Sustainability

Clark-Grace United Church of Christ  has long strived to "Care for Creation" by increasing the sustainability of the church . The church's green team started in 2008 and received a grant from the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District to regrade the parking lot  for a raingarden plant a native garden.  They also had an Xcel Energy audit and installed LED exit lights.  In 2009 a Macalester College student calculated the firs greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the church and as a follow up a University of Minnesota student wrote an extensive sustainability audit. 

In 2022, the church upgraded to Ecobee thermostats that can be remotely controlled and automatically reset to the program settings after an event.  The thermostats helped the church save 20% in utility costs.  The group also hosted the first Earth Day Expo in the City of South St Paul with the help of a Clean Energy Resource Teams grant.  In 2025, the church was able to upgrade all the lighting to LED and installed solar panels on roof.  The solar panels are expected to generate most of the electricity used in the building.  The solar project is also expected to lower electricity bills by 10% with no upfront costs to the church.  The solar project was possible through a power purchase agreement for solar on churches through Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light and Lake Street Solar. 

In addition to the work on energy, the church upgraded all of their recycling bins and installed a commercial dishwasher, thanks to a grant from Dakota County, so that the site can use reusable dishes and significantly reduce waste.  

The church's focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy and waste reduction shows that organizations can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money and care for creation all at once! 

Clark-Grace Church was honored with a  Sustainability Award by the City of South St Paul in 2025 for the work the church has done to reduce energy and greenhouse gas emissions.