why building green matters - church extension

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Why buildinggreen matters

Winter 2008Winter 2008

Thorncrown Chapel photo by Whit Slemmons; used with permission.



• On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007

What is greenbuilding?Why it matters.

Solomon’s Temple, described in I Kings 6, is among the earliest

documented buildings in human history. Located on Jerusalem’s high

ground overlooking the Kidron Valley and acing east toward the Mount

o Olives, it was laid out axially proceeding rom the outer courtyard

into the vestibule, through the sanctuary and altar, nally arriving at the

innermost room reserved or the holy o holies. The Temple’s descrip-

tion indicates a clear set o proportional relationships based on the cubit

(itsel a proportional measure o humans made in God’s image). It was

built o stone with a roo o cedar beams and planks rom the orests oLebanon. The interior lined with cedar lit rom high windows must have

been a dazzling sight celebrating the glory o God with a room encrusted

in gold.

But was it “green?”

Just what is “green” building? Should building green matter to church-

es? Is there anything to gain rom building green? What is involved in

building a green church?

A widely established scientic consensus today shows that the burn-

ing o ossil uels is directly related to climate change. Churches play a

small but signicant role in the climate change equation because the

heating, cooling, lighting and powering o our buildings oten requires

burning ossil uels.

But green building is

about more than en-

ergy eciency: it also

includes the site, wa-

By Al Terry, AIA

Building green is about creating

the human habitat in a responsible

manner consistent with the biblical call

to be stewards of Creation.




On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007 •

ter use, materials and the quality

o the indoor environment.

Among the many reasons why

churches should embrace green

building, the Genesis call to be

stewards o Creation is at the

top. Building green is about cre-

ating human habitat in a manner

consistent with this biblical call.

The advantages to building green churches include:

1. Protectingnaturalhabitatandopenspacebyminimizingsite impacts.

2.Reducingenergyuseandassociatedchurchbuildingoperating

costs.

3.Minimizingcontributionsbychurchestoclimatechange.

4.Makinguseofsustainablebuildingmaterialsandmethods.

5.ConnectingcongregationstothebeautyofCreation.

Green building supports the creation o better buildings. Better build-

ings are a result o good planning, good design, and construction meth-

ods which incorporate green solutions. A number o excellent programs

and resources are available to assist with the green building process.

Among those directly related to churches are the National Council o

Churches website www.nccecojustice.org and their ‘Building A Firm

Foundation’ guide, and the EPA’s website www.energystar.gov/con-

gregation. The USGBC LEED program and the GBI Green Globes pro-

gram are two green building certication programs with many helpul

resources (see a list o resources on page 10). While these programs

provide a good way to measure the ‘greenness’ o a building project, it is

the design strategies that green building has to oer that are o great-

est benet. The “good news” is that many o these methods have been

around or a long time, and many o the great religious buildings o his-

tory have made use o them.

As we know, much o Jesus’ ministry was lived outdoors in places like

the Wilderness, the Sea o Galilee, and Gethsemane. We consider these





places sacred ground, but so too are the places where our spiritual com-

munities worship. It is imperative to set our churches in and on the land

with care and respect.

The importance of locationChoosing the right location is one o the most important decisions a

church will ever make. Location can aect lot size requirements, park-

ing, access to public transportation, proximity to community services,

and impacts on natural habitat, wetlands or armlands. For example, the

average development cost or a parking space in the U.S. is now almost

ten thousand dollars, and there are other costs as well: loss o vegeta-

tion; increase in the heat island eect; chemical and pollutant runo;

and increased rate o stormwater runo that causes fooding. St Peters

Lutheran Church in New York City was originally an overbuilt church that

covered the entire block beore arranging with Citicorp to share the site.

Now the spot has an oce tower and a beautiul church o the right

size or the congregation, which takes advantage o shared parking and

nearby public transportation.A “green” roo can be another eective way to reduce environmental

impacts by creating a building with a longer roo lie, lower heating and

cooling costs, reduced heat island eect, and slowed stormwater runo

rates—all while creating oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide. Planting

trees and landscaping parking lots can also provide many o the same

benets as green roos, while creating a pleasant place to arrive, and

transition into the worship experience.

Water, a necessity o lie and a central eature o baptism, can be

conserved by planting drought tolerant

landscapes and using ecient irriga-

tion systems. The use o waterless or

low fow urinals, dual fush toilets, and

aucet strainers are appropriate ways

to conserve this precious resource.

The narrow water channels used to ir-

rigate the trees in the Court o the Or-

anges next to the Mosque in Cordoba,





Spain are a beautiul example

o how to conserve and use

water in a sacred way in the

garden, a microcosm o

paradise.

