{"id":600008322,"date":"2023-06-30T13:15:23","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T18:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.winnipegfreepress.com\/our-communities\/east\/2023\/06\/30\/leading-the-way"},"modified":"2023-07-02T13:51:18","modified_gmt":"2023-07-02T18:51:18","slug":"leading-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winnipegfreepress.com\/our-communities\/east\/2023\/06\/30\/leading-the-way","title":{"rendered":"Leading the way"},"content":{"rendered":"

They say it isn\u2019t easy being green. But then again, nothing good comes easy, does it?<\/p>\n

Transcona Memorial United Church (209 Yale Ave. W) has been working hard since 2018 to improve the ecological footprint of the church and its community spaces. On June 27, the church got a big boost from the federal government, when Elmwood-Transcona MP Daniel Blaikie was on hand to announce $480,000 in federal funding by way of the Green and Inclusive Buildings program for the church\u2019s community services hub.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing more and more every season, and this year is no exception, the really disastrous effects of climate change. In order to be able to push back and be able to mitigate those effects, we need everybody on board and everybody doing their part,\u201d Blaikie said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n

Along with the church, TMUC has an accessible space that is widely used by community programs such as the Transcona Seniors Pickleball Club, Transcona Girl Guides, the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, and the Transcona Food Bank, among others.<\/p>\n

The project \u2014 which is also receiving support from the city, province, and the United Church of Canada\u2019s Faithful Footprints program for a total of $609,543 in outside funding \u2014 will see TMUC swap out its old gas furnace for both a series of heat pumps and a 98-per-cent efficient gas furnace; replace all lighting with LED lights; improve or add insulation to older parts of the church; and add 25 kilowatt solar panels to the church\u2019s steep, southfacing roof.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the sun is shining, it\u2019s just blazing down on that roof,\u201d said Stephen McKendry-Smith, TMUC\u2019s environmental co-ordinator. \u201cWe\u2019ll be capturing the energy and lowering our costs and reducing the burden on our energy network. We\u2019ll be reducing our energy consumption by about 80 per cent and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by over 33 tonnes per year.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKendry-Smith said that the church has been developing its environmental policy since 2019, though the pandemic slowed things down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really grateful to the congregation, for the enthusiasm that the congregation had for this project right from the start,\u201d he said. \u201cThe congregation jumped in with both feet. We\u2019re a community of faith, and that was a demonstration of the faith that this community has.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re so lucky to be in this visionary community,\u201d added Rev. Carol Fletcher, TMUC\u2019s team minister. \u201cThe community of Transcona is a leader, and this project is evidence of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re witnessing here is an extraordinary effort from an organization that does a lot of good in our community whose resources are dedicated to serving the community,\u201c Blaikie said. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s important that governments step up and have a role in supporting community organizations \u2026 to ensure they can continue to use those resources to help people in the community while doing what it takes to get our emissions down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blaikie noted that some work was needed to get the federal government\u2019s policy for the Green and Inclusive Buildings program changed to allow for faith-based organizations who provide space for secular community service groups, like Transcona Memorial United Church, to qualify for funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may be a church, but we are so much more than that,\u201d Fletcher added.<\/p>

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