Greening Sacred Spaces • Living Faithfully – Living Green
Greening our Worship Spaces
Case studies of faith communities who have greened their worship spaces.
How does a faith community go about greening their worship space? Here are some practical case studies that may help you get started and provide ideas on how you can make the space where you pray and celebrate your faith better reflect your commitment to care for our beloved Earth.
We also suggest you refer to our Practical Guide to Improve the Energy Efficiency of your Religious Buildings and Financing Options for Greening Your Sacred Space for more ideas.
Energy Audit Studies
These studies outline how groups of faith communities have undertaken energy audits showing them how they can significantly reduce their greenhouse emissions. In most cases, the cost of paying for these energy conservation measures could be recovered in a few short years, resulting in long-term savings for the communities involved.
Vancouver Island City Green Audit (2003)
Energy conservation pays for itself in only two years .
28 churches on Vancouver Island, BC were audited by City Green in 2003. For the 28 sites visited during this project, opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21% were found, with a total pay-back period of 2.3 years. If fully implemented, these churches could exceed the 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions targeted by Canadians to meet our Kyoto Protocol responsibilities. What’s more, this is achieved by investments in our church facilities that pay for themselves in just two years – almost a 50% return on investment.
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The Best and Least Expensive Ways to Reduce Energy Use
Our church audit program found considerable opportunity to reduce energy use in participating parishes. If all of our recommendations were implemented, participating churches can save:
- 19% in electricity
- 23% in natural gas
- 9% in water, and
- 19% in operating costs
For the most part, the kinds of recommendations are simple to implement. The following chart presents some of the most common measures suggested across all reports.
| Recommendation |
% of Total Savings |
Cost $ |
Savings $ |
Payback (Years) |
| Door Weatherstripping |
25% |
9,883 |
5,672 |
1.7 |
| Fan installation |
22% |
19,350 |
4,324 |
4.5 |
| Window Weatherstripping / caulking |
19% |
11,281 |
4,226 |
2.7 |
| Insulation – mechanical and structural |
8% |
2,410 |
1,560 |
1.5 |
| Exit Light Fixtures converted to LED Fixtures |
5% |
3,357 |
1,652 |
2.0 |
| Appliance - remove fridge |
5% |
600 |
1,650 |
0.4 |
| Lighting - delamp / reduce use |
4% |
2,203 |
1,525 |
1.4 |
| Reduce hot water costs by installing Lo Flow Faucets |
4% |
454 |
1,201 |
0.4 |
| Night Setback Temperature - install programmable thermostat |
3% |
2,280 |
791 |
2.9 |
| Reduce boiler temperature |
2% |
- |
375 |
- |
| User Behaviour - close door/window, turn off power/lights, etc |
2% |
230 |
575 |
0.4 |
| Install refrigerator voltage regulator |
1% |
868 |
339 |
2.6 |
| Reduce temperature of hot water tank |
0% |
15 |
91 |
0.2 |
| Insulate pipe from hot water tank |
0% |
21 |
86 |
0.2 |
| Total Savings |
100 |
$52,953 |
$24,067 |
2.2 |
In addition, the operating savings that result from implementing all of the no-cost and lowcost improvements will pay for any costs in 2.2 years – that’s almost a 50% return on investment.
The best part is that these recommendations reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21%,achieving the Kyoto- reduction being sought by Canada’s international commitment to reduce emissions by 2010. For more information, go here (pdf document link)...
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PEI Enviro Church Conservation project 2002-2004
Photograph by Trail Canada www.trailcanada.com
55% of churches took some conservation action.
The Enviro Church Conservation Project (ECCP) has been well received by the Protestant faith community across the Island. As of March 15th, 56 (60 was the target number) of the approximate 85 Protestant churches, plus the Sisters of Notre Dame and Sisters of St Martha properties have received energy assessments. As always results vary. In general we are seeing approximately 55% of churches surveyed undertaking some conservation action (weather-stripping etc) which on average reduces space heating by 10-15% while an additional 15% are undertaking significant actions such as additional attic insulation, new windows, doors etc.
