Green Faith in the Green Mountain State

All Souls Interfaith Gathering has built what they hope is the greenest church ever. Read the full story (and see more photos of this spectacular-looking place) in USA Today.

SHELBURNE, Vt. — All Souls Interfaith Gathering has a reputation for being all-inclusive.
The small congregation, founded in 1999, recognizes just about every faith you can think of. No one is turned away. And that includes Mother Earth.
ASIG prides itself on being one of the greenest churches in one of the greenest of states, and nothing proves that more than its spanking new sanctuary building, which opened in October.
It's a model for ecological correctness: locally harvested wood, bamboo flooring, compact fluorescent lights and a furnace that will heat the facility using grass, corn or wood pellets. The congregation expects to go through 30 to 35 tons of wood pellets this first winter in the new building.
Even the air conditioning is provided by using water from an artesian well.
"I'd like to think we're cutting-edge," says the Rev. Mary Abele, who heads the congregation that numbers 70 but is growing every week. "I suspect some come now because of our environmental practices."

Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 25 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.Find discounts on energy saving products at http://www.shopipl.org/

How Green Was My Alley?

Pretty green, if you live in Chicago near one of its new "green" alleys, according to a New York Times article on the greening of Chicago (excerpted below):

In a green alley, water is allowed to penetrate the soil through the pavement itself, which consists of the relatively new but little-used technology of permeable concrete or porous asphalt. Then the water, filtered through stone beds under the permeable surface layer, recharges the underground water table instead of ending up as polluted runoff in rivers and streams.
Some of that water may even end up back in Lake Michigan, from which Chicago takes a billion gallons a year.
“The question is, if you’ve got to resurface an alley anyway, can you make it do more for you?” said Janet Attarian, the project’s director.
The new pavements are also designed to reflect heat from the sun instead of absorbing it, helping the city stay cool on hot days. They also stay warmer on cold days. The green alleys are given new kinds of lighting that conserve energy and reduce glare, city officials said, and are made with recycled materials.
Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 25 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.htmEnjoy discounts on energy saving products at http://www.shopipl.org/

HGTV Goes Green

In addition to their usual Dream Home Giveaway, HGTV (Home and Garden Television) in the United States is building and giving away an eco-friendly home in 2008. Learn more here.

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at http://www.irejn.org/.

Help the Needy and Learn about Green Design

CTGBC Summer Tour

Foodshare LEED-Certified Distribution Center Tour

Donate food and learn about green design…Date: June 6, Wednesday, 3 - 6pm

Board meeting 3pm Tour/speaker 4pm followed by reception

Location: Bloomfield, CT

Join the tour and see first-hand how energy efficiency benefits brought LEED to a non-profit organization with a refrigerated facility. Tour conducted by design team member.

Cost: Free to CTGBC members. All attendees are requested to bring a donation of food or make a donation to Foodshare.

Directions Please register by sending an e-mail to Kim Trella including your name, company, and e-mail contact information to http://us.f431.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=kim.trella@po.state.ct.us Thanks.

Going Green

MSNBC has a feature on various aspects of going green, including carbon offsets, clean energy, green home remodeling, building a green house, and green business. It includes both video and print stories.

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Green Magazine

The New York Times Magazine for Sunday, May 21 has an issue on all aspects of green building design and energy efficiency. It also includes interviews with Al Gore and Ed Begley, Jr. You can only read it for free during the week of May 21-28, unless you have a paid subscription with access to their archives. (The New York Times requires registration, but free registration gives access to the current issue and most features.)
IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

The Green Sixteen

The Houston Chronicle reported that

Sixteen cities around the world will begin cutting carbon emissions by renovating city-owned buildings with green technology under a program spearheaded by former President Clinton's foundation.
Bill Clinton was to announce the partnership Wednesday, joined by mayors of several of the cities, as part of an international climate summit he is hosting this week in New York City.
Clinton's foundation described details to The Associated Press ahead of the announcement. Major global banking institutions have committed $1 billion to finance the upgrades of municipal buildings in participating cities, which include New York, Chicago, Houston, Toronto, Mexico City, London, Berlin and Tokyo.
The makeovers will include replacing heating, cooling and lighting systems with energy-efficient networks; making roofs white or reflective to deflect more of the sun's heat; sealing windows and installing new models that let more light in; and setting up sensors to control more efficient use of lights and air conditioning.
Clinton's foundation said the planned changes have the potential to reduce energy use by 20 percent to 50 percent in those buildings. The reduction could mean a significant decrease in heat-trapping carbon emissions, as well as cost savings on utility bills.
Buildings often represent a city's worst culprits in contributing to emissions. In New York, for example, the consumption of electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and steam needed to operate buildings generates 79 percent of the city's total carbon count.

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Time on Climate Change

Time Magazine has a long piece on how to combat climate change. Check out their ambitious "51 Ways to Save the Environment."
IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Gift Bags are Out, Green Chic is In

Seems the expensive gift bags filled with things like diamond rings and Rolex watches that award show presenters were given in the past few years are passe, now that the IRS has ruled that they are taxable income. This year's Golden Globes participants will instead be invited to feast on organic food at an empty apartment building soon to be turned into eco-friendly apartments. Trees will be planted in each attendee's honor. The event is designed to help raise awareness about environmental issues, according to tv.com.

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Evanston, Illinois Boasts First Certified Green Synagogue

The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation’s new building in Evanston is expected to be the first certified "green" synagogue in America, according to the Chicago Jewish Community website, in an article about the increasing interest among the Jewish community in combatting climate change.

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Green Building on WNPR

Listen to a Faith Middletown radio show from Dec. 7 featuring Green Building tips. The show covers new construction and retrofits, and focuses on how energy conservation is the #1 thing you can do to reduce your home's environmental impact over time.
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The Katrina Cottage

Designed as an alternative to FEMA trailers, the Katrina Cottage is 308 square feet, the same size as a FEMA trailer. See and read about it at Inhabitat, a blog that features green building.