Today’s faith-based spaces have numerous options when it comes to sustainable practices, and not everything has to be done on the inside of the building. Consider landscaping.
“Sustainable elements with landscaping can be incorporated into most any building or site design provided that there is support, money, interest, and understanding,” says Barbara Brem, RLA, CPSI, CCA Landscape Architects in Dallas. “Due to the financial constraints of a church, this would require [a] strong commitment from not only the building committee but also the congregation.”
Ecological landscaping includes planting with low-water use native plants, growing edibles, installing permeable surfaces to promote infiltration of rainwater, and creating a habitat for birds and beneficial insects in the landscape.
Rainwater harvesting
Buildings all over the world rely on rainwater for all their water needs, with rainwater harvesting an increasingly popular way to reduce freshwater consumption. According to Seattle-based Magnusson Klemencic Associates, when combined with an effective rain garden, green roofs can make it possible to have zero discharge of rainwater from the site, therefore saving money by not having to connect to the storm sewer system.
“There are three main benefits [to rainwater harvesting]: to prevent water pollution, to conserve and reduce water consumption, and to foster an awareness of how our buildings and landscapes are connected to natural waterways.”
Laura Allen is the founding member of Greywater Action, fiscally sponsored by the Ecology Center in Berkeley, Calif., a collaborative group of educators, designers, builders, and artists who educate and empower people to build sustainable water culture and infrastructure. Allen reports rainwater harvesting is an important practice that benefits faith-based structures.
“There are three main benefits: to prevent water pollution, to conserve and reduce water consumption, and to foster an awareness of how our buildings and landscapes are connected to natural waterways,” Allen says. “There are two main methods to harvest rainwater, in the ground or in a tank. The first way, in-ground harvesting, is as simple as reshaping the landscape so rainwater can soak into the ground instead of running off into the street or storm drain. These ‘rain gardens’ create lovely garden features while they hydrate the land.”
The second method is to direct rainwater from the roof into a large tank. Allen reports: “Once stored, this water can be used for either irrigation or indoor use (typically non-potable use, like toilet flushing).”
Recently, Southern California experienced several days of torrential rain after months of the worst drought conditions in years, and landscape architects considered new ways to buffer the region from its historical dependence on imported water and oftentimes diminished snowpack.
“Storm water capture, the design of a more absorbent built environment, and integrating the hydrologic function into the urban planning process right alongside transportation and density are among the long-term solutions to Southern California’s drought cycle,” says Hadley Arnold, an architect and co-founder and director of the Arid Lands Institute at Burbank, Calif.’s Woodbury University. Arnold has focused on solutions to water scarcity since 1998, and he reports, “These are things that can be applied to a worship facility setting.”
Harvesting rainwater can reduce a need and demand for water transport systems that threaten the health of the water cycle and the local environment.
Permeable pavers
Permeable pavers are ideal for maintaining storm water on walkways or in parking lot—and [can be] a smart addition for any faith-based structure.
Tom Mortensen, RLA, ASLA, with R.A. Smith National Inc. in Brookfield, Wis., says that since places of worship are held in ownership for many decades, the initial investment of employing strategies such as permeable pavers in the parking areas or other innovative strategies will have a beneficial ROI in the long term.
For instance, asphalt paving is usually the least expensive means of providing a parking area (even though the cost of the piping, ponds and infrastructure are very high). However, within 12-15 years, another significant investment must be made in the ongoing maintenance, such as sealing, striping, crack filling and ultimately full replacement of the paving.
“Asphalt is much more costly over time than installing a permeable paver parking lot, which requires much less maintenance and is a stronger paving surface that allows rainwater to either infiltrate (if soils allow) or it becomes an underground detention system, thus eliminating the need for expensive infrastructure and dedicating expensive real estate to build a detention pond, which also has maintenance and liability issues,” Mortensen says. “The initial low cost of asphalt paving ends up costing these campuses a lot more money over time.”
An informed decision
While most people have heard of green roofs, water harvesting, native plants, permeable paving, rain gardens, etc., many don’t necessarily know how they can be implemented at a faith-based space while maintaining a more traditional “manicured” look.
Education, therefore, plays a key role. Proper planning can show the congregation or building committee how some or all of these items fit into the site without distracting from the house of worship itself.
In an effort to do their part, many landscape architects are informing owners of faith-based spaces about how they can employ native landscaping, green roofing, and rainwater harvesting.
Mark Hackenburg, a landscape architect for RGS Associates in Lancaster, Pa., regularly talks with local ministerium on trends in storm water management and the value of green infrastructure improvements.
“It’s really about educating them to what it does and showing them why it can be important to the congregation,” he says. “Sometimes, it’s not always clear exactly how it can be beneficial, but I think more people are coming around to it.”
Providing cost comparisons, including water, utility, and maintenance savings can provide the information that is needed to show that these sustainable practices can result in long-term savings.
According to Brem, traditional landscape practices are often viewed as more cost effective and better able to meet city code without the need to seek a variance, so the architect or landscape architect needs to help educate the congregation about available and affordable options, phased installation, and the long-term benefits.
“Since folks on building committees are volunteers, extra research and time are not ‘friends,’ but if the architect or landscape architect is willing to do the leg work, then sustainable items could potentially be incorporated,” she says. “For example, one church that I worked on could only afford to install the city required planting (those plants that were required to meet the city ordinance for new construction), but the city-approved plants included predominantly non-native, standard commercial plants. I worked with the city on a variance that allowed the use of native, low-water use shrubs, trees and grass that were not on the city-approved plant list.”
Stewardship opportunity
Depending on the philosophy of the church itself, there is great opportunity for stewardship when a worship space utilizes some of the aforementioned environmentally friendly methods.
“There is the opportunity to show how the church is acting to conserve energy, water, and resources and thus educate the congregants on how to do the same,” Brem says. “It has the same potential as programs such as food share, organic community gardens, etc.”
Yet, challenges abound.
It seems easy to say that all worship facilities should be doing these earth-friendly landscape practices, but it’s not always feasible due to finances, volunteer commitments, or other important factors.
Getting these up and running aren’t cheap and when things cost more initially (or are perceived to cost more), it may be difficult on a tight budget to justify implementing them.
In addition, programs may be easier to buy into when they appear to more directly benefit the community—such as summer lunch programs, after school programs, food share, scout groups, language programs, etc. In comparison, a green roof may not appear to provide a direct benefit to anyone outside the church or the church itself.
“There’s a lack of understanding for all the available options as well as a lack of understanding of the potential long-term cost savings compared to the initial costs,” Brem says. “There’s always more interest in tangible outreach areas.”
She adds that a church member needs to be found who is interested in not only heading up but also maintaining and garnering support for such a project for an extended period. That is, they need to see it through for several years so that interest and support can build, in Brem’s experience.
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