Energy use is a concern or

many congregations because

it is oten their largest non-salary expense. It is also worthwhile to con-

sider some o the other costs o building energy use:

1. TheU.S.usesonequarterofalltheenergyconsumedonEarth

everyyear. 2.TheU.S.EnergyInformationAdministrationestimatesforty-

eightpercent,ornearlyhalf,ofU.S.carbondioxide

emissionscomefrombuildings.

3.SeventypercentofU.S.powerplantenergyisusedtolight,

powerandcoolbuildings.Mostofthatenergycomesfrom

burningcoalthatcausesacidrain.

4.TogetherU.S.buildingsmakeupthesinglelargestcontribution

toClimateChangeintheworld.

5.Churchbuildingsuseapproximatelytwopercentoftheenergy

usedinbuildingsintheU.S.eachyear.

The technology is available today to build zero energy or carbon neutral

buildings (buildings that need no outside energy and have no smoke-

stack emissions), and we know how to do it. The most cost eective

way to go about it is in this order: plan the appropriate size building;

design the building to make use o the naturally available energy oppor-

tunities; build buildings that conserve energy; employ the most ecient

equipment to heat, cool and light our buildings; and then make use o

renewable energy technologies.

Green is stewardship

Good stewardship o resources involves being clear about needs or

church space. This clarity about program needs will make it possible to

identiy opportunities or multiuse rooms that can allow or the building

Good stewardship of resources

involves being clear about needs

for church space ... identifying

opportunities for multiuse rooms

that can allow for better,

smaller church buildings.




6 • On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007

o better, smaller church buildings; better because they are less expen-

sive to operate, energize and maintain; they leave a smaller ootprint on

the earth; and, the nancial resources can be invested in higher quality

church.

Some building design strategies that dramatically

reduce the need or ossil uels or renewable energy

to heat, cool and light our buildings include earth

sheltering and thermal mass to stabilize building

temperatures; passive solar gain or heating; natural

ventilation and shading or cooling; and daylight or

lighting. San Xavier del Bac Mission Church outside

o Tucson, Ariz., makes use o a large thermal mass

in the three oot thick adobe brick walls that mini-

mize internal temperature swings between summer and winter and day

and night to result in a cool interior in summer and a warm interior in

winter.

It is less expensive to incorporate energy conservation into building

construction than it is to create and use that same energy ecientlyin another way. Energy loss in buildings takes place in three dierent

ways: through walls, roo and foors; through windows; and, through all

the little cracks and holes. Compared to the cost to heat and cool during

the average 40-year lie o a building, insulating the walls, foor and roo

is inexpensive and pays or itsel quickly. Window glazing technology

has come a long way and the use o low emissivity or Low ‘E’ coatings

with insulating glass has dramatically improved the thermal eciency

o windows. And all those pesky little cracks and holes that make up a

third o a building’s heat or cooling loss are best dealt with by air-sealing

the structure prior to insulating. Investing in these measures will allow

or the use o smaller heating and cooling equipment and requires less

energy overall.

Additionally, using high eciency lighting, appliances, heating, ventilat-ing and cooling equipment will stretch the energy used as ar as pos-

sible. Commissioning or tuning these systems to work at their optimum

will also improve their energy eciency. And the use o programmable





thermostats, occupancy sensors and energy management systems

will urther improve eciency by lowering or turning o this equipment

when not needed. Saving energy in these ways requires an investment

up ront, but this will quickly be repaid in lower operating costs.

Using renewable or solar energy is the only way to actually create a

zero-energy building. Turning the building into a small power plant that

makes use o active solar heat collectors or hot water or heating and

photovoltaic panels to generate usable power on site does this. Another

viable alternative is the purchase o green tags or carbon osets to in-

vest in osite renewable energy projects such as wind arms to provide

a ‘green’ energy supply or the building.

At the heart o sustainable building material use is the mantra “reduce

– reuse – recycle – renew.” And there is no better place to start than by

reducing construction waste; orty percent o the solid waste in landlls

comes rom building construction and renovation. We can reduce waste

by more eciently using materials in modular sizes, or using durable

materials that have a long lie and low maintenance which can extend

the lie o a structure beore it must be remodeled or built anew. Anotherway to reduce is by using locally available materials that reduce trans-

portation energy costs. This in turn reduces the embodied energy o a

building (energy used during construction), which can be as much as

ten percent o the energy

used during a building’s

lie. The Stave Churches

o Norway constructed o

locally available wood (a

renewable resource) are

a wonderul example o

this, and the act that they

are several hundred years

old means the originalembodied energy o the

building is now a tiny

amount.





