Greener Pastures
Article reprinted from US AIRWAYS ATTACHE' Magazine April 2002

A Pennsylvania church takes the initiative
with a major project to protect the environment.

By Stephen M. Wolf

As this column is being written in late January, the temperature outside is 70 degrees. This is a record for the day, and not just by a fraction but by a full four degrees. At the same time, the front page of this morning's Washington Post carries a story warning of the potential of severe drought throughout the Middle Atlantic and New England states.

Whether all of this is evidence of the effect of global warming, only time will tell. However, signs of a worldwide shift in temperature continue to confront us daily. Take, for example, the research of scientist George Divocky. He has been studying a colony of Arctic seabirds for an extraordinary 25 years. As related in a recent New York Times Magazine article, the bird population has been steadily decreasing, and Divocky has abundant evidence that this is related to a significant shrinkage in the Arctic ice cap and its effect on the birds' breeding habits. The shrinkage of the ice cap, in turn, has been linked in numerous studies to global warming.

All of this leaves many of us concerned but uncertain about what we, as individuals, can do. If some scientists still raise questions about the course of action despite the evidence, and if the government remains tentative on the issue, what is the average person to do?

A group in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is providing us with one example of the way in which individuals can make a difference. The members of St. Stephen's Episcopal Cathedral, as part of their educational outreach ministry, are undertaking a multimillion-dollar project to build a church structure that is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. The design of this "green" project is intended to be effective not only once the building is in operation but also while the construction is in progress.

The project began as an effort to expand the church's innovative school program, which serves 190 students, many of them, inner-city kids. For years, St. Stephen's classrooms have been tucked away in basements and other parts of buildings that date back to the early nineteenth century.

With the planning it its earliest phase, a group within the congregation wondered whether the building project also could embrace its members' interest in the environment. "Say the word and maybe we can find others whose ministry is like yours," Dean Malcolm McDowell, said. "Can we combine our building project and the need to be environmentally sensitive? It took on a life of its own. We became committed to it."

With a grant and  technical assistance from Interfaith Power and Light, a religious and environmental partnership sponsored by the Heinz Endowments, it became clear that the church could carry out a green project that not only could be cost-neutral as compared to traditional construction methods, but also would generate considerable savings in energy costs over time.

The task is not an easy one. Two of the buildings are on the National Historic Register--the main church, built in 1826, and an adjacent mansion, built in the 1840s. A third component, a parking garage, dates to 1913.

To give further definition to the project, the congregation decided to become the first church in the country to seek recognition under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The program sets strict criteria in everything from the prevention of soil erosion during construction to the use of energy-efficient mechanical systems.

In just one example of combining modern energy-saving and historic preservation, the design team is reopening old natural-ventilation systems in the roof of the cathedral and installing variable-speed fans rather than an expensive air-conditioning system. This will cost 40 percent less to install and will pay for itself in just four years due to energy-cost savings.

Green principles are being applied in a similar manner throughout the building, according to the architect, Vern McKissick. Innovative heat-exchange systems will be used instead of traditional heating and cooling. The conversion of the garage into a building will feature recycled materials ranging from steel bolts to insulation. When the project is completed, McKissick estimates that the church will save tens of thousands of dollars annually in energy costs.

And the green concept is catching on elsewhere in the heart of Harrisburg, where the cathedral is located two blocks from the state capitol. When the congregation learned that a ten-story office building was being planned for an adjacent parcel, they were able to persuade the builder to embrace green building principles.

Fundraising for the church project is almost complete, and Dean McDowell says that it attracts donors because it embraces green building principles. The church hopes to break ground this summer.

The parishioners of St. Stephen's are demonstrating that we can take our environmental future into our own hands and that there are others who can guide us is we but look for them.