...a total package for green energy projects in religious buildings!
"The heart of this project is the sacred activity of bringing together people who share commitments
In three areas: 1) energy, 2) the environment and 3) social justice for all the people who share this precious planet."
- Dr. M. O’ Neall
"I was driving along I-25 toward Greeley and on the left side I saw a lovely old frame church with a huge sloping roof facing south. I thought what a waste there’s no solar on that roof…God surely weeps!"
- Rev. Tina Yankee
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Faith BUILDings Alliance offers a unique chance to put faith into action by making houses of worship into models of "green" energy , while training and employing disadvantaged workers.
Building Green Solutions
The Faith BUILDings Alliance founders saw that they could solve a number of faith and social problems:
- The earth needs care
People need jobs to feed their families
Most faith buildings are old and inefficient
The answer became the Faith BUILDings Alliance — a project to train disadvantaged workers to institute energy efficiency measures and install renewable energy systems at faith buildings.
Green Services
Faith BUILDings Alliance offers a range of green services to its faith partners:
Education: A theatre piece will illustrate the need for green jobs and the plight of the unemployed
Energy Audits: Conduct energy audits to assess site inefficiencies and needs
Energy Efficiency: Implement energy efficiency measures like weatherization, insulation, "Energy Star" rated boilers and appliances, lighting upgrades and more
Renewable Energy: Install solar, wind and geothermal power systems and more
Share Information: Increase an awareness of area available services, products, organizations and preferred vendor list
Financial Services Information: Assist investors who want to finance ethical projects
Administration: Coordinate contractor evaluation and documents
Win-Win Blessings
Faithful Investors benefit by:
- Investing in line with spiritual values
- Having an alternative to investment in today’s stock market
- Realizing a return on investment through Power Purchase Agreements with rebates, and renewable energy credits (REC’s), advanced deprecation, various tax incentives
- Stimulating the economy
Faith Buildings & Congregations benefit by:
- Being good stewards of creation
- Resulting in a "Ripple Effect" of knowledge among members and in the community
- Promoting social justice for new workers
- Realizing enormous energy and cost savings
- Paying for systems from energy savings—and ability to use surplus energy generated onto the power grid when needed at no cost
Disadvantaged Workers benefit by:
- Receiving valuable training
- Entering industry with growth opportunities
- Growing professionally and spiritually
Non-profit & Government Agencies benefit by:
- Instituting environmentally responsible policy
- Engaging communities, and memberships
- Assisting the unemployed (with priority for Veterans) providing training, case management
- Fulfilling their missions
Green Energy Companies benefit by:
- Spreading sound environmental practices
- Developing new workers
- Building a unique market
Proven Projects
Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge employed 70 workers over a six month period, installing geothermal heating/ AC, mechanical, Solar pre-wiring, lighting, energy efficiency and related work as repaving measures in 2008. A $1,200,000 project, $200,000 came from the congregation and the rest (about $1 million) from a loan from the national Lutheran church, to be repaid with interest by parishioners and the $4,000 monthly energy savings from the project.
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Denver invested $64,000 in efficient boilers and lighting. The first month alone they saved $1,700 on gas and electric bills. Most recently the church purchased a 21kW solar system (106 panels) for $158,000. Our Savior’s cash investment was only $58,000. The system is owned and operated by a third party financing program formed by Community Solar Partners who will receive the Xcel Rebates, renewable Energy Credits and all of the available tax benefits. Two Turnabout participants (one a veterans) were employed along with 5 other workers.
Turnabout’s Executive Director, Rev. Tina Yankee, who for the past 10 years has served part-time as Community Pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church (www.oslcdenver.org); has participated in the decision to purchase the church’s energy system from Bella Energy, as well as facilitated Bella’s employment of two Turnabout/FBA clients for the project. Funding was facilitated thorough a unique financing arrangement called Community Solar Partners.
“This is a win-win for everyone,” remarks Rev. Yankee. “The church not only gets its solar electricity, it gets to fulfill its mission to help those who have been in prison and other disadvantaged populations; Bella Energy gets the revenue from the sale and installation of the solar panels; and the investors get a decent return on their investment while helping to protect the planet.”
“We see this as part of our calling to be stewards of the resources we have been given,” says Pastor Paul Carlson of OSLC. “Caring for creation is central to who we are and who we are called to be. It’s the faithful response out of gratitude for the goodness and beauty of Creation.”
Below is a link Bella Energy has provided for viewing graphs which give ongoing performance data on the system installed at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church:
http://siteapp.fatspaniel.net/siteapp/simpleView.jsf?&view=PV/standard/Simple&eid=392051
Proven Savings
Studies show that churches, synagogues, and mosques and other houses of worship can save money and the environment.
Average Energy Savings
High-efficiency boilers 30—40%
Weatherization & insulation 10—14%
CFL lighting 15%
Solar photovoltaic 20—30%
Windows & doors 25%
Partners & Contributors
Faith BUILDings Alliance thanks our project partners and contributors, including:
- Our Savior’s Lutheran Church – Denver — Rev. Tina Yankee
- Colorado Interfaith Power & Light — Rev. Nelson Bock
- Dr. Ambrose Carroll — Green For All Fellow
- Dr. Margret O’Neall — Unitarian pastor
- Rev. Mark Meeks — pastor of Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church—Denver
- Dorothy Lorig, member of Jefferson Unitarian Church– Golden
- Dr. Marilyn J. Richardson Lewis — affiliate faculty, Regis University
- Sustainable Business Group – Herb Rubenstein
ENERGY JOB ASSISTANCE—NON-PROFITS-TRAINING
- City & County of Denver, Office of Economic Development
- Colorado Youth Corps Association
- DenverWorks
- Empowerment Program
- Veterans — CWT Program and Veterans Green Jobs
COMPANIES /BUSINESS
- Smart Energy Living Alliance – Preferred Vendors
- Bella Energy
- Chaps Holding Company
- Green Power Company
- Hyperform Design Co-op, Timothy C. Geisler, AIA, LEED-AP
- Lightly Treading, Inc.
- Major Heating and Geothermal
- Namaste Solar
- R G Insulation
- Rocky Mountain Independent Electrical Contractors Association
- Small projects PPA/Investments/Banking - Coughlin and Company, etc.
Faith BUILDings Alliance is a non-profit division of Turnabout, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization in the State of Colorado (1997). In 1985 Turnabout began as a outreach mission of Trinity United Methodist Church—Denver.
This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded under the Workforce Innovation in Regional Development (WIRED) as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration working in partnership with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, and the City and County of Denver's Office of Economic Development. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This solution is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.
Faith BUILDings Alliance
1630 East 14th Avenue
Denver, CO 80218