Adaptive reuse o a building such as the Pantheon, now used as a

Christian church, is a great way but not the only way to reuse materials.

Salvaged materials such as wood timbers and fooring can sometimes

be reused. Recycled steel has been used in building structures or many

years now, and has been joined by recycled bricks, glass, concrete and

other materials recently. The uture will include other products like re-

manuactured carpets. Renew-

able material options include

bamboo, straw or wheat board,

and Forest Stewardship Council

certied lumber. Finding ways

to reduce, reuse, recycle, and

renew will enable us to use

the earth’s resources more

equitably.

Reducing indoor air pollutants

by increasing ventilation and introducing resh air will create a healthier

indoor environment or congregations. Limiting the use o volatile organ-ic compounds ound in paints, composite wood products, and adhesives

can also reduce pollutants. Reducing the use o carpets and changing

air lters requently also helps to control the presence o dust and other

allergens.

The power of light

Natural light inspires us. It inspired the building o great cathedrals, such

as Chartres, that reach or the light o heaven. More than just a spiri-

tual application, daylighting churches can reduce energy costs related

to lighting and cooling by as much as a quarter. Daylighting has been

shown to increase store sales, increase workplace productivity while

reducing absenteeism, and increase student test scores. Although there

is no study o daylighting in churches, might the benets include lower

energy bills, better attendance, richer oerings, and a more hospitable

environment or visitors?

We need to incorporate the natural world into the experience o

our buildings, since being in harmony with nature lowers stress and






improves psychological and physical health.

Thorncrown Chapel is an excellent example

o incorporating nature into the church set-

ting. Located near Eureka Springs, Arkansas

and designed by Fay Jones, the chapel is

set within the woods and has windows on

all sides that provide a view o the trees.

Norman L. Koonce, Executive Vice President

and CEO o the AIA had this to say about

it, “How do the thousands o visitors who

annually make what is, in eect, a pilgrimage

value this vision? Inside the chapel there stands a handsome dona-

tion box, also designed by Jones. Each year, more money is voluntarily

dropped in that box than it cost to build the chapel. The box has no lock,

yet in all the years Thorncrown Chapel has been open to the public, it

appears that not a cent has ever been taken. What an armation o the

power o architecture to elevate and enrich our human experience!”

So, was Solomon’s Temple “green?”

Like most pre-industrial buildings, there were no ossil uels used to

build, heat, cool or light the temple. It made use o windows or light and

ventilation, and relied on the stone’s thermal mass to temper summer’s

heat and winter’s cold. The building materials came rom nearby, albeit

on the backs o a conscripted labor orce. And while the cedar used in

its construction is a renewable resource, the Cedars o Lebanon orest

was likely not managed in a sustainable way. And though we think o the

Temple as the building itsel, it was actually o modest size set in a larger

complex where the congregation gathered outside in the courtyard

surrounded by the beauty o God’s Creation. In its way, it has stood the

test o time. The Western Wall still serves as an open-air synagogue and

a place or all to pray. On the whole, it was and is, a green building and

a worthy example o what we can strive or in the churches we design

and build today.

Al Terry is an architect based in Seattle, AIA and LEED AP, and a

member of Findlay Street Christian Church.



On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007 • 11


Green Seal Green Seal certies a variety o products, including somebuilding materials as well as many building maintenance products suchas cleaners. www.greenseal.org

National Council of Churches The NCC has a website promoting avariety o ecological justice programs. They have also published a guide

or building green churches entitled “Building a Firm Foundation.”

www.nccecojustice.org

Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth This website covers a vari-

ety o aspects o congregational lie and how they relate to the environ-ment. It includes a section on green building entitled “Green Sanctuary.”

www.uuministryorearth.org

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

is the industry leader in certiying and promoting sustainable or green

building. Their Leadership in Environment and Energy in Design (LEED)certication system is based on 69 points that a building project may

earn toward several levels o sustainability—silver, gold and platinum

levels. They also have a program to accredit sustainable design andbuilding practitioners known as Accredited Proessionals or LEED AP.

