Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Case Study 2012 - Duluth

2008/2009 Early Adopter: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Executive Summary
*Note: This case study was formed in partnership with University of
Minnesota Duluth and was written and investigated by students of the Sustainable Management class.
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is one of the first Lutheran churches established in Duluth and has a long
tradition of worship and music. Gloria Dei is an active member congregation of the Northeastern
Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Gloria Dei is known for its
commitment to social justice and has been instrumental in introducing resolutions for shaping wider
church policy and practice at its synod assembly. Gloria Dei is also a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) church,
meaning that they “welcome and strive to incorporate all persons, regardless of gender identity, or
sexual orientation, into full participation in the church." Gloria Dei started with Sustainable Twin Ports
in January of 2008. Pastor Carlson loved the idea of sustainability training and thought that it would be
a great way to provide leadership in the community. He wanted Gloria Dei to be one of the first
churches to implement sustainability; not competitively, but rather as a tool for teaching. Being a part of
this program gave the church some structure to help reach their sustainable goals. The movement was
warmly welcomed and accepted by all members of the congregation. Pastor Carlson notes that he
especially liked the community aspect of STP. It provided a unique opportunity to connect with other
organizations and businesses in the Duluth area and created a platform for collaborative efforts towards
sustainability. The main reason the church wanted to pursue sustainability was to teach others about
the importance of caring for the world. After completing the STP program, Gloria Dei saw opportunities
to reduce its carbon footprint and become more environmentally friendly. A “green team” was
developed to share STP ideas and to oversee changes within the church.
Actions taken include:
Butterfly garden &
green garden
square
Using ceramic
dishes, avoiding
disposables
Encouraging locally
grown ingredients
for potlucks
Distributed
reusable grocery
bags to members
Try to use local
coffee and other
products
Educational efforts
in the schools and
in the
congregation
About Sustainable Twin Ports (STP) and the Early Adopter Program
Sustainable Twin Ports is a 501c-3 non-profit dedicated to furthering economic, environmental
& social sustainability in the Twin Ports and western Lake Superior region through education,
networking and action. Our pilot training program, the Early Adopter Project was focused on
training businesses, organizations and municipalities in environmentally, economically and
socially sustainable practices. This has evolved into a yearly training program with local
businesses and organizations that we call Early Adopters.
About The Natural Step (TNS)
The Natural Step is a global not-for-profit organization with a simple mission: to promote real
change toward a sustainable world. The Natural Step supports a strategic framework that is a
proven, scientifically robust approach that helps organizations make strategic decisions to move
toward sustainability. Sustainable Twin Ports uses the Natural Step Framework as a basis for
our sustainability training.
The Natural Step bases its training on four sustainability principles;
Four Sustainability Principles
In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing…
1. …Concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth’s crust (e.g., fossil fuels,
dispersed metals, etc.)
2. …Concentrations of substances produced by society (e.g., dispersed pesticides,
persistent chemicals from our manufacturing processes and our products, etc.)
3. …Degradation by physical means (e.g., paving wetlands; deforestation; overharvesting
fish; agricultural and forestry practices that result in the loss of soil, soil ecosystems and
valuable nutrients; urban sprawl; loss of diversity through monoculture; etc.)
and, in that society…
1. … people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to
meet their needs (e.g., lack of access to education, poor wages, time pressure from our
jobs or spent in traffic rather than with our families, etc.)
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Case Study Report
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Courtney Crowley, Jenifer Fitcher, Mag Fogarty, Kelly Janke, & Julia Walter
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Organization background
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is one of the first Lutheran churches that was
established in Duluth and has a long tradition of worship and music. Gloria Dei
is an active member
congregation of the Northeastern
Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This
synod includes 138 congregations and
covers 13 counties in the Arrowhead
region of Minnesota. Gloria Dei is known
for its commitment to social justice and has
been instrumental in introducing
resolutions for shaping wider church policy
and practice at its synod assembly. Gloria
Dei is also a Reconciling in Christ (RIC)
church, meaning that they “welcome and
strive to incorporate all persons, regardless
of gender identity, or sexual orientation,
into full participation in the church."
