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Sustainable Houses of Worship: Converting Religious Institutions Into Beacons of Sustainability

Report last updated February 4, 2011

A Report on the Pilot Initiative

Michael Kriegh, RA LEED

In 2010, the Pratt Center for Community Development helped three Bedford-Stuyvesant churches conduct energy audits and retrofits, assess their potential to renovate underutilized space for income and community benefit, and assess the repair needs of their buildings’ shells. This pilot project demonstrates that assisting congregations to upgrade their buildings for energy efficiency will not only reduce the operating costs of the religious institution, thereby freeing up income for services to their communities, it can convert religious institutions into beacons of environmental sustainability, providing leadership to their congregations and surrounding community to engage in energy efficiency and environmental action.

The Pratt Center gives thanks and appreciation to Senator Velmanette Montgomery, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), ConEdison, and New York State Council on the Arts for making this pilot possible, to Friendship Baptist Church, Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church and Siloam Presbyterian Church for the privilege of working with you, and to Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and the NYC Justice Corps for your contributions.

SHOW_PrattCenter.pdf

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Success in Staten Island, Block by Block

News last updated December 12, 2011

On December 8, 2011 Council Member Debi Rose, local community organizations and representatives from the Pratt Center for Community Development gathered at a special forum spotlighting the strides that Staten Island is making toward energy efficiency through the Retrofit NYC Block by Block program. The forum featured a special presentation by students from Wagner College on their research into ways to support communities getting involved in retrofitting at a mass scale.

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New York Storm Relief Rebate Program - Closed

News last updated September 16, 2011

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo launched an $8 million appliance grant program for those who sustained property damage as a result of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The program will help New Yorkers cover the costs of replacing vital household appliances, such as refrigerators, boilers washing machines and furnaces, damaged by the recent flooding.

Eligible appliances include:

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Sustainability Seeds are planted in Brooklyn

News last updated August 9, 2011

On August 10, The Brooklyn Community Foundation (BCF) officially launched “Brooklyn Greens,” a three-year $750,000 commitment to help three low-income communities in Brooklyn to become models for environmentally responsible, sustainable living.

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NYSERDA Can Help Your Building Complete Its Benchmarking Requirements - Closed

News last updated April 28, 2011

All buildings over 50,000 square feet in New York City will be required to submit benchmarking data by August 1, 2011 as part Local Law 84 and the city’s Greener, Greater Buildings Plan.

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Customer-sited Solar PV Electric Generation Projects - NYSERDA PON 2156 - Closed

News last updated March 21, 2011

NYSERDA has just released the Renewable Portfolio Standard Customer-Site Tier Regional Program (PON 2156) to address geographic balance for solar photovoltaic and renewable biogas electric generation systems.

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Incentives for Commercial Lighting Contractors - Closed

News last updated January 12, 2011

The New York Energy $mart Commercial Lighting Program was created with three goals in mind: improving the understanding of energy efficient lighting and its benefits, improving the infrastructure to deliver lighting solutions and market the benefits to customers, and making energy-efficient lighting information more accessible for customers. NYSERDA’s Commercial Lighting Program provides incentives to promote and implement energy efficient lighting design and use in commercial buildings.

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Pratt Center Honors Brooklyn Church as Beacon of Sustainability

News last updated October 6, 2010

 Last week the Pratt Center honored Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, led by Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood, as a “Beacon of Sustainability” for its leadership in promoting energy efficiency. Over the past year, Mt. Pisgah has turned itself into a shining example for the entire community. Working with Pratt Center lead architect Michael Bogdanffy-Kriegh under our Sustainable Houses of Worship program, Mt. Pisgah underwent an energy audit of its 39,000-square-foot facility and proceeded to implement every measure recommended by the auditor, including lighting upgrades,the creation of separate heating zones for each building in the complex, and insulation of water pipes.

The church will see a net financial gain because the improvements are projected to lower its energy consumption costs by $13,000 a year. It also saw some immediate cost savings through Con Edison incentives, and resourceful problem-solving by the boiler mechanic referred by the Pratt Center lowered the projected cost of a boiler upgrade to $1,600 from $8,000.

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Green Agenda for Jackson Heights Released

News last updated July 22, 2010

On Saturday, May 22, the Pratt Center, Queens Community House and Friends of Travers Park released the Green Agenda for Jackson Heights, the product of a five-month, community-wide visioning process for a sustainable future in one of New York City's most diverse neighborhoods. 

More than 400 community members contributed to multilingual grassroots planning sessions, which were held by volunteers in living rooms, schools, houses of worship, community centers, and senior centers. Participants identified priority areas for greening Jackson Heights, including expanding open space, reducing waste, and many other steps toward environmental and economic sustainability. Residents proposed strategies that built upon existing strengths while addressing neighborhood concerns. The final document includes goals as well as recommendations thatcan be implemented legislatively, by community-based organizations, and by individuals.

Download the Green Agenda here! [19 MB]

or download by section

 

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Retrofit Block By Block Inspires New Citywide Program

News last updated February 17, 2010

In her 2010 State of the City Address, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced a new Council-led initiative to retrofit homes for energy efficiency, focusing efforts in targeted locations in all five boroughs. Speaker Quinn noted that the new program will be based on a project created by the Pratt Center for Community Development. The Council will be supporting the five retrofit sites with assistance to property owners in obtaining financing for improvements, including a new loan fund.

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