Saving Earth, serving God

Worship spaces are going green as congregations play more of a role as environmental stewards.

By CARYN ROUSSEAU, The Associated Press May 2, 2009

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Rabbi Brant Rosen walks past the Ark of the Covenant that is made from recycled woven metal in the sanctuary at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation synagogue in Evanston, Ill. The wooden wall visible at left is made from reclaimed cypress wood from barns.

EVANSTON, Ill. — When it rained, water filled the basement a foot high, flooding the preschool room at least once a year. The air conditioner wouldn't work in two rooms at the same time. The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation desperately needed a new synagogue.

As members planned their new building, they decided it should reflect the belief, shared by many faiths, that God calls them to be responsible stewards of the Earth.

They decided to go green from the ground up.

Cypress wood reclaimed from barns in upstate New York was used for the new synagogue's exterior, white cinder blocks from the old building were crushed and recycled, and brown cabinet doors made from sunflower husks were hung in the offices.

As Americans are becoming more environmentally conscious, more religious groups are looking to make their worship spaces sustainable. The efforts range from small country congregations using energy-efficient bulbs to megachurches complying with complex green-building codes.

"It was about making a sacred statement," Rabbi Brant Rosen said of the synagogue in Evanston, a Chicago suburb. "If we were going to talk the talk, we needed to walk the walk. The whole process forced us to look at our values in a deeper way."

The $9 million synagogue opened in February 2008, and in September became the only house of worship in the country to receive the highest green-building rating from the nonprofit U.S. Green Buildings Council, whose standards are considered the benchmark for environmentally friendly buildings.

Since 2005, just 10 congregations have>>>