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Why buildinggreen matters
Winter 2008Winter 2008
Thorncrown Chapel photo by Whit Slemmons; used with permission.
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• On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007
What is greenbuilding?Why it matters.
Solomon’s Temple, described in I Kings 6, is among the earliest
documented buildings in human history. Located on Jerusalem’s high
ground overlooking the Kidron Valley and acing east toward the Mount
o Olives, it was laid out axially proceeding rom the outer courtyard
into the vestibule, through the sanctuary and altar, nally arriving at the
innermost room reserved or the holy o holies. The Temple’s descrip-
tion indicates a clear set o proportional relationships based on the cubit
(itsel a proportional measure o humans made in God’s image). It was
built o stone with a roo o cedar beams and planks rom the orests oLebanon. The interior lined with cedar lit rom high windows must have
been a dazzling sight celebrating the glory o God with a room encrusted
in gold.
But was it “green?”
Just what is “green” building? Should building green matter to church-
es? Is there anything to gain rom building green? What is involved in
building a green church?
A widely established scientic consensus today shows that the burn-
ing o ossil uels is directly related to climate change. Churches play a
small but signicant role in the climate change equation because the
heating, cooling, lighting and powering o our buildings oten requires
burning ossil uels.
But green building is
about more than en-
ergy eciency: it also
includes the site, wa-
By Al Terry, AIA
Building green is about creating
the human habitat in a responsible
manner consistent with the biblical call
to be stewards of Creation.
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On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007 •
ter use, materials and the quality
o the indoor environment.
Among the many reasons why
churches should embrace green
building, the Genesis call to be
stewards o Creation is at the
top. Building green is about cre-
ating human habitat in a manner
consistent with this biblical call.
The advantages to building green churches include:
1. Protectingnaturalhabitatandopenspacebyminimizingsite impacts.
2.Reducingenergyuseandassociatedchurchbuildingoperating
costs.
3.Minimizingcontributionsbychurchestoclimatechange.
4.Makinguseofsustainablebuildingmaterialsandmethods.
5.ConnectingcongregationstothebeautyofCreation.
Green building supports the creation o better buildings. Better build-
ings are a result o good planning, good design, and construction meth-
ods which incorporate green solutions. A number o excellent programs
and resources are available to assist with the green building process.
Among those directly related to churches are the National Council o
Churches website www.nccecojustice.org and their ‘Building A Firm
Foundation’ guide, and the EPA’s website www.energystar.gov/con-
gregation. The USGBC LEED program and the GBI Green Globes pro-
gram are two green building certication programs with many helpul
resources (see a list o resources on page 10). While these programs
provide a good way to measure the ‘greenness’ o a building project, it is
the design strategies that green building has to oer that are o great-
est benet. The “good news” is that many o these methods have been
around or a long time, and many o the great religious buildings o his-
tory have made use o them.
As we know, much o Jesus’ ministry was lived outdoors in places like
the Wilderness, the Sea o Galilee, and Gethsemane. We consider these
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• On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007
places sacred ground, but so too are the places where our spiritual com-
munities worship. It is imperative to set our churches in and on the land
with care and respect.
The importance of locationChoosing the right location is one o the most important decisions a
church will ever make. Location can aect lot size requirements, park-
ing, access to public transportation, proximity to community services,
and impacts on natural habitat, wetlands or armlands. For example, the
average development cost or a parking space in the U.S. is now almost
ten thousand dollars, and there are other costs as well: loss o vegeta-
tion; increase in the heat island eect; chemical and pollutant runo;
and increased rate o stormwater runo that causes fooding. St Peters
Lutheran Church in New York City was originally an overbuilt church that
covered the entire block beore arranging with Citicorp to share the site.
Now the spot has an oce tower and a beautiul church o the right
size or the congregation, which takes advantage o shared parking and
nearby public transportation.A “green” roo can be another eective way to reduce environmental
impacts by creating a building with a longer roo lie, lower heating and
cooling costs, reduced heat island eect, and slowed stormwater runo
rates—all while creating oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide. Planting
trees and landscaping parking lots can also provide many o the same
benets as green roos, while creating a pleasant place to arrive, and
transition into the worship experience.
Water, a necessity o lie and a central eature o baptism, can be
conserved by planting drought tolerant
landscapes and using ecient irriga-
tion systems. The use o waterless or
low fow urinals, dual fush toilets, and
aucet strainers are appropriate ways
to conserve this precious resource.
The narrow water channels used to ir-
rigate the trees in the Court o the Or-
anges next to the Mosque in Cordoba,
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Spain are a beautiul example
o how to conserve and use
water in a sacred way in the
garden, a microcosm o
paradise.
Energy use is a concern or
many congregations because
it is oten their largest non-salary expense. It is also worthwhile to con-
sider some o the other costs o building energy use:
1. TheU.S.usesonequarterofalltheenergyconsumedonEarth
everyyear. 2.TheU.S.EnergyInformationAdministrationestimatesforty-
eightpercent,ornearlyhalf,ofU.S.carbondioxide
emissionscomefrombuildings.
3.SeventypercentofU.S.