindquist deserves tremendous credit for assembling excellent teams and keeping track of all the moving parts of this complex process. Her support of the Building Hope for the Earth vision made all the difference.”
Those interested in learning more about St. Michael’s Building Hope for the Earth—and how the organization plans to reach its goal to get off of fossil fuels and to transition to clean, renewable energy–should contact info@stmichaelsvermont.org or chg.watershed@gmail.com.