Why God Expects Green Churches

Linda B. Rimer, Environmental Stewardship Committee Chair

The environmental stewardship article in the May Cross Roads described the impacts that buildings have on the natural world, specifically, the enormous amounts of energy, water, and materials consumed, and waste generated. We quoted numbers from the Department of Energy: buildings in the US account for approximately 39% of the energy used, 68% of total electricity, and 12% of the total water used. The energy required to heat, cool, and operate buildings also generates 49% of sulfur dioxide emissions, 25% of nitrous oxide emissions, and 10% of particulate emissions (all into the air we breathe) while producing 35% of the country's carbon dioxide emissions, the primary greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change.

The article also described the impacts of storm water run-off from all the impervious surfaces associated with buildings (roofs, parking lots), the contribution to the creation of "urban heat islands" that increase energy needs by concentrating heat in warm weather, the destruction of habitat for non-human creatures, which can lead ultimately to a reduction of biodiversity, and the negative impact on human creatures from indoor air pollution created by building materials, furnishings, and paints.

Since early in the new year, the Next Step Committee has been interviewing master planning and architectural firms as potential partners in the creation of office, education, and hospitality space that will allow the Chapel of the Cross to accommodate the program needs that have been foreseen in the parish's long-range plan. Knowledge of the impact of buildings on the natural environment has been informing those interviews and discussions.

In February, two members of the Next Step Committee attended a conference: "Holy and Beautiful: Greening Sacred Spaces," sponsored by the Duke Divinity School and the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. Conference presentations featured information on the environmental, economic, and social benefits of 'green' or sustainable buildings. But presenters also challenged participants to consider the proposition that people of faith have an obligation - articulated in the Bible - to live in harmony with creation and that this obligation includes building ecologically sound churches and church-related buildings.

What could this mean for our Chapel of the Cross? While the Next Step Committee, along with every member of our parish, contemplates this question, consider the description of a church that could serve as a model of ecological responsibility, written by Dr. David Rhodes, Professor of New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, and director of the Web of Creation as he envisions a parish and congregation fifty years from now (http://www.webofcreation.org/):

• The building itself is made of predominantly recycled materials and has furniture that is made from recycled materials. The carpets and fabrics produce no toxic emissions. The building is insulated and designed for conservation of energy, including the use of natural light and heat.
• The building uses all renewable energy such as wind and geothermal energy, with the result that there is no further exploitation of resources and no greenhouse emissions.
• The lawn is a grass mixture that requires little water and less maintenance. Mowing is done by hand or by solar powered mower. No harmful pesticides or herbicides are used.
• Trees beside the building moderate the temperature inside the building.
• There is a large community garden on the property to provide food for local food banks. An apple orchard stands in the back lot. Drainage and a collection system gather rainwater for use in watering the garden, orchard, and plants inside the church.
• The church itself is designed to overcome the distinction between inside and outside, with some floor-to-ceiling windows and the same plants inside and outside. Plenty of natural light in the building allows plants to grow in the sanctuary.
• Only post-consumer paper products are used in the building - for the bathroom, the office, and packaging. There is an office system for the thorough use of paper. Otherwise, all transactions are electronic.
• All garbage is carefully analyzed to enable it to be recycled - paper, packaging, cans, bottles, plastic, computer equipment, and so on. All items that can be reused are reused, either within the church or through donation to an appropriate charity - furniture, clothing, building materials, and so on.
• Cleaning products are safe and free of toxins. All toxic products that cannot be avoided are disposed of properly.
• The kitchen has a mug rack (in place of paper or styrofoam cups), uses cloth napkins and tablecloths, has high-efficiency appliances, and cleans dishes and napkins with non-toxic detergents.
• There are gentle reminders everywhere for people to turn off lights, close doors, recycle, use paper fully, and conserve water.
• The building is flexible for use as a gathering place for worship and a neighborhood center for the community. The church works with the community to address questions of eco-justice and to make the surrounding area a safe and attractive place to live.
• http://www.webofcreation.org/Building-and-grounds/model.html

Several of these characteristics may ultimately describe our own Chapel of the Cross.Though we are unlikely to have a community garden near by, we could have a 'green roof' that reduces storm water run-off, helps to keep the building cool, and sequesters carbon. And the commitment is strong to take far better advantage of the ever-changing beauty of the Coker Arboretum, with large windows that blend the inside with the outside, reminding us always of the magnificence of God's creation and our call to be good stewards of that creation.

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© 2005 The Chapel of the Cross