Mission Statement
To promote care of God’s creation by adopting practices that make our church campuses more sustainable and by working with our community on sustainable practices and environmental justice.
Vision
By 2030, The Grove will be recognized in the community as a leader in conservation, sustainability, renewable energy and an advocate for Climate Justice.
Church Property Improvements
2016 | Solar panels were installed on the roof of The Grove Church which supplied 20% of our electricity needs. |
2017 | The Grove’s Sustainability Committee established |
2018 | An Excel energy audit was performed and recommendations were made to improve our campus efficiency. A Campus Improvement Campaign funded replacing all existing light bulbs on both campuses with LED lighting, improving our external electricity reduction to 40%. Improvements were also made with energy saving entrance doors and better insulation. |
2019 | Applied for and received a grant from BizRecycling to improve our recycling and education efforts with church staff, the congregation and church preschool program. Commissioned an arborist to evaluate the trees in our grove and develop a treatment and care plan. |
2021 | Initiated a multi-year effort to restore a portion of our property to its original oak savanna state, with some accommodations to changing climate. This involves removing invasive buckthorn and replanting with native grasses and trees. |
2022 | The Grove transitioned to 100% renewable electricity combining our solar panels and Xcel Energy’s Renewable Connect program. |
Future goals include installing more efficient heating and cooling systems (e.g. heat pumps) in the church and we are interested in grants that would help with costs in these endeavors.
Events
Each year since 2017 we have included a Creation Care service at The Grove with sustainability themes in April to coincide with Earth Day. We have also organized educational outreach events, including a major fall event, for the general Woodbury, East Metro, and even extended Minnesota community (using webinar events).
2017 “Climate Change and Renewable Energy” with MNIPL (Minnesota Interfaith Power and
Light) and Climate Generation.
2018 Solar House Party and Energy Conservation with MNIPL.
- Getting to Green - working across political lines to address environmental issues with Conservation Minnesota.
2019
- Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs with Healing Minnesota Stories from the MN Council of Churches - creation stories from Christianity and Indigenous Peoples.
- Water Quality Forum with Conservation Minnesota and the Freshwater Society.
2020
- Buff Grace, Solar Outreach Manager with MNIPL
- Voting and Your Values - our election process, how to evaluate candidates and make sure their proposed policies align with sustainability values with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, The Woodbury, Cottage Grove Area League of Women Voters and MNIPL (webinar)
2021
- Susan Mullen from UMC Minnesota Earthkeepers
- Climate Action from Home with MNIPL (webinar)
- Climate Change in Minnesota: Nature’s Solutions and What We All Can Do - leveraging nature and working lands can help mitigate climate change here in Minnesota and how we as individuals can be stewards. With the Nature Conservancy, discussion panel from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) and John Loomis South Washington Watershed District. (webinar)
2022
- Sustainable Lawns and Gardens – Grow Native! - how to create a low maintenance, environmentally friendly urban ecosystem in your yard. (webinar)
- Jean Carlos Diaz of New City Church
- EV informational event - Electrifying Transportation: EVs, Hybrids, and You
2023
- Creation Care Sunday with Dan Wetterstrom preaching
- Vacation Bible School produced with an ecology theme
2024
- Buff Grace, MNIPL Director of Faith Networks
- Home Energy Efficiency Workshop with Buff Grace of MNIPL
Other Activities
- We encourage our congregation to reduce their individual and family carbon footprints with our Sustainability Pledge and to make sustainable choices in Christmas giving with our Green Gift Giving guides.
- We created and adopted a Land Acknowledgement Statement in 2022 in conjunction with our Racial Justice team, and plan to continue to work together on environmental justice issues going forward.
- We organize smaller events such as The Great Backyard Bird Count, nature hikes, book clubs, and movie screenings throughout the year.
- We are now incorporating sustainability themes in the curriculum for children and youth within the church.
- We maintain a team social media presence for communication and community surrounding environmental issues.
- We encourage nonpartisan environmental political activism in our congregation that includes attendance of city council and committee meetings, letter writing and direct meetings with political leaders, and door knocking and other voter turnout efforts prior to elections. In addition to the 2020 fall event with Steve Simon, we also held a Caucus and Primary Training event earlier in that year.
- In 2023 members of the Sustainability Project led an effort to found the East Metro EcoFaith Collaborative, an interfaith community dedicated to Creation care.
Awards
2018 Environmental Excellence Award - City of Woodbury
“Certified Cool Congregation” for reducing our carbon footprint by more than 10% - Interfaith Power & Light
2020 “Climate Justice Congregation” - Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light