Green Synagogue is solar-powered and eco friendly

story from The Toronto Star


Worship; Where greenliness is next to . . .

From solar panels to windows and paint, synagogue keeps the faith with eco-efficiency

Catherine Porter, Environment Reporter, TheStar.com

Think of it as the Darchei Noam's new green yarmulke – a row of solar panels and a reflective, white membrane covering the synagogue's new roof.

But here, it's a symbol of the congregation's commitment to the environment, as well as God.

"It's a Jewish value – to heal the world and take care of the planet," says Tamara Zielony, looking out at the newly-arrived burgundy chairs lining the sanctuary.

When worshippers fill them for the first time today to watch as the synagogue's Torah scrolls are delivered into the sanctuary's ark, marking the official opening of the building, it will be as the greenest Jews in the country.

Rows of energy-efficient compact fluorescent and ceramic metal halide lights dangle from the ceiling. The beige carpet is 100 per cent recycled. The walls were coloured a rich mahogany with natural paint that emits no asthma-inducing volatile organic compounds. And the window curtain that lines the whole north side is double-paned with thermal insulation and built to ensure that no joints would leak air.

"Anything we bought was energy efficient," says Alan Levine, the enthusiastic chair of the congregation's construction committee. "We designed the building with environmentally sustainable principles."

Darchei Noam's members are leaders in an emerging green religious movement. Just down Sheppard Ave., the new home for St. Gabriel's Catholic Church was built with a green roof and solar wall – garnering it the country's first and only gold-standard certificate for a religious building by the reputable LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.

The non-profit organization "Faith in the Common Good" now includes more than 100 faith groups, many actively working to reduce their carbon footprint in the face of global warming.

"Eco-spirituality is a common denominator among all faiths. All have instruction in their holy texts to revere the natural world, to keep it holy," says Rory O'Brien, a co-ordinator with the multi-faith group. And despite dwindling congregations, religious sanctuaries have the potential to make a big impact.

"There are 30,000 faith buildings across the country, 7,000 in Ontario. If we green them all and prevent all the energy losses, we'll save a lot of money and tonnes of greenhouse gases from going into the atmosphere," O'Brien says.

If there's one place that people can be truly motivated by the greater good – rather than the bottom line – it's here, in a place of worship.

Darchei Noam is a reconstructionist congregation – a progressive branch of Judaism that holds democracy and social justice among its tenets. After 30 years of worshipping in rented space, the congregation bought an old synagogue on Sheppard Ave. near Allen Rd. five years ago, and set out to raise money – and ideas – for its renovation.

The $6.5 million result is breathtaking in beauty and eco-consciousness. The original brick walls were insulated and then stuccoed. The old boiler was ripped out and a high-efficiency heating system installed, which allows different parts of the building to be heated at different levels and draws cool air from outside instead of motoring up the air conditioning.

"To have enough hot water for 300 people one day and six the next would have been very wasteful," says Levine, opening a closet to reveal a gas-fired water heater that heats water on demand. He opens the door to the women's washroom and jumps inside, triggering the lights above. "Most spaces have motion sensors, so the room's only lit when it's in use," he says.

Led by a member-architect and the volunteer "Shomrei Adamah" committee (Hebrew for "guardians of the Earth"), the congregation examined every element, right down to the glass dishes in the kitchen – replacing paper – and the bike rack in the basement, which come spring will move outside.

Their next step is buying green office and cleaning products, says Zielony, who, inspired by the project, built a green roof on her North Toronto home.

Instead of applying for expensive LEED certification, the congregation decided to install 22 solar panels along the roof, which will generate around 5,000 kilowatt-hours over the year – enough to power half a home.

He doesn't know how long it will take to pay off the expensive retrofits in energy savings.

"We never needed to justify the investment from a payout point of view. We justified it from an environmental point of view," he says.



WHAT'S GREEN AT DARCHEI NOAM

• Programmable thermostats in most rooms

• Carbon dioxide sensors, ensuring air is brought in from outside only as needed

• Tinted, double-glazed windows with low heat-transmission that in many places open, so Mother Nature can do some of the cooling in spring and fall

• Motion-activated sinks and low flush toilets and urinals

• Waste diversion of all recyclable and organic materials

• White roof, which reflects hot summer sun and reduces air conditioning

• 100 per cent recyclable carpet made out of reclaimed materials

• Solvent-free paints

• Compact fluorescent light fixtures and lamps


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