Many churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship have begun to take a leadership role in environmental stewardship—because just as worship sustains them, they want to sustain the Earth.
Not only is going green important for environmental reasons, but it will help your house of worship to put its finances to better use, according to Memphis-based ServiceU Corporation, which markets software that schedules events, reserves space, orders food, sets room temperature, and more.
Here are five ways you can introduce sustainability to your congregants:
1. Assessment. Call your local energy provider or hire an energy auditor to assess your power usage. Evaluate the building's energy consumption, water usage, and waste. In this assessment process, keep in mind that government and utility rebates for energy efficient improvements are available to churches. In addition, there are software solutions available that will monitor energy bills to ensure that they are accurate.
2. HVAC. The Goliath of energy usage, your heating and cooling system, has the potential to offer major savings of energy, money, and time. Keeping your sanctuary a comfortable temperature year-round can be a real challenge—especially if your congregation hosts a variety of activities and events. ServiceU (News - Alert) offers solutions that make it possible for organizations to integrate management of their heating and cooling system with their online events calendar.
3. Lighting. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) last about 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, and offer 75 percent in energy savings. During your assessment process, take note of all the fixtures with old bulbs and replace them as soon as possible. Replace your old T12 fluorescent tubes with more efficient T8 ones. In bathrooms, kitchens, office spaces, and meeting rooms, install occupancy sensors on the light switches so that nobody leave the lights on when the building is not occupied.
4. Appliances. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program identifies appliances, such as dishwashers, refrigerators, ovens, and vacuum cleaners that use as much as 30 percent less energy than their standard counterparts. Visit the Energy Star website to find a list of appliances for your house of worship. And don’t forget that replacing old appliances goes hand-in-hand with water savings. Most new appliances use less water; this coupled with other water-savings tools, such as low-flow toilets and aerators on faucets, can help cut down on overall waste.
5. Reduce Waste. The key to reducing waste is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Consider using dishwasher-safe cups for coffee, juice, and water. Encourage staff members to bring their own, reusable water bottles, and offer congregants filtered tap water. If using paper goods is a must, consider biodegradable, compostable paper plates, bowls, and cups that can be ordered in bulk online. During your assessment process, take note of paper usage for handouts, church bulletins, and notices. Could some of those be eliminated by directing people to your online calendar?
Remember that your members' monetary contribution to their congregations is a gift and should be wisely spent. By saving money on heating, cooling, and lighting costs, your members can feel confident that their donations are being used in the most efficient ways possible, and not floatingout a poorly insulated window.
Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by
Stefanie Mosca
