St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Dover, Massachusetts, installed solar panels in 2013. Photo: St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church
[Episcopal News Service] Past General Conventions have urged The Episcopal Church and its congregations to pursue a goal of net carbon neutrality by 2030. One congregation in the Diocese of Massachusetts says it has met that goal, four years early.
St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Dover announced this week that it was officially carbon neutral after implementing a strategy over the past 15 years that includes energy conservation, improved energy efficiency and the addition of renewable energy through solar power.
“Caring for creation is an essential part of following Jesus. It’s how we love our neighbors, especially those who will come after us,” the Rev. Sean Leonard, St. Dunstan’s rector, said in a church news release. “I am deeply proud of the people of St. Dunstan’s for their faithful commitment to creation care and for the way they extend that care to all our neighbors.”
St. Dunstan’s is part of a churchwide push for energy independence to help address human-caused climate change at a time when scientists say the warming Earth is contributing to rising sea levels, increasingly volatile weather patterns and frequent extreme weather.
The 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church voted in 2022 to work toward net carbon neutrality “through a combination of reducing emissions from travel, reducing energy use, increasing energy efficiency in buildings, and purchasing offsets from duly investigated, responsible, and ethical partners.”
One of the most visible examples of congregations putting that call into action is through the addition of solar panels to church properties. Last month, for example, Trinity St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California, commissioned 47 roof-top solar panels with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its 1893 building. Other examples of congregational investments in solar power have stretched from Yakima, Washington, to Brattleboro, Vermont. The Diocese of San Joaquin is relying almost entirely on solar power for its central California congregations.
Solar was part of the strategy at St. Dunstan’s, which installed solar panels in 2013. It also has smart sensors for its thermostats and upgraded insulation to improve energy conservation. The congregation gradually changed all its light bulbs to LED models over several years, and in 2023, it replaced its water heater with a more efficient heat pump model.
“We’ve gotten our carbon emissions about as low as we can through action,” Jim Nail, who has led St. Dunstan’s efforts, said in the church news release. Nail also serves as president of Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light.
To close the last gap to carbon neutrality, St. Dunstan’s purchased carbon offsets from a service called Terrapass. “We are committed to maintaining this low level of carbon consumption and continuing to reduce it where we can, and we will buy offsets to maintain our carbon neutral position going forward.”
Bishop Julia Whitworth applauded the work of St. Dunstan’s in a written statement to Episcopal News Service.
“St. Dunstan’s achievement is part of a wide-reaching diocesan effort over decades — including through green grants and loans — to promote sustainable, climate-friendly congregations. I am so grateful for St. Dunstan’s leadership and example as they reach this remarkable milestone of carbon neutrality,” Whitworth said.
“Stewardship of creation is part of our covenanted relationship with God, and the Diocese of Massachusetts is committed to supporting worshipping communities in cherishing the wondrous works of God through their commitment to climate justice.”
– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.
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