LATEST UPDATE:
February 24, 2024
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Decorah, IA is one of 6 National Winners in Interfaith Power and Light’s Cool Congregations Annual Award for Leadership and Sustainability
Interfaith Power and Light Announces ‘Cool Congregations Challenge’ Winners as Faith Communities Prioritize Energy Efficiency, Renewables, and Sustainability
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 24, 2024
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Decorah, IA is one of the six national Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) 2024 Cool Congregations Challenge winners awarded a $1000 prize. The annual contest accepts applications from religious congregations around the United States who are doing work to address climate change by reducing their carbon footprint as they create models of sustainability within their communities.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church won the Energy Saver Award for entirely eliminating the use of fossil fuels in heating, cooling, lighting, and powering their buildings. They have converted their building to all-electric, with heat pumps to heat and cool their buildings, powered entirely by solar on their property, preventing 25 tons of carbon emissions annually.
“Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and the other national winning congregations are casting a vision for the kind of world in which they want to live, and then carrying out that vision with practical actions that make a real difference in creating lasting solutions to climate change,” said Rev. Susan Hendershot, President of Interfaith Power & Light.
The Cool Congregations Challenge shows that people of faith are united by concerns about climate change and are taking action. The winners provide strong moral role models for their communities, and their activities have a ripple effect on people in their own homes, demonstrating that acting on climate is a moral issue.
“Iowa IPL congratulates Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on their well-deserved recognition for their work and commitment on prioritizing sustainability. Good Shepherd shows us all what is possible when people of faith come together and live into bold and just action on the climate crisis. They are a leader and will inspire other houses of worship to see what they can do,” says Deaconess Irene DeMaris, Executive Director, Iowa Interfaith Power & Light.
Interfaith Power & Light is mobilizing a religious response to global warming in congregations by promoting energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. www.interfaithpowerandlight.org Twitter: #CoolCongregations @interfaithpower Facebook: facebook.com/interfaithpowerandlight
November 30, 2023
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November 9, 2023
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October 1, 2023
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September 26, 2023
Jim and Liz Fritz have created a film to showcase the Good Shepherd Carbon Neutral Initiative. It may be viewed here.
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September 10, 2023
The courtyard and pergola dedication was held during Fellowship Hour at 10:45 on Sunday, September 10, 2023. Jim and Liz Fritz formed an LLC to provide solar and heat pumps for our church. Jim designed the system and was the general contractor/chief grunt. Liz made sure the business side was done properly.
The project, finished this month, includes: 48 kW of solar panels (102 bi-facial panels), 4 heat pumps, a huge French drain below a permeable paver courtyard and a pergola with a large solar array on top. This project has allowed the church to get rid of the last of the old gas furnaces and become all electric/carbon neutral. Enough solar has been installed so the church will be Net Zero, meaning all the electrical needs will be met on-site through our own “private solar power utility”.
All those who helped make this a reality:
Iowa Energy Office/IEDA
Hammond Climate Solutions
Winneshiek Energy District – Andy Johnson, Paul Cutting
greenpenny.bank of Decorah – Mike Ludeking
MENTORS
Larry Grimstad, Jim Martin-Schramm, Amy Bouska
LOCAL CONTRACTORS:
Decorah Electric -Joel Teslow
Vick’s Heating and Plumbing – Steve Klemme
Legacy Concrete/Finholt Construction – Seth Klotzbach
Kittleson Woodworks – Dale Kittelson
Pinter Landscaping – Shane Pinter
Couillard Solar Foundation – Cal Couillard
Other Side Hydro Seeding – Robert Ringeon
Erdman Engineering – Lindsay Erdman
Lifetime Gutters
Alliant Energy
Reed Fitton
Tom Bourcier
For the “leap of Faith”:
the Good Shepherd Congregation
Pr. Amy Zalk-Larson
All the volunteers
Our son-in-law Jake Gazlay, for the computer renderings he made of the pergola long before it was ever built.
September 1, 2023
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August 8, 2023
Moving the Needle
by Jim and Liz Fritz
Is it possible for a small Midwestern Lutheran congregation to go from eight natural gas furnaces to eight heat pumps and create all needed energy, via solar, needed to run them in only 4 years? It is possible, and it’s happening right now! See article linked below.
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THE PROJECT:
Visit their website to learn more: www.missiongreen.llc and watch the proposal video and discussion with experts video below:
Jim and Liz Fritz are 30-year members of Good Shepherd. They’re both retired band directors, having taught in Decorah for 30 years, and live just two blocks from Good Shepherd. They have owned and operated a sole proprietorship business for over 25 years involving rental units and upgrading properties in their neighborhood. They have formed Mission Green, LLC specifically for the Carbon Neutral Initiative that is being proposed.
The business relationship would be established through a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) and a lease between Good Shepherd Church and Mission Green, LLC. These financial contracts will provide a conduit to an affordable solution allowing for payments over time. The expenses to the church will be predetermined throughout the life of the contracts. Mission Green is responsible for all liabilities and contingencies.
Benefits of this Project:
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- Good Shepherd Church becomes Carbon Neutral
- Proactive replacement of aging 34 year old furnaces eliminates reactive, expensive replacement
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- Upgrades at reduced rate (approx. 70% value) to Good Shepherd, spread out over 7 years
- At the end of the lease and Power Purchase Agreement, Good Shepherd will own all heat pumps with an advanced air purification system for the Sanctuary and upgraded electrical equipment, create all of their own energy using solar and have a covered waterproof courtyard.
At their April meeting the church Council voted to allow the congregation to vote on the Initiative on June 5. The vote was not an endorsement at this time, simply providing an opportunity for the congregation to have a voice in this decision. Mission Green’s proposal is a comprehensive plan utilizing the latest/best technologies available. It will provide Good Shepherd with a long horizon of Carbon Neutrality. More importantly, it also includes the ability to guarantee energy costs (versus the volatile situation we are currently in) and the opportunity to redirect future energy costs towards more vital church missions.
Any questions may be directed to Jim and Liz at: missiongreen@icloud.com