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There have been two aspects of the project; the technical aspect or actual energy assessment which provides an inspection of church properties, material for energy conservation(foam insulating sleeves etc), a written report to church administrators and a follow-up to determine whether additional information and assistance is required. As part of the work an information package was provided along with the report to the church.
The second aspect to the project is outreach to the church community to develop an interest by the faith community in undertaking activities that will reduce energy use at church functions, on the property(for eg reduced lawn acreage) or through a rideshare programme. This work also extends to working with individual members of the congregation to reduce energy use in their homes.
| Type of Building |
Number |
Conservation Action |
Fuel Savings* |
Fuel Savings |
| Rural Churches |
19 |
weatherstripping, caulking, door sweeps, heating pipes insulated etc |
12% 180 litres of furnace fuel (based on 1500 litres per church per year) |
3420 litres |
| Medium Size Urban |
7 |
weatherstripping, caulking, door sweeps etc |
15% reduction 450 litres (based on 3000 litres per church per year) |
3150 litres |
| Large Urban |
4 |
weatherstripping, caulking, door sweeps etc |
15% reduction 675 litres (based on 4500 litres per church/yr) |
2700 litres |
| Medium Size Urban |
5 |
doors windows replacement, additional attic insulation (minimum R20) |
25% reduction 750 litres (based on 3000 litres per church per year) |
3750 litres |
| Manses and Convents (continuous occupancy) |
5 |
doors windows, new furnace, attic insulation |
25% reduction 1000 litres (based on 4000 litres per church per year) |
5000 litres |
| New Construction: St. Pius X Hal and Cardigan Parish House |
2 |
two new constructions using R2000 standards(initial assessment done under phase I followup work completed phase II |
75% reduction 3000 litres (based on an average 4000 litres per church property per year |
6000 litres |
*Note: Furnace oil is the standard choice in the Island. Please note fuel usage is conservatively averaged here.
Summary of Savings
- Total fuel oil reduction from reporting church properties = 24,020 litres of fuel oil savings per year
- Total fuel oil reduction from St Paul’s Anglican** parish initiative = 8,400 litres of fuel oil savings per year
- Total Fuel oil reduction = 32420 litres
- Equivalency of greenhouse gases to residential fuel oil: 2830 grams CO2 per litre of oil OR 2.83 kilograms CO2/litre of oil, equivalency to CO2=CH4 .026 grams/litre X 21, N2O .006 grams/litre X 310)
- Total CO2 equivalent 91830.80 Kilograms
*Source Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions: estimates for 1990/ Environment Canada EPS 5/AP/4
Based on the average home fuel use of 3000 litres and 10% energy reduction (300 litres) extended over 80% (28 homes) of the 35 participants have and/or will result in 8400 litres of fuel oil savings over a one year period.
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Specific Faith Community Examples
These stories come from a variety of faith communities in both Canada and the United States. Each one illustrates unique challenges and approaches to energy conservation in worship spaces. The accompanying descriptions have been taken from their websites, for the most part.
St. Gabriel's Catholic Church, Toronto
St. Gabriel's, Toronto
It is expected that their ecological innovations will earn the new St. Gabriel's gold
certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED)
Rating System. LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, a
volunteer organization that brings together public- and private-sector leaders
to promote high-performance sustainable buildings. No other Canadian church
has yet earned such distinction.
To Father Paul, St. Gabriel's spiritual leader, the new church, not only beautifies the neighbourhood, conserves energy and improves air quality, it also serves as a living
monument to what he calls "eco-theology."
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The growing number of lay and clerical people within the Catholic Church who follow the tenets of eco-theology believe that the cultural, economic and technological systems that make up human society must conform to the natural systems of earth, life and creation.
