Energy Efficient Congregations Can Win $1,000; Submit Entries by Dec. 15

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The Cool Congregations Challenge, is an annual national contest to recognize “Cool Congregations” that are becoming energy efficient and sustainable role models within their communities. The contest is brought to you by Interfaith Power & Light, a nonprofit organization inspiring and mobilizing people of faith and conscience to take bold and just action on climate. There are no fees to enter. Deadline for entries, December 15. Get ready to enter the Challenge!

Due to Covid the project eligibility window has been expanded again for 2023. Projects completed in 2020, 2021, and 2022 will be eligible to apply. Deadline Dec 15, 2022, awards announced in February 2023.

NEW! Electric Vehicle Leader category for congregations that have encouraged EV adoption. This category includes: EVs (Congregants and Staff) • Congregational EV Charging Stations • Outreach • Educating and Advocating for EVs.  (Includes all-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and electric bikes. If your congregation is working on reducing transportation emission through public transportation or carpooling, apply to the Community Inspiration category.)

DOWNLOAD THE ENTRY GUIDE  or a PROMOTIONAL FLYER

Click here to choose your entry form

 

 

Bruce Hunn’s Article Examines Passive Solar Development in New Mexico

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“…passive solar heating and cooling was in use long before 1970, being used for centuries by the Anasazi of New Mexico, as evidenced in Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde communities of A.D. 1100. These multi-family dwellings were built facing south to maximize the heating of the winter sun and were insulated on the north by tall walls at Chaco Canyon and Bandelier National Monument, or as a cliff dwelling, as at Mesa Verde.”

Bruce Hunn, a member of New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light’s Cool Congregations Committee and St. Francis Episcopal Church in Rio Rancho, wrote this great article for the American Solar Energy Society.  The Cool Congregations Committee helps promote solar power in New Mexico and El Paso. Hunn and David Robertson, a fellow member of the committee, conduct volunteer energy audits in the Albuquerque area.

Here’s an excerpt of the article, entitled “Passive Solar Development in New Mexico: Celebrating the Pioneering Work of the 1970s and 80s.” The article was published in March 2022.

“With the National Solar Conference SOLAR 2022 being held in Albuquerque, it’s a great opportunity to honor the heritage of today’s passive solar heating and cooling technology. Technological development occurred during the 1970s and 80s, primarily at the Los Alamos National Laboratory – LANL – (originally the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory) and Sandia National Laboratories, with the continual support and collaboration of the New Mexico Solar Energy Association (NMSEA). In addition, many solar pioneers devoted years to the study of how passive solar works and how to improve its performance through analytical and physical modeling of these systems, as well as field studies of on-site applications.

Modern development of passive solar heating and cooling in New Mexico began in 1973 when the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (now LANL) expanded its nuclear research programs to include solar energy applications to buildings, under the direction of Dr. J. Douglas Balcomb. His principal colleagues initially were Stan Moore, James Hedstrom and Robert McFarland, but the program expanded to 10-15 researchers before this author joined a related program at Los Alamos in 1975.

At the same time, a creative and innovative inventor in passive solar concepts and materials, Steve Baer of Corrales, New Mexico, applied many passive heating concepts in collector and storage components in his Zomeworks business. He provided products and design services for housing and thermosyphon water heating projects in the Albuquerque area. Baer included these in the design and construction of his classic passive solar house in Corrales (built in 1971-72), where he and his wife currently reside. Truly, Baer is one of the classic passive solar entrepreneurs in New Mexico.”

Read Full Article

About the Author
Bruce D. Hunn served as ASHRAE’s Director of Strategic Technical Programs. Prior to that, he served as the Society’s Director of Technology. He’s currently an active Life member of ASHRAE. Hunn holds a B.A. in Engineering and B.S., M.S., and Ph.D degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Hunn has authored or co-authored more than 117 articles, technical reports, and papers as well as eight books or chapters in books, on energy use in buildings and solar
energy applications.

Celebrate the Summer of Certification with the National IPL

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If your congregation has taken steps to reduce your energy use and carbon emissions, apply to be a Certified Cool Congregation. Emissions reductions of 10% or more qualify.

Apply to be certified today!

If you’ve already been certified, and have made further energy saving changes to your facility, come back for a higher level.

Get certified here!

Achieving a national certification as a Cool Congregation demonstrates your leadership in your community by showing that it is possible to reduce emissions, care for our common home, and often save money in the process. It’s a way to re-energize your green team, and persuade your congregation to go even further in reducing their carbon footprint.

By getting certified, your congregation is building the movement of people of faith and conscience showing the world that we can take concrete and achievable steps to safeguard the climate for future generations.

People’s Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan is one of the latest congregations to be certified.

“It started in my first meeting with the Green Sanctuary Committee,” member Tom Hackley says. “‘I said, ‘Why don’t we pick something big like net zero by 2030?’ Thinking that everybody would say, ‘No we can’t do that,’ but everybody said, ‘Great, run with it!’”

People’s Church has reduced their emissions by 20% towards their goal of net zero with a detailed plan on how to finance and achieve net zero by 2030. Read their story here.