Parishes in central and southern Indiana share sustainability success stories
New solar panels gleam on the roof of the Parish Life Center at St. John the Apostle Parish in Bloomington as a workman installs the final panels on Dec. 6, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Cliff Burk)
By Natalie Hoefer
In response to Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical ‘Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” parishes throughout central and southern Indiana have taken steps to become better stewards of their resources, making their campuses more energy efficient—and saving money along the way.
Below is a list of a few of those parishes and some of the projects they’ve implemented, as well as some parish creation care ministry efforts.
St. Benedict Parish, Terre Haute
—Installed a variable refrigerant system with heat pumps in the church in 2012. That June—a hot one—the church’s electric bill was just $525.
—Replaced all lighting with LED lights and added motion detectors for energy efficiency.
—In the process of adding programmable thermostats in soup kitchen’s refrigerators.
—Created Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP) goals with steps to continue working toward better sustainability.
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Fortville
—Created a wildflower meadow to increase bio-diversity and a habitat for pollinators like birds, insects and bees.
St. John the Apostle Parish, Bloomington
—Through the course of nine years, added solar panels, switched to LED lights and replaced HVAC units with more energy-efficient ones. Parish’s electric bill dropped from $23,200 in 2014 to $1,200 in 2024.
—Per monitoring software, the energy efficiency measures saved 610 tons of carbon dioxide, equating to planting more than 10,000 trees.
St. Barnabas Parish, Indianapolis
—Switched to LED lights in the church and school, contributing to a more than $20,000 drop in the parish electric bill in one fiscal year.
—Added tinted film to windows in school to reduce air conditioning usage by keeping rooms cooler.
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Indianapolis
—Established Creation Care ministry in 2007.
—Parish and school use durable dishware instead of Styrofoam, with volunteers who wash the dishes.
—Created pollinator garden on school grounds.
—Helped parish and school create individual LSAP plans.
—Use plant-based or paper disposable ware for parish festival, and recycle items used during the parish’s festival, such as cardboard.
—School applied for and was selected to receive the federal Department of Education’s Green Ribbon School National Award for sustainability efforts in 2014.
St. Bartholomew Parish, Columbus
—Active Care for Our Common Home ministry organizes talks and events to educate parishioners on sustainability and to raise awareness of how environmental issues affect the poorest people most. †
Related story: Creation Care Ministry marks 10 years of helping archdiocese ‘live out Laudato Si’
Also: Top five eco-friendly things even you can do!
Also: Contribute to endowment fund to support sustainability projects in throughout the archdiocese
