LDS Church officials have recently been showing off their new “green” stake center in Farmington UT. According to Dean Davies, managing director of physical facilities for the church, the meetinghouse will be about 30 percent more energy efficient that others the standard Mormon meetinghouse. It has 156 solar panels on the building south-facing roof. The building is well insulated, uses highly efficient windows, carpet made from recycled materials, tankless water heaters, and European-style toilets that offer a choice of flush options. The heating and air-conditioning system is fully automated for optimum efficiency. Sensors will turn off lights when people are not in the rooms. Recycling bins for paper, glass, and plastics will be a first for an LDS chapel. Outside, about 70 percent of the landscaping is in rock or bark, and the irrigation system has sensors to assist with water conservation. “We want to be responsible members of the community . . . and I mean the community of man.”
A monitor in the “green” church’s central library will show the number of kilowatts the solar panels are producing. The building’s hour-by-hour electrical use and its carbon-emission savings also will be posted.
The following quotes appeared in the SLTrib:
“There is something very doctrinally sound when we talk about the conservation of resources,” said H. David Burton, Presiding Bishop of the LDS Church. (4/27/2010)
“I don’t think it could be overstated, how important this is,” says George Handley, a humanities professor at BYU with interests in eco-criticism and eco-theology. “It teaches a number of things simultaneously. It is a very strong statement for environmental stewardship, that we recognize religion has a very vital role to play in stewardship.” And he continues, “The membership is very, very hungry for that kind of instruction.” (4/29/2010)
Allen Leigh, a retired computer programmer in South Jordan, lauds his church’s move. “It’s a very positive step forward.” (4/29/2010)
According to the “Ensign” (Sep 2010):
“Think of the new meeting house in Farmingon, Utah, USA–complete with solar panels and wider hallways–as a test drive.
The building, along with four others in Utah and Nevada, is part of a new pilot program that will influence future building designs. They were built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Enviromental Design) certification requirements, designed to reduce water use, waste and pollution. The solar panels will prevent two million pounds of carbon dioxide pollution over the next 25 years, and the other buildings have special light-colored roofs that will reduce cooling costs.”