02/25/07 - EarthSpirit Team’s Input on Environmental Issues for the Campus

Members of the EarthSpirit Team met to provide environmental input to the Campus Renovation Team’s master planning process. The following list is not prioritized, but is a compilation of the issues the team had consensus on including.

General Design

• Design changes to incorporate multiple uses for all appropriate spaces, indoor and outdoor, taking into account different uses at different times of day, to minimize building as many new buildings.
• Design new building shapes to maximize energy efficiency, while still maintaining beauty and utility.
• Incorporate clear signage to find buildings easily.
• Make church a child/youth friendly space, incorporating love of the natural world in designing space.
• Plan on-campus storage, avoiding the need to drive to off-site space to use stored items.

Resource Reduction

• Design systems that use the least amount of energy as possible, and, as appropriate,
  • Light with natural sunlight
  • Cool with passive ventilation from breezes/wind, rather than air conditioning
  • Use solar panels to generate electricity (consider placing on buildings, walkway/entryway covers, or permanent patio or parking lot covering).
  • Install most energy efficient windows with sunlight filters or drapes, where appropriate
  • Install occupancy sensors and timers for lights, especially in bathrooms
  • Install solar or tankless water heating
  • Explore if heating floors with embedded pipes of hot water (solar heated) is efficient
  • Have SDGE do a complete energy audit
• Design systems that use least amount of water as possible
  • Install very low water use toilets
  • Have automatic water shut-off on sink faucets in restrooms
  • Set up grey watering system for water going down sinks, if possible
  • Consider feasibility of collecting roof-top water to use in landscaping
  • See xeriscaping section above for watering landscaping
• Demolish as little as needed, paying attention to reusing (by church or by another party) or recycling as much as possible; last resort is to take to landfill
• Purchase building materials from the highest recycled content or most sustainable/socially responsible materials available, within appropriate price range, taking into account how far things are transported, when possible
• Plan safe, well-lit, accessible places for recycling collection and expanded composting, and include easily identifiable, tasteful collection containers in all appropriate spaces and for all appropriate types of collection

Landscaping and Outdoor Space

• Use attractive xeriscaping in landscaping
  • Focus on California native plants, especially along edges of canyon
  • Remove invasive plants (e.g., eucalyptus)
  • Provide vegetation along entry pathway, where possible
  • Use climate controlled watering system with both automatic and manual shut-off for emergencies or special conditions
  • Have staff responsible for maintaining landscaping, not volunteers, to ensure it is maintained
  • Label plants, where possible, to inform members and encourage personal xeriscaping
  • Use grey water system to water some plants
• Make patio space more usable for all weather conditions, necessitating building fewer new buildings
  • Build patio covering for more of patio
  • Consider if storage may be included in outdoor design
• Design entryway that exhibits that we are UUs and that we care about our planet as part of our faith
• Maintain plateau without paving it over or building on it, eventually restoring it to native plants (this is the only issue the members present would need to have more in-depth conversation about to come to clear consensus)

Special Financing or Designing of Environmental Projects

• Explore independent ways of financing solar panels that allow reaping tax benefits
• Explore community partnerships to pay for specific environmentally-related projects (e.g., native plants) or to plan certain aspects of the campus (e.g., student interns designing something special)