houses of worship

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.