@misc{Breczinski2023, type = {Master Thesis}, author = {Breczinski, Chloe}, title = {Supporting Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction in American Catholic Churches: Carbon Footprint Calculation and Strategy Development with Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church}, address = {Minnetonka, MN, USA}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-4012}, school = {Hochschule f{\"u}r nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde}, pages = {72}, year = {2023}, abstract = {As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise globally and the threats of climate change become a reality, it is critical that all sectors work towards climate change mitigation in order to reduce emissions to net zero as rapidly as possible. The Roman Catholic Church plays a uniquely important role in this regard due to both the strong moral imperative of the Church to care for the earth, as well as the significant potential impact of the Church on greenhouse gas emissions and local culture. Unfortunately, in the United States, very little work is being done to encourage and support parishes in addressing their contributions to climate change. Using action research and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard, this research develops a methodology for measuring the carbon footprint of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Minnetonka, Minnesota in the United States of America. A broad scope was developed to encompass not only all Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions but also all Scope 3 emissions that could reasonably be measured in the 6-month research time frame. A combination of local emissions factors, LCA results from the literature, and expenditure-based emissions factors for the United States were used to calculate a final result of 180.20 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. The top three emissions sources were heating, building maintenance, and electricity usage. These results were used to set priorities and begin developing an action plan for carbon footprint reduction that will be presented to the IHM Finance Council. This unique and thorough examination of an American Catholic parish provides substantial insight into the opportunities and challenges facing parishes in the realm of climate change mitigation. Although there is much room for further research, the methodology and planning guidelines developed can be applied to other Catholic parishes in the region as a guiding document to help them make the first steps towards reducing their carbon footprint.}, subject = {Climate Change}, language = {en} }