Minneapolis Friends Meeting: Living their values through clean energy

For over 150 years, Minneapolis Friends Meeting has gathered in community, guided by Quaker values of stewardship and care. Housed in a South Minneapolis building constructed in 1906, the congregation has long grappled with how to reconcile its values with the challenges of maintaining an aging and energy intensive structure — particularly in the era of climate change. In recent years, that question became more urgent: leaders of the congregation had installed solar panels on their own homes; why not bring clean energy to the meeting house itself?

Rick VandenDolder, a Quaker Meeting member, became a leader in the congregation pushing the idea forward. “I questioned why we didn't have solar on our meeting house. Nobody quite knew why. There were a couple people that said that it was deemed not practical, and so I was questioning why it was not practical. We have large areas of roof that are exposed to the good sunshine.” 

That question sparked a journey of research, conversation, and collaboration. With support from MN Interfaith Power and Light (MNIPL), leaders within the congregation began exploring solar feasibility, energy efficiency upgrades, and financing options, knowing that cost would be a significant hurdle. 

Being in a building over 100 years old, Minneapolis Friends Meeting took a “whole building” approach. Before installing solar, they received an energy audit from EnerChange, a program that provides free energy assessments and guidance to nonprofits and houses of worship. With support from EnerChange to identify projects and available incentives, they managed to upgrade insulation, seal air leaks, and replace outdated lighting with LEDs. These energy efficiency improvements were supported in part by the City of Minneapolis Green Cost Share program, which helped offset the upfront costs. 

And then it was time for the meeting house to think about solar. “As we started, it felt like turning over rocks. We kept finding a little money here, a little money there,” said Roger Miller, another Quaker Meeting member. What ended up making the difference was making a connection through MNIPL with RE-volv, a nonprofit based out of California that helps nonprofits and congregations go solar across the United States. RE-volv helped coordinate low-interest financing and available incentives (again using the Green Cost Share program) to enable a cash flow positive 12kW installation that will save the meeting house $50,000 over its lifetime. 

Today, the benefits are already tangible. The Meeting has seen reduced electricity and natural gas use and, even through much of the depths of winter, they have received bill credits from Xcel Energy for excess power their solar array has sent back to the grid. The project inspired others in the congregation to pursue solar for their own homes, and other faith communities have reached out to learn how to replicate their model. A public ribbon-cutting celebration brought together project contractors, community organizations, and elected officials, turning one project into a broader moment of shared learning. 

Looking ahead, the congregation hopes to pursue additional clean energy upgrades, such as heat pumps, as existing systems reach the end of their lifespan.

Their advice to others is simple: start by reducing energy use, ask questions, and don’t assume something isn’t possible just because it’s complex. For Minneapolis Friends Meeting, investing in clean energy wasn’t just about lowering bills (although that’s been nice too); it was about living their values and helping pave the way for others to do the same.