The strength o the LEED certication system is its rigorous certication

process that requires third party verication o every point earned. Theweakness o their program is that it is relatively expensive to adminis-

ter and consequently most o the certied buildings are relatively large,where the certication cost represents a small portion o the total cost,or they are projects where the label or USGBC brand has public relations

appeal and certication costs can be viewed as a cost o marketing. The

69-point checklist is a useul guide in the design o sustainable buildingseven i an organization is not interested in actual certication o their

building. www.usgbc.org

Web of Creation The Web o Creation website has several resources

or congregations interested in green building. Check out the ‘building

and grounds’ section, it includes a guide or green church building.www.webocreation.org




From the Field

By John Davidson, Congregational Services Consultant

Finding potential savings

Are utility costs taking more and more o your congregation’s resources

each year? For many congregations, the operational cost o utilities is

rarely considered as a budget item that can be reduced or changed, even

though the cost o gas, water, and electricity are rapidly rising and cost-ing churches more money. For the congregation o Northwood Chris-

tian Church in Indianapolis, this dilemma became apparent when the

question was raised, “Why are we paying more than $55,000 a year or

utilities? That is money that we could use or ministry and programming,

instead o giving it to utility companies.”

For the past six months, Church Extension has been working with

a variety o congregations and organizations, exploring ways to helpcongregations lower their energy bills and improve their stewardship o

creation. Church Extension began this process in June 2007, with an ap-

proach to the Indiana Community Action Association (INCAA-an Indiana

organization with more than 30 years o experience in energy assess-

ment) or assistance in designing a service to connect and share with

congregations. We then

worked with Northwood

Christian Church to do

an energy audit o their

building, and explore how

the congregation could

lower its energy costs.

On September 12, 2007

an auditing team including

two INCAA employees,

a boiler engineer, church

members, and three

observers rom Church





Extension gathered to conduct the pilot.

The audit began with a tour o the acility,

analyzing its thermal and pressure boundar-

ies, identiying areas where the building was

losing its conditioned air, and evaluating itsheating and cooling systems. Several o the

tests conducted used inrared cameras to

locate area heating and cooling loss; testing

doors with pressurized gauge systems to

measure the amount o air that was escap-

ing; and metrical calculations o the building’s

boiler system. The audit showed that, by making several capital improve-ments, the church could quickly lower its heating, cooling, and electrical

costs.

On November 26, the auditing team met with congregational leaders

to discuss the report. It showed that, with an investment o $20,000 or

insulation and air sealing, the church could save between $2,000-$4,000

in heating and cooling costs per year. It was also observed that by cor-

recting the boiler and hot water heating system, which had been improp-erly installed, the church could achieve additional cost savings (the costs

o repair and upgrades were less than $30,000, and are expected to save

the congregation around $2,000 annually). Finally, a later review o the

church’s lighting system showed that by upgrading to energy ecient

lighting systems, the church could save an additional $3,000-$5,000 per

year. These estimated annual savings o around $10,000 represent a

return on investment or payback period o less than six years, and theywill provide immediate savings or the congregation.

For all involved, this study provided valuable inormation as we try to

be better stewards o God’s creation and o nancial and capital resourc-

es entrusted to us. Church Extension is planning to join with other con-

gregations or studies and discovery o green building options to share

with the wider church. The Northwood congregation plans to pursue the

recommendations o the energy audit and to include eciency boosting

building projects in its upcoming capital campaign.


Would you like to receive e-mail communications from

Church Extension? Let us know by sending an e-mail to

[email protected]




From the Mission Stations

Trying to be green –One church’s story

Shortly ater the building committee was ormed to plan or the new

second campus o Geist Christian Church in Fishers, Indiana, a member

asked i we should be thinking about this new building being “green.”

Not so many years ago, a “green” building would reer only to the paint

color. But now, calling a building “green” means that steps are taken in

the planning, construction and operation o the building to consider the

environmental impact o the new or existing building. Shortly ater the

question was asked, there was consensus around the building com-

mittee table that being “green” was certainly the right thing to do. We

are, ater all, caretakers o God’s creation. We preach that stewardship

is about more than money, so this was a time we could model such a

commitment.

Early on, the architects gave the church an orientation to the world o

environmentally sustainable design, and introduced a host o acronyms

that could rival those used in the church. Environmentally sustainable

design is given direction by the United States Green Building Council

(USGBC). This non-prot organization, made up o all acets o the build-

ing industry rom designer to end-user, has established a rating system

with which to evaluate sustainable design, construction and operation

practices. This rating system is known as the Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™, better known

simply as LEED. LEED provides a nationally recognized benchmark or

environmentally sustainable buildings both or new construction and

existing buildings.

Working with the new construction LEED template (available at the

USGBC website at www.usgbc.org), the Building Committee learned


By Ryan D. Hazen, Senior Associate Minister,

Geist Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN




that becoming

“LEED certi-

ed” is the

ultimate goal

o most whoare considering

“green” building.

LEED certica-

tion utilizes a

point system

with a possible

69 points. Theactual number o points achieved and veried determines the level o

LEED certication – obtaining 26 points gives the base LEED certica-

tion, 33 points or silver, 39 points or gold and 52 points or platinum.