The church is located near downtown
Duluth, MN on 2nd Street and 6th Avenue
East. It serves a membership of
approximately 350 individuals, diverse in
age, gender, race, sexual orientation and economic background. In addition to welcoming
all people in weekly worship and participation, Gloria Dei is committed to reaching out in
service to its Central Hillside neighborhood and beyond. Pastor David Carlson is the
current pastor at the church.
The purpose of the organization is to provide an open
environment for Christians to worship. This goes right
along with their mission statement: "Empowered by
Christ's love, Gloria Dei reaches out as an inclusive,
welcoming church through worship and social
action." The church values sustainability, which to
them means, taking better care of God’s creation.
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Commitment to Sustainable Twin Ports and the Natural Step STP/TNS
Gloria Dei started with STP/TNS January of 2008. The church had heard about the
program from a fellow church member Deb Hannu, who was a part of the STP board.
Pastor Carlson loved the idea and thought that it would be a great way to provide
leadership in the community. He wanted Gloria Dei to be one of the first churches to
implement sustainability; not competitively, but rather as a tool for teaching. Being a
part of this program gave the church structure to help reach their sustainable goals.
There were no external pressures forcing the church to move towards sustainability or
to take part in STP. The movement was warmly welcomed and accepted by all members
of the congregation.
Pastor Carlson noted that he especially liked the community aspect of STP. It provided a
unique opportunity to connect with other organizations and businesses in the Duluth
area and created a platform for
collaborative efforts towards sustainability.
The main reason the church wanted to
pursue sustainability was to teach others
about the importance of caring for the
world. Pastor Carlson stated that “we are
all stewards of the world”. As such, we have
an obligation to learn how to take better
care of it. After completing the STP
program, Gloria Dei saw opportunities to
reduce its carbon footprint and become
more environmentally friendly. Because of
this, Pastor Carlson and other congregational members began a sustainability initiative.
A “green team” was developed to share STP ideas and to oversee changes within the
church. No funding was received from any outside sources. This program came to life
through the support of parishioners.
“It is important to take opportunities to talk about how to care
for the earth and talk about the role we have in this. We need
to draw attention to it.” – Pastor David Carlson
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Initial Baseline / Where the journey started
Sustainable Practices and TNS Sustainability Principles
Sustainability Principle #1
Concentration of substances extracted from the
Earth's crust…
Sustainability Principle #2
Concentrations of substance produced by society…
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Energy audit completed in August 2007
Building renovation - increased
insulation in attic
Renovated building rather than
demolishing
Recycling aluminum
CFLs - using where possible
Encourage carpool, bus, bike, walking
Location is easily accessible by bus
Radio broadcast of weekly worship (no
driving)
Sustainability Principle #3
Degradation of the Earth by physical means…
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Reused river rock from addition roof
Eco-plants in worship - eco-palms,
gardens, local
Paper use - size reduction for bulletin,
newsletter
Paper recycling & using 30% recycled
post-consumer paper
Butterfly garden & green garden square
Using ceramic dishes, avoiding
disposables
Encouraging locally grown ingredients
for potlucks
Distributed reusable grocery bags to
members
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Property committee member attended a
cleaning supply expo
Reused Styrofoam from addition for
insulation
Computer technician member refurbishes
computers
Sustainability Principle #4
People’s capacity to meet their own needs…
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Educational materials, talks, documents
in-house
Publicizing events in community about
environment
Advocacy - resolution, green team, synod
task force
Fair trade: coffee/tea/chocolate at
fellowship hour
Field trip to Food Farm/CSA involvement
Community Garden Program sponsorship
Neighborhood Breakfast, Tax program
Rummage Sale - meeting some needs for
community
Budget supports social justice locally and
globally
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Unsustainable practices
Sustainability Principle #1
Concentration of substances extracted from the
Earth’s crust…
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Heat through city steam - coal fired
Electric through MN Power - primarily coal
fired
Lawn mowing - gas use
Most members drive to worship, events,
meetings
Organ renovation included more new pipes
(lead/zinc)
Are we recycling as much as we can?
