Green Team

“God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” ― Martin Luther 

We are called to be stewards of God’s Creation (Psalm 24:1-2). We are called to re-evaluate and take seriously how best to care for the world God entrusted to us, that nourishes us and all life, as we are living through the impacts that industrialization and capitalism have on our home. We are called to learn from and listen to scientists and environmentalists, as they discover more about the mystery, wonder, and vastness of God’s Creation.  

Grace’s Green Team provides educational opportunities and proposes and implements concrete changes, in order to address current issues like the impact our changing climate has on the air, water, and land, and how a degraded environment affects the health and well being of all of us.  

In 2024, we are installing a rain and native plant garden by our sign on County Road 42, which will capture all of the runoff from a normal rainfall event, roughly 75,000 gallons. This is in collaboration with the Minnesota Water Steward Program and Dakota County Soil & County Conservation District.

We have also created a task force to research and propose a heating and cooling system that is divested from fossil fuels, such as geothermal or heat pumps, as we look towards replacing an aging boiler. 

If you are interested in getting involved with the Green Team, please contact Pastor Reed at r.fowler@graceofav.org.  

Ongoing green initiatives at Grace: 

  • We use reusable cups at our weekly coffee hours, and source our coffee from Lutheran World Relief. 

  • We have a building-wide recycling and organics composting program – the bins are clearly labeled for what goes in each!  

  • There are collection boxes for congregants to drop off lightbulbs, crayons, batteries, and snack wrappers for reuse and recycling. 

  • We completed an energy audit and changed out 156 bulbs from fluorescent to LED.  

  • We are curious about the ways we can update our building to align with our values and commitments. We are exploring possibilities such as solar, geothermal, and heat pumps.