Faith & the Common Good launches new comprehensive green audit at 25th anniversary celebration
In the late 1990s, when the late The Very Rev. Bill Phipps, former Moderator, and Rev. Ted Reeve received $250,000 from the Atkinson Foundation to animate a national dialogue about faith and the economy, they set off across the country to hold a series of town halls on the subject.
What they noticed in small towns and large cities is that people of other faiths attended, too, drawn in by the United Church’s advocacy on justice issues. The light bulb went on.
Faith & the Common Good (FCG) was founded in 2000 as a national, interfaith charitable network dedicated to assisting and inspiring religious congregations and spiritual groups to act collectively to create more sustainable communities. They are the delivery partner of the successful Faithful Footprints program, which offers grants towards energy conservation and renewable energy projects.
FCG celebrated its 25th anniversary at an event held at 192 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, on Tuesday, September 16.
In conversation with Rev. Michelle Singh, outgoing executive director, Rev. Reeve said, “As Bill’s time as Moderator wound down, we had built such energy around it that we suggested to the Atkinson Foundation that, since it was the year 2000, maybe we could carry on, but maybe we could do it with a broader audience and a broader faith constituency.”
“All the [various partners within the] network could be doing this work on their own, in their own spaces, yet they choose to do it here, under the umbrella of Faith & the Common Good,” says Tanhum Yoreh, board chair. “Let’s use that capital to do more.”
The United Church of Canada has walked alongside the organization for a quarter century. This role was recognized with a framed certificate, received by General Secretary Rev. Michael Blair during the evening’s program.
“I’m grateful because what this reminds us of is the importance of partnership, of collaborating, of working together for what the United Church would say, for the mending and the healing of the world,” Rev. Blair told the gathering.
By the numbers, Yoreh says, FCG has worked with 700 different faith communities across 25 different faith traditions on hundreds of projects with 100 partners. Some staff members have worked for FCG for almost its full history:
- Stephen Collette, building audit manager (over 20 years)
- David Patterson, energy coordinator (almost 20 years)
- Donna Lang, energy benchmarking project manager and Toronto animator (17 years)
- Kim Maxwell, bookkeeper (14 years)
- Kristina Inrig, Greening Sacred Spaces in Ottawa (13 years)
Victor Reyes, incoming FCG executive director, introduced the launch of a new comprehensive green audit program. This comprehensive audit bundles all of FCG’s audit services into one package to support many kinds of faith spaces—from mosques to gurdwaras, cathedrals, synagogues, and shrines. Three new core assessment areas have been added: resilience planning, emergency preparedness, and long-term sustainability.
“There is an incredible yearning for a deep spirituality that’s earth-based,” says Reeve. “Being able to engage as deeply spiritual, deeply grounded in the earth and each other is the place that continues to be the growing edge.”
Congratulations to Faith & the Common Good for their work with congregations, partners, and spiritual groups of all backgrounds towards a sustainable future for communities across Canada.