How green is your valley?

By Alex Newman

As concern deepens over the growing climate crisis, one Anglican church in Shediac, New Brunswick is responding in big ways.

Ever since it was built in 1823, the church of St Martin’s in the Woods has felt an “environmental responsibility toward its land – several hundred acres including waterfront – says rector Richard  McConnell.

Although it’s nestled in woods – hence the name -- the parish continues to plant trees on Rogation Sunday to protect the wood building from sun damage, and to create a natural wind barrier to keep out cold.

They use new low energy light bulbs, low-fl ow toilets, and leave the “magnificent graveyard” unmowed.

So three years ago when the congregation began to discuss restoring the historic church, it seemed natural that a geothermal heating and cooling system would be on the table.

Though not exactly a new technology – the Romans used geothermal to heat their bathhouse water – the modern world has only come lately to its benefi ts. The principle is straightforward: draw the  consistent 15-18C temperature of the earth above ground and run it through a pump that heats or cools the air.

Extraction is done by dropping large hoses into holes that are dug 200 feet into the earth, or laying them out in a looped grid pattern only four feet (1.2 meters) below the surface.

The hoses, filled with water and biodegradable antifreeze, are connected to a heat pump in the church that transforms this into warm air. In summer the system works in reverse, carrying cooler water to a blower that provides air conditioning without a compressor.

McConnell says they ran into a few snags: the original plan called for six holes, but they hit an aquifer the same day the town decided to fl ush the water system -- “baptizing the whole community.” Limited as to the depth, they compensated by digging eight holes slightly shallower.

The difference has been nothing short of miraculous, he adds. “We used to use the church one morning a week. Now it’s used seven days, with after school programs, morning and evening prayer, and feast days without having to worry about heating the building.”

But the message goes deeper than saving money, McConnell adds. “The next generation is deeply aware of the threat to our environment, so the church should be ahead of the curve on this one.”

McConnell’s country parish already “gets” it,” he maintains. “What people here understand is amazing – their awareness of the environment extends to the subtleties of different kinds of birch tree.”

He, too, puts his personal beliefs behind the measures: “redemption is the restoration of creation, with Christ as the creative force of the universe -- through him all things were made. His parables and images from teaching were all drawn from creation and agriculture. Even our largely urban world needs to come back to this, otherwise we’ll destroy ourselves.”