Prairie Village, KS
Certified Cool Congregation, 10% carbon reduction
Lutheran Church of the Resurrection is a vibrant and busy church for 200 members located in Prairie Village, KS. The building is busy all week with church activities, a day care, and a free Saturday breakfast. Lutheran Church felt strongly that their stewardship of Creation should be an example to the congregation and the larger community. In an effort to reduce energy use and respond to global warming, they decided to replace an inefficient old boiler with 93% efficient HVAC units with programmable thermostats. They also replaced incandescent lighting with CFL’s, installed motion sensors in the bathrooms, and installed low flow mechanisms in all toilets. The congregation is dedicated to social and environmental justice, saying that “it is our responsibility to do the best we can even though we are a small congregation.” Their before and after energy use shows almost a 2 ton reduction in CO2 emissions and a 10% overall carbon footprint reduction.