Sustainability Principle #2
Concentrations of substances produced by society…
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Sustainability Principle #3
Degradation of the Earth by physical means…
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Parking lot - large, mostly non-permeable
Tree removal - to be replaced?
Paper use - need to evaluate
Water use - evaluate, including sump pump
discharge
Landfill garbage - need to evaluate
Flowers on altar - evaluate sources
Food/commodities served that may not be
eco-friendly
Cleaning supplies - haven’t evaluated
Styrofoam use - need to evaluate ours/tenants
Fertilizer use - haven’t evaluated
Carpet chemicals
Asphalt
Building repair and maintenance material
Old electronic equipment
Sustainability Principle #4
People’s capacity to mean their own needs…
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Currently not providing full health care
coverage for office staff (though we have
plans to do so)
Office coffee not fair trade
Budget could fund outreach/assistance more
Stewardship of time - not working staff or
“super” volunteers to extreme
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Results to date
Implementation of the sustainable practices of the organization
A “green team” was organized that included the pastor
and congregational members, with representation on
boards and committees, and that led Gloria Dei’s
sustainability journey. The team created an open
environment to come up with ways they could become
more sustainable and implement these changes. Ideas
came throughout the church to decrease waste and
energy and water usage. The “green team” educated its
members of its purpose and the how they can become
more environmentally friendly in their own lives. The
sustainable practices were embraced throughout the church with enthusiasm during the
time the church worked with the early adopter projects.
Action steps Gloria Dei committed to and their achievements
o “Low hanging fruit”
 Butterfly Garden
 Rain Barrel
 Community Involvement
 Efforts in the local schools
 Shiny paper recycling
 Reduction in size of church bulletins
 Education
 Building Tenets
 Synod Green Team
 Church members
o Lenten Bible study
o Lecture series
 Change from disposable plates to washable plates
 Elimination of Styrofoam cups
 Food composting
 Changing to energy efficient lighting fixtures
 Replacement of Appliances to Energy Star
 Ride Share attempt
 Try to use local coffee and other products
 Palms for Palm Sunday from The University of Minnesota
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
o “Big wins”
 Educational efforts in the schools and in the congregation
Effects of implementing sustainability to date
o Top line effects: PR, media coverage, “free advertising”
 Coverage on Minnesota Public radio
o Bottom line effects: Reduced costs
 Energy costs have decreased due to insulation of the sanctuary, taking
out the pop machine, and updating appliances (energy star)
 Reduced costs of paper plates, cups and napkins with using re-usable
products
Momentum from the EA training
In the beginning, EA training helped energize Gloria Dei’s sustainability efforts. By taking
care of all the “low hanging fruit” and working on community outreach projects the church
took significant strides towards sustainability. As time progressed, Pastor Carlson and the
green team have found keeping the momentum to be quite a challenge. Due to lack of
funding, Gloria Dei has not been able to achieve as many “big wins” as it had hoped.
However, it is continuing to push forward and hopes to meet many of these goals in the
future.
Resistance and problems during the journey
Gloria Dei implemented a ride sharing program to decrease the number of cars that travel
to church each Sunday and other events during the week. With this program, Gloria Dei
hoped to increase a sense of community from the various Duluth neighborhoods that are
represented within the congregation. Unfortunately, this program did not work out as they
had hoped. Some ridesharing continues to happen on a smaller level. This is something the
church would like to work on in the future to reduce the church’s carbon footprint.
Gloria Dei is run solely on the congregational offerings. These offerings are dispersed
throughout the various programs of the church, community involvement, community
service, staffing and building maintenance. Investing is some of the larger projects that
would reduce the church’s carbon footprint are very costly and would take away from
some of their other duties.
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Benefits
The major benefit from the experience Gloria Dei has been the educational pieces that they
have been able to share with the church congregation, community, and synod. With these
efforts they have been able to influence the lives of the congregational members and other
churches in the synod.
They have been able to not use any Styrofoam or paper within the entire church.
Parishioners have donated over 200 Corelle plates. After using real plates, a high school
student volunteered to launder cloth napkins as well to eliminate the usage of paper
napkins.
Lesson Learned
Gloria Dei has learned a great deal by participating in the Early Adopters Program.
