An outgrowth of UUCF’s Act for Climate Today! group, the Paris Pledge Initiative is committed to reducing CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions generated by UUCF’s consumption of electricity and natural gas. In solidarity with the agreement reached at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, the UUCF community has made a commitment to these objectives:
- Reduce UUCF’s CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030.
- Reach a state of “net zero” CO2 emissions for UUCF by 2050. We are tracking our progress in reducing UUCF’s greenhouse gas emissions. More information coming soon.
In 2016, we commissioned an updated Energy Audit Report for UUCF. This report recommended a number of projects as offering significant potential to help UUCF reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
The UUCF Paris Pledge initiative has the support and participation of UUCF Act for Climate Today! group and the following UUCF committees: Coordinating Team, Social Justice Task Force and Property Stewardship Committee. For more information, please contact Dave Anderson. Click here for a helpful guide to other congregations with Paris Pledge programs.
LED Lighting Project completed!
We have completed our first project, the LED Lighting Project, in which we migrated the majority of UUCF lighting to LED bulbs and fixtures. We are starting to see significant reductions in our electricity usage thanks to this transition and will share updates on this page about our progress.
Window Replacement Project completed
This project, completed in March 2018, involved replacing 184 original, single-pane windows in the Program and Administration buildings with low-E, double-pane glass to save on utility costs, reduce our campus CO2 emissions and provide greater comfort for those using the buildings. These 55-year-old, original windows were a source of significant energy loss in winter and summer. Staff members have reported less draft and greater comfort in the Administration Building.
The UUCF Paris Pledge initiative has the support and participation of UUCF Act for Climate Today! group and the following UUCF committees: Coordinating Team, Social Justice Council and Property Stewardship Committee. For more information, please contact Dave Anderson.
Upfront investment for these upgrades was provided from internal sources, Reach Campaign funds, and grant funding from Dominion Virginia Power and Fairfax County.