The Rev. Pamela Dolan and Miriam Casey from the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, who served as deputy and alternate deputy, respectively, at the 81st General Convention, coauthored Resolution D050 to Complete the Journey to Net Carbon Neutrality by 2030.  

“The resolution provides funding to create a resource for sharing information needed by churches to achieve the carbon reduction goal that was set by another resolution passed in 2022,” Casey said. “We were very pleased that it was passed in 2024 by both houses at the 81st General Convention and received funding from the Executive Council Finance Committee.”

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California is making great strides to achieve the goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, with 39 churches developing project plans. Their four-step process provides a roadmap for churches that want to embark on the journey to achieve carbon neutrality:

• Form a church-based green team.
• Conduct a baseline carbon-footprint assessment.
• Obtain an energy-efficiency assessment.
• Use the results to create a project plan.

The diocese is also sharing the process with other Episcopal dioceses, most recently with the Diocese of Chicago. The four-step process will also be explained at the Province VIII Creation Care Network in early 2025, with special presentations by Colby May (Energy for Purpose) about the energy-efficiency assessment and Bob Wohlsen, project manager for the Carbon Neutral 2030 effort in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California.