The certication checklist covers areas such as innovation in design,

indoor environmental quality, site design, water and energy eciency

and use o materials.

Early in the design process, it was clear that some items on the check-list would not add to the expense o the building and were just the “right

thing to do.” Other items on the list would add initial expense to the

building, but would be cost-eective in the building’s operation. For the

Committee, operating with a nite budget and needing to get as much

square ootage as absolutely possible, these items were evaluated on a

case-by-case basis. Decisions were made based on the payback period,

initial investment, and level o environmental impact. Lastly, some itemson the list simply were out o the question either because o the limita-

tions o the site, the desired programming o the building, or the budget.

One example that was immediately out o range or this project was the

development o an “innovative wastewater technology” – basically the

development o a way to reduce potable water demand by 50%, per-

haps by treating building wastewater and/or using rainwater collection

systems or restrooms, etc.

Knowing what could not be done, the Committee and architect went

to work on what could be done. Landscape architects worked diligently

on the site design to minimize the stormwater runo to a neighboring

stream. The entire site will utilize “water ecient landscaping” that will






eliminate the need or irrigation.

Bicycle parking will be provided

at the building and locker rooms

are incorporated in the restrooms.

The building itsel is designed withdaylighting to reduce the need

or articial light, and the roo is

a “high-albedo” (highly refective

in color and material) product that will dramatically reduce heat gain. Air

conditioning rerigerant that is environmentally riendly currently comes

at a signicant premium, but is expected to come down in price as its

use is more commonplace.In other areas, the interior designers on the project committed to using

materials made with recycled content and rapidly renewable materials.

In addition, they are considering paint and carpets that are deemed to be

“low-emitting materials.” LEED benchmarks suggest controllable sys-

tems or both lighting and heating/air-conditioning. During construction,

the construction manager and sub-contractors will be working to divert

at least 50% o the construction waste rom disposal.One point o discussion has been the importance o the actual LEED

certication stamp o approval. The process o getting certied is a

costly one. The USGBC requires a $600 registration ee, a $2,250 design

and construction review (assuming the building is less than 50,000

square eet), and an initial certication review o $1,500. In addition,

there are additional costs or third party consultants to veriy and test

various building systems. Any committee considering LEED certicationwill debate the advantages o having the actual designation o a “certi-

ed” building.

Geist has worked in partnership with Church Extension or the plan-

ning and nancing o the project. While the nal chapter or this par-

ticular project is yet to be written, it is clear that any step made toward

environmentally sustainable design is better than a step not made. This

will be especially true or those congregations considering their existing

buildings. The National Council o Churches has quality material on the

subject at www.nccecojustice.org including “Building a Firm Foundation:

‘Green’ Building Toolkit.” The care o God’s creation rests with us, and

the decisions we make impact us and generations to come.

The care of

God’s creation

rests with us.




Find out more:call 1-800-274-1883,en español1-866-534-1949,visit us online atwww.churchextension.org

Church Extension workswith churches—servingyour ministry.

Church Extension

understands cycles incongregational life, and howto work with these differentcontexts.

Church Extension servesDisciples every step of the

way. We pray with you.We stay with you.

You support the church andother Disciples. It’s morethan just an exchange of money, because as you repayyour loan, your money helpsprovide services and newloans to congregations.

Church Extensionconnects Disciples whenbanks can’t, such as withnew congregations, or

congregations with nohistory of borrowing.


Why should yourcongregation borrow

through Church Extension?

Why should yourcongregation borrow

through Church Extension?




From Our Partners –Disciples Home Missions

Links to help green your building

By Angela Herrmann

Director of Web site development, Disciples Home Missions

Stories o congregational budgets broken because o high heating bills

have emerged as the cost o oil rises. With some congregations payingthousands o dollars annually to heat and cool their buildings, addressing

energy usage is a congregational stewardship opportunity. Congrega-

tions need to seriously consider how they spend members’ money to

maintain the church building. Lessons in church building stewardship can

ultimately lead to increased personal stewardship.

Guides to greening your congregation:

National Council o Churches Green Churches

http://www.nccecojustice.org/grbuilding.htm

ELCA Resources and Audit Workbook

http://www.elca.org/advocacy/environment/

Web o Creation Green Congregation Programhttp://www.webocreation.org/BuildingGrounds/index.htm

Earth Ministry and Energy Conservation

http://www.earthministry.org/Congregations/energy_conservation.htm

ENERGY STAR or Congregations (U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency)http://www.energystar.gov/index.cm?c=small_business.sb_

congregations




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why building green matters - church extension

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