Green Building Stories

Hundreds of congregations across the country have taken steps to "green" their congregation--from purchasing organic, fair trade coffee to installing energy efficient lighting to using conservation landscaping. Learn more about how congregations are taking action.

Plantation Baptist Church in FL is the first house of worship to be awarded EPA's Energy Star Label. Click here to view their profile.
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio is undergoing major green renovations. Read more here.
Central Baptist Church in Wayne, PA has installed 48 solar panels on their Church proff to reduce their Carbon footprint.. Click here to read their story.
York Center Church of the Brethren
University Park Church of the Brethren in University Park, Maryland has installed a 22 killo watt array of solar panels on thier roof. Click here to read more about this green church's Creation care initiatives.
Papago Church of the Brethren makes Creation care a congregational priority. Click here to see their Creation Care Website. Click here for details on their green building.
Flagstaff Federated Community Church in Flagstaff, Arizona - the congregation's green team, "Christians for the Earth" organizes workshops and adult studies for the congregation is active in making sure that the congregation practices stewardship of their sacred space.
Riverside-Salem UCC/DC, Grand Island New York - is in the process of building a straw bale building. They host the Peace Education Fund, which is sponsoring Peace on Earth Week 2010 in the WNY area, and the annual World on Your Plate food forum (see attached), which will be offering seeds during Peace on Earth Week as their spring "save the date" notice of their "harvest"/fall event.
Trinity Episcopal Church in Swarthmore, PA takes "Green" to new heights with a Green Roof. Click here to read their story.
Trinity Episcopal School completes largest solar panel array in Austin, TX. Click here to read more!
Episcopal sisters of the Community of the Holy Spirit are taking a giant step in their decade-long journey to weave ecological concerns into their daily ministry. Click here to read the NY Times article.
St. Albans Episcopal Church in Washington, DC blesses their new solar panels. Click here to read their story. To read an account from the rector, the Rev. Scott Benhase, that appeared in the Post, click here.
All Saints Episcopal Church in Brookline, Mass - Click here to read about their statements and actions regarding the millennium development goals.
Bishop's Ranch Retreat and Conference Center
Our Savior Episcopal Church
Episcopal sisters of the Community of the Holy Spirit are taking a giant step in their decade-long journey to weave ecological concerns into their daily ministry. Click here to read the NY Times article.
St. Pauls Church in Walnut Creek, CA develops a plan to finance solar panels that pays off! Click here to read more.
Friends Committee on National Legislation has recently renovated their D.C. office and made the first Green Building on Capitol Hill!
Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC builds green
First Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee, FL has installed solar panels and has save enough energy to power one home for one year! click here to learn how.
Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in the Valley is installing solar panels
St. Mark Presbyterian Church is named the Audubon Society’s Greenest Congregation. Click here to read more about St. Mark's Earth Day2010 festivities.
Covenant Community Church takes Small Steps toward Big Savings!
Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church, Kensington, MD - "We may be a red brick building, but we are working to be a "green" church!"
Forest Lake Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC- “ALL GOD’S CREATURES, GREAT AND SMALL”.... Their Environment is our Sacred Space
First Church of Christ in Mansfield
Reformed Church in America grants Creation Care Awards. Click here to read more.
Umstead Park United Church of Christ has become the first church in the Southeast to achieve Gold level certification for its building under the national LEED program.
St. Mark United Methodist Church in Seneca, SC - Shows the movie Kilowatt Hours every year on Earth Day Sunday for the Confirmation Class. They also have a special class on the environment with tips on being good stewards of God’s Creation and encourage members to bring their own dishes and silverware when they have church meetings rather than use disposable products.
United Methodists are going green! To read about congregations in California, Massachusetts, and Virginia who are answering God's call to be caretakers of Creation by building green, speaking out for climate justice, and participating in a "Green Church Initiative click here.
The United Methodist churches of North Texas have joined forces to buy "green" electricity generated by windmills in the western part of the state. Click here to read the article.
United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz builds green.
EarthCare of First United Methodist Church in San Diego
Faith United Methodist Church, Champaign, IL
The Rock United Methodist Chruch, Cedar Park, TX
York-Ogunquit United Methodist Church in Maine is going green. Click here to read more.
Unitarian Universalist Church West has installed Brookfield’s first solar-electric generating system. Click here for more details of the system!
First Universalist Church, Minneapolis, MN - Last year around Earth Day, six bike parking stanchions were installed in front of our church. This year, First Universalist has started a comprehensive recycling program which has reduced our trash by 65 to 75%! We've had our Green Stewards volunteers monitor the various bins during our social hour after our services. It's quite a learning curve for all the congregants, but the progress is definately visible.
Religious Groups Go Green in Merrimack Valley. Click here to learn more
A total of 15 Churches in the Bay Area have gone green! Click here to read the article.
Ontario churches are going green! Click here to read the article in the Anglican Journal.
Earth Ministry and local congregations in Seattle are featured on television! Click here to watch the video
Wisconsin Interfaith IMPACT: Church Stewardship Project
Adat Shalom in Bethesda, MD
American Jewish Committee has launched a “Green Building” initiative to explore how to achieve LEED certification for their New York headquarters, which would make AJC the first non-profit agency in New York to achieve LEED status.