Climate change is real!
There is no doubt about that at St. Peter's-San Pedro Episcopal Church. No doubt at all. We trust science and we have experienced the devastating effects of climate change first hand ourselves. Now, what are we going to do about it? That's the only question about climate change!
Then National Grid appeared on our doorstep one cold December morning in 2022 announcing that they had the right to change our gas meter, and our monthly gas bill surged from $100 a month due to a broken meter, to $3,000 a month overnight which doesn't include the nearly $10,000 in annual gas boiler repairs we experience each year. Now we had a financial crisis to match our climate crisis and action was warranted--immediate action.
That's when we convened as many in house experts and dreamers as we could find to help us dramatically reduce our energy consumption, explore green energy solutions that could replace gas at the church, and find ways to partner with our neighbors to make this part of Salem at least a whole lot greener. Could a determined group of people who are climate conscious come up with a way to green a 292 year old active church and historic site? You bet we can!
In 2023 we applied for a $50,000 Kickstart Grant from HEET to fully explore the feasibility of implementing a Community Geothermal Network at the church and in our neighborhood to forever move off gas, and we were blessed to have been awarded the grant! Blessings continued when we hired Larry Lessard and his colleagues at Achieve Renewable Energy to conduct the study, and Larry introduced us to his engineer colleagues at B2Q Associates who also worked on the grant and brought tremendous talent and insight. When the study was completed in December 2024, we had had open and positive discussions with twenty commercial, residential and municipal neighbors who own 24 buildings that theoretically could be a part of the project! Not bad for an initial exploration! How would we fund it? Would this system be community owned or utility owned? The project continues!
About the same time, we were blessed again to be introduced to David Dayton and Abby Despres from Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. (CESI). CESI came to us with a wealth of experience in establishing community solar microgrids and building community climate resilience hubs that help bring about green energy solutions while ensuring that environmental justice for low income residents and marginalized communities is an essential part of the design. We could not have asked for a better partner in this work! Since then we have jointly applied for $850,000 in grants to move these green projects forward and been awarded $250,000 and counting! Throughout this process, Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo and the City's Sustainability & Resiliency Director Neal Duffy have been amazing collaborators as we strive to make green energy solutions possible at St. Peter's-San Pedro and in our neighborhoods. Together, we have become the Heaven & Earth Project Team at St. Peter's-San Pedro! Join us in this work!
Then National Grid appeared on our doorstep one cold December morning in 2022 announcing that they had the right to change our gas meter, and our monthly gas bill surged from $100 a month due to a broken meter, to $3,000 a month overnight which doesn't include the nearly $10,000 in annual gas boiler repairs we experience each year. Now we had a financial crisis to match our climate crisis and action was warranted--immediate action.
That's when we convened as many in house experts and dreamers as we could find to help us dramatically reduce our energy consumption, explore green energy solutions that could replace gas at the church, and find ways to partner with our neighbors to make this part of Salem at least a whole lot greener. Could a determined group of people who are climate conscious come up with a way to green a 292 year old active church and historic site? You bet we can!
In 2023 we applied for a $50,000 Kickstart Grant from HEET to fully explore the feasibility of implementing a Community Geothermal Network at the church and in our neighborhood to forever move off gas, and we were blessed to have been awarded the grant! Blessings continued when we hired Larry Lessard and his colleagues at Achieve Renewable Energy to conduct the study, and Larry introduced us to his engineer colleagues at B2Q Associates who also worked on the grant and brought tremendous talent and insight. When the study was completed in December 2024, we had had open and positive discussions with twenty commercial, residential and municipal neighbors who own 24 buildings that theoretically could be a part of the project! Not bad for an initial exploration! How would we fund it? Would this system be community owned or utility owned? The project continues!
About the same time, we were blessed again to be introduced to David Dayton and Abby Despres from Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. (CESI). CESI came to us with a wealth of experience in establishing community solar microgrids and building community climate resilience hubs that help bring about green energy solutions while ensuring that environmental justice for low income residents and marginalized communities is an essential part of the design. We could not have asked for a better partner in this work! Since then we have jointly applied for $850,000 in grants to move these green projects forward and been awarded $250,000 and counting! Throughout this process, Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo and the City's Sustainability & Resiliency Director Neal Duffy have been amazing collaborators as we strive to make green energy solutions possible at St. Peter's-San Pedro and in our neighborhoods. Together, we have become the Heaven & Earth Project Team at St. Peter's-San Pedro! Join us in this work!
The Heaven & Earth Project Team at St. Peter's-San Pedro in Salem
Paul Banks, Principal, B2Q Associates
Esmeralda Bisono, Community Engagement and Policy Manager at Emerald Cities Collaborative
David Dayton, Chairman & Treasurer, Clean Energy Solutions, Incorporated
Abigail Despres, Project Manager, Clean Energy Solutions, Incorporated
Laura Dyas, Senior Energy Engineer & Project Manager, B2Q Associates
Neal Duffy, Director of Sustainability & Resiliency, City of Salem
Pat Gozemba, Retired faculty at Salem State University and Founder of Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE)
The Rev. Nathan Ives, Rector, St. Peter's-San Pedro Episcopal Church
Larry Lessard, Director, Achieve Renewable Energy
Patrick MacDonald, Parishioner at St. Peter's-San Pedro Episcopal Church
Tom Piñeros-Shields, Associate Professor of Politics, Policy & International Relations at Salem State University
Paul Banks, Principal, B2Q Associates
Esmeralda Bisono, Community Engagement and Policy Manager at Emerald Cities Collaborative
David Dayton, Chairman & Treasurer, Clean Energy Solutions, Incorporated
Abigail Despres, Project Manager, Clean Energy Solutions, Incorporated
Laura Dyas, Senior Energy Engineer & Project Manager, B2Q Associates
Neal Duffy, Director of Sustainability & Resiliency, City of Salem
Pat Gozemba, Retired faculty at Salem State University and Founder of Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE)
The Rev. Nathan Ives, Rector, St. Peter's-San Pedro Episcopal Church
Larry Lessard, Director, Achieve Renewable Energy
Patrick MacDonald, Parishioner at St. Peter's-San Pedro Episcopal Church
Tom Piñeros-Shields, Associate Professor of Politics, Policy & International Relations at Salem State University
The Vision of the Heaven & Earth Project at St. Peter's-San Pedro
--That a nearly 300 year old, active Episcopal Church and historic site is retrofitted to be energy efficient throughout while maintaining its historic character, mission & service.
--That a community networked geothermal energy system is created in the St. Peter's-San Pedro neighborhood that will entirely replace gas with the most efficient form of heating & cooling available.
--That a community solar microgrid will be established in Salem across a multitude of sites, both public and private and including St. Peter's-San Pedro Church, where Climate Resilience Hubs will be established with 24/365 uninterruptible green energy via large capacity battery storage so that vulnerable residents can be safe during climate emergencies and that financial gains from such a system can be targeted to benefit the most marginalized electricity rate payers in Salem.
To learn more, contact our Rector at 978-745-2291.