According to Pastor Carlson, the most important lesson from this journey is that “people
who have a passion for caring for the earth should go where the momentum goes”. Two
places that provide this momentum are TNS and STP. As such, organizations seeking to
become more sustainable should seriously consider becoming involved in this program.
Education and Outreach
In the years since its participation in the Early Adopters Program, Gloria Dei has taken
many strides to share its knowledge of sustainability with other individuals and
organizations in the community. The main ways it has provided such outreach is through
encouraging other congregations in the synod to form “green teams” and by working with
students at various public schools in the Duluth area. To encourage other congregations,
Gloria Dei has brought resolutions to its synod assemblies and hosted workshops for
church leaders on sustainability. To educate students, Gloria Dei has welcomed school
groups to its butterfly garden and has helped to
create a “green team” at Lester Park Elementary
School. With the help of Gloria Dei, Lester Park’s
green team has been able to implement a
composting program at the school. Gloria Dei has
also worked diligently to educate members of its
congregation. It has succeeded in creating a
common language of sustainability that is used
throughout the church. Pastor Carlson and his team
believe that their continued efforts to teach and use the new language offered by The
Natural Step will keep them on the path toward sustainability. To date, they have impacted
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
hundreds with their message and continue to faithfully extend what they have learned to
others throughout the state of Minnesota.
“As a faith community, we need to be active to promote the earth” –
Pastor David Carlson
Goals and Future Plans Broken Down by the Four Principles based upon the Natural Step
Sustainability Principle #1
… concentrations of substances extracted from the
Earth’s crust
Sustainability Principle #2
…concentrations of substances produced by society
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Heat through city steam
Solar energy panels
Create signs for light switches that
encourage energy saving techniques (i.e. be
bright, turn off the light).
Develop a ride share program so members
aren’t driving separately to service each
week.
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Sustainability Principle #3
…degradation of the Earth by physical means
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Reconstruct the church parking lot as it is
currently very large and mostly nonpermeable.
Expand church garden area enabling more
congregation members to grow their own
food and plants.
Continue recycling efforts at community
events (i.e. composting left over food)
Continue to use reusable place settings (i.e.
avoid Styrofoam completely).
Continue to use reusable napkins.
Sustainability Principle #4
… peoples’ capacity to meet their own needs
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Develop inter-faith resources across the
greater Duluth area that will work to address
sustainability issues together.
Continue the Synod green task force.
Write a piece on TNS for Lutherans Restoring
Creation for the Statewide Synod Creation
Care initiative.
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Sustainability Journey Time Line
2007
 Conclusion of the building renovation
 Completed an energy audit
 Established the congregational “Green Team”
2008
 As a congregation, adopted a resolution to accept responsibility as stewards of the earth
and pledged to grow faithfully and intentionally in this responsibility as individuals and
as a congregation.
 Submitted and passed a resolution calling congregations of the synod to grow faithfully
and intentionally in the care of creation as individuals and congregations, and calling
for the formation of a synod-wide Creation Care Team.
 Hosted a workshop at the church for other churches to learn about the Lutheran
Earthkeeping Network of the Synods. At this workshop, information was given about
resources and how to start green teams in their own churches.
2009
 Participated in the Early Adopters Program with Sustainable Twin Ports
 During the lent season, participated in a church-wide carbon fast and increased
education including the program titled “God’s creation and the Natural Step.”
 Minnesota Public Radio featured Gloria Dei’s sustainability journey
2010
 Creation of butterfly garden and Monarch Waystation on church grounds
 Assisted with the creation of a “green team” at a local elementary school
2011
 Completion of the lighting fixture replacements
 Continued efforts by the congregation on the church’s green space
2012
 Began looking into possibilities for solar energy
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Additional Resources
Lutherans Restoring Creation: www.lutheransrestoringcreation.org
Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy in Minnesota: www.lcppm.org
ELCA Social Statement on Caring for Creation: http://www.elca.org/What-WeBelieve/Social-Issues/Social-Statements/Environment.aspx
ELCA Resources for Creation Care: http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-InAction/Justice/Advocacy/Congregational-Resources/Caring-For-Creation.aspx
Case Study Report: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church