Gathering space at St. Gabriel's Parish.
"You can't make people well on a sick planet, no matter how sophisticated your technology. For people to be healthy, the planet must be healthy. We have tried to embody these teachings in the design of our new church," Father Paul says.
To help finance the project, the Passionist community sold most of the land on its 7.5-acre site to a developer who will construct townhouses and condominiums that will also incorporate ecologically friendly technology.
Included in St. Gabriel's state-of-the-art green design features are a solar glass wall on the south face that harnesses the energy of the sun while creating a visual bridge connecting worshippers inside with a the beautiful naturalized garden beyond. To preserve the garden aesthetic and residential ambiance of the surrounding neighbourhood the parking lot has been moved underground.
The gathering space just within the main doors features a "living wall" draped in foliage over which a thin layer of water constantly flows. The living wall is designed to purify the air of both the gathering space and the main sanctuary. Find out more here
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St. Thomas the Apostle Anglican Church, Ottawa, Ontario
St. Thomas', Ottawa
“We embarked on a program that aims to reduce natural gas and electricity consumption by 45-50 percent, representing operating cost savings of about $8000 a year at today’s energy prices for a capital cost of about $150,000,” explains Church Warden, Ted Dunstan. “While the estimated payback period of close to 17 years may seem long, we concluded it was a worthwhile investment. Much of the work was necessary anyway and there are many benefits.”
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Some of these benefits include:
- reduced energy consumption and related operating costs
- a healthier and more comfortable environment for the many users of parish space,
- increased energy use awareness and responsibility for conservation amongst parishioners and users of church premises, at home as well as at the church and
- a valuable contribution towards Canada’s Kyoto commitment.
St. Thomas', Ottawa
Mr. Dunstan adds, “This will also help us be better stewards of God’s Creation, which, as a Christian community we should always be striving for.”
Through a comprehensive retrofit, St. Thomas the Apostle provided a more comfortable and healthier environment for its users and reduced energy consumption and costs. In fact, by cutting average gas consumption by 48 percent, and electricity use by 26 percent, the church reduced its overall energy costs from over $19,000 to just over $11,000 every year, while also using 772 fewer GJ annually.
For more details, see the pdf document from Kairos here.
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Parkdale United - Green Phoenix Project, Toronto, Ontario
Green Phoenix, Toronto
The Green Phoenix project began construction in August, 2006, adding 11 new units to the existing apartment tower, expanded community space, and converting Shalom House, an old mansion, back to 10 more units of housing.
Green Phoenix is intended to be a “green construction” resource to the entire community. The entire development and construction process is being videotaped. One or more videos will be produced after occupancy to be made available to other groups planning evironmentally-conscious developments. The finished project will have plaques and signs describing the ‘green’ features. Their web site will be maintained to document the construction and green performance of the completed project
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Green Phoenix is designed to be affordable, preserve the health of residents, conserve natural resources, and reduce both energy and transportation costs. These benefits are accomplished by:
- An integrated design process that involves the entire community.
- Building with sustainable materials, that is, locally-produced and with low embedded energy.
- Using materials such as carpets, paints and mould-resistant finishes to reduce health-endangering toxins.
- Reduced fossil fuel use through solar or geothermal power.
- Installing water and energy saving fixtures and appliances.
- Locating buildings and equipment close to existing services and public transportation.
- Reduced storm water run-off by collection or dispersal on site.
- Reduced construction waste and garbage after occupancy.
- High quality indoor air.
- Owner and resident training and education.
Green Phoenix intends to design the project to obtain LEEDTM "Gold" certification. LEEDTM is an internationally-accepted rating system for green construction. Credits are awarded for satisfying all of the above goals. The development team intends to demonstrate that affordable housing can be built economically if properly designed from the beginning. Find out more at http://www.greenphoenix.ca/
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Calvary Baptist Church, Killarney, Manitoba
Calvary Baptist, Killarney
Calvary Baptist increased the size of its sanctuary by 150 per cent. Yet its heating bills are roughly the same as before, and the church has also added air conditioning.
“In 1999 we increased our sanctuary by another 3000 square feet, bringing the total to just over 5000 square feet,” says Mark Bryce, church treasurer. Then we tore out the old electric baseboards and installed a new heat pump system. Our heating and cooling bills are now roughly $3400 a year, compared with about $3000 a year just to heat the building in the past, even though we now have over twice the area."
“In other words, with our new heat pump system, we’re getting twice the heat for half the money, with air conditioning thrown in.”
For more information, see the document linked here (PDF - 65 Kb).
Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Synagogue, Bethesda, Maryland
Adat Shalom, Bethesda
For the Reconstructionist movement, ethical convictions often play out in the form of tikkun olam (repairing the world through social action). According to the JRF, the movement “works actively in several areas including international conflict resolution, hunger and civil rights. It has committed itself in particular to issues concerned with the environment. As we Jews concern ourselves with the spiritual and cultural legacy that we leave to future generations, we must also commit ourselves fully to such legacies as clean air, pure water and unpolluted soil.” The strength of this thrust toward social justice and environmental conservation in the movement admits no equivocation: “We challenge our own communities to reach for the highest application of ethical standards.”
Rabbi Dobb and his congregation will soon be hanging a plaque from the EPA in the synagogue, announcing their achievement as 2002 “Energy Star for Congregations” award winners.
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The initial decision to build came from grassroots community process. As the building buzz mounted, a concerted effort was made to listen to the voices of all families in the congregation – meaning “small meetings in individual homes, as many as a dozen on a single night.” As Rabbi Dobb explained, the idea was “to talk about what is special in their experience about Adat Shalom, and to strengthen communication – to bring in the entire community at every possible phase.”
This community involvement did not stop when the architects began work. On the contrary, architects Robert Schwartz and Keith Peoples were chosen partly because they specialize in engaging community participation. Beginning with a congregational survey, they ascertained three key priorities: a simple meaningful aesthetic, environmental sustainability, and space to facilitate community flow.
The building’s remarkable measures to save energy earned it the EPA Energy Star for Congregations award. Nearly all of the lighting is done with efficient fluorescent bulbs. The building is divided into seven heating/cooling zones, each with its own programmable thermostat (allowing one or two rooms to be heated or cooled while the rest of the building is unused). Care has been taken to insulate the walls and double-glaze the windows. The dark floor and high south-facing windows of the community hall serve as a collector for passive solar heat, while the large overhang shades the room from the hot summer sun. The Rabbi also manipulates the insulated blinds in his study for maximum passive solar heating and summertime shading.
Every space has windows that open, providing natural ventilation when needed, and the sanctuary and community hall have useable windows at both high and low locations, thus allowing for a summertime “chimney effect.” Exterior doors were built with foyers (two doors in a series) to minimize heat exchange with the outside. Appliances were chosen with energy-efficiency in mind. The exterior and parking lot lights are on timers, and are fully shielded to avoid creating light pollution. Finally, a less energy-saving but symbolically important detail is the ner tamid (eternal light) in the sanctuary. It’s a low-watt bulb powered by a photovoltaic panel on the roof of the building.
Tikkun olam in all its aspects, but particularly the environmental ones, is conscientiously practiced at Adat Shalom. The oneg luncheon after Saturday services is served on durable plastic plates, eaten with metal silverware, and washed down with drinks from sturdy plastic mugs. These dishes are all placed in racks and washed to be ready for use the next week (fig. 29). Adat Shalom’s tikkun olam efforts range from interfaith work on behalf of low-income housing to women’s shelters to food drives. But their most enduring legacy of tikkun olam may be the building itself, because of its low environmental impact and its usefulness as a showpiece of green building.
Rabbi Dobb was a primary motivating force behind the green building initiative. While many members of the congregation shared environmental values and appreciated the importance of building a low-impact synagogue, the Rabbi’s deep convictions proved inspirational when obstacles caused enthusiasm to flag. Rabbi Dobb reminded the community that “these are not choices, but moral and spiritual imperatives: as a house devoted to God, we must zealously strive to minimize the ways in which its construction and operation might adversely impact God’s creation and God’s children.”
The Rabbi has a keen sense of ethics with regard to the building as a sacred space. He has written that “every CFL, every LED exit sign, every double-glazed window, every square foot of recycled carpet, every programmable thermostat is making a difference, and is sacred.” When the building is carrying out the sacred work of tikkun olam, it carries an air of sacredness with it.
For the Rabbi, the ethics of the building in this regard do impact its sacredness. “Arguably a space is only sacred if it’s ethical,” he maintains. “It’s hard to feel we even have the right to build this without ensuring ‘first do no harm.’ Relatively speaking, this is an environmentally sensitive building. But the negative effects are still appreciable. And can a building even be called holy when not every step has been taken to ensure minimal effects?” Find out more at http://www.adatshalom.net/constructing.html
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Unity Temple,Oak Park, Illinois
Unity Temple, Oak Park
Frank Lloyd Wright's 1908 Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois is considered an early Modernist masterpiece for its compact monumentality and striking planar geometry. Although its interior ranks among the great public spaces of the 20th century, it proved uncomfortable almost from the start. An advanced but poorly executed heating scheme meant noisy radiators in colder months, and the lack of air conditioning and proper ventilation made the building a sauna in the summer.
Last year the church's Unitarian Universalist congregation and the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation began the building's first major restoration, which is slated for completion in 2009, the centennial of the building's dedication. A significant component of the $12 million to $15 million project addresses the building's HVAC problems through the addition of a groundsource pump system for heating and cooling.
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The project will also involve repairs to the temple's reinforced concrete structure, refurbishing its interior woodwork, lighting and art glass windows, a new electrical system, and modifications for ADA compliance, including the installation of an elevator. In improving the building's indoor environment, the congregation opted for a system that would reduce operating costs and take less of a toll on the global environment.Ultimately, the design team developed a system of geothermal wells. The plan calls for a closed-loop fluid circulation system that will carry an antifreeze formula of glycol, ethanol or another environmentally benign substance. It also has provisions for an ice storage system for producing ice overnight to reduce the required chiller capacity
Overall, the calculations predict better efficiency during the heating season, which should compensate for the new cooling load. "We expect to see a 40 to 50 percent reduction of utility bills over what a conventional HVAC system costs". Geothermal systems typically put out 80 percent less source emissions compared to systems powered by fossil fuels. Find out more here.
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Immaculate Heart of Mary Motherhouse Renovation, Monroe, Michigan
IHM Motherhouse, Monroe
The vision for this renovation project was rooted in a deepening awareness that all of life is intricately connected, and choices made by individuals, corporations and nations can have profound global influence. This understanding led the Immaculate Heart of Mary congregation to define and model a lifestyle of "sustainable" community that nourishes life and fosters its capacity to flourish. Approximately three-fourths of the sisters residing at the Motherhouse require some level of supportive care. Total renovation of their home was urgently needed to care for them in a cost-effective and ecologically sound way.
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Over a period of two years, the IHM congregation replaced outdated and overburdened plumbing and electrical systems, reconfigured living space and made site improvements that preserve their beautiful historic building, enhance the comfort of residents and ensure the capacity for future service.
In planning the renovation, they were mindful of the need to use resources wisely and reverently. They chose to recycle and retain original furnishings wherever possible and to review the environmental impact of new products and materials before making purchase decisions. Similarly, they chose to install environmentally friendly electrical, plumbing and heating systems, such as gray water recycling and geothermal heating and cooling. Find out more about the project here.
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Additional Projects of Interest
USA Congregations Energy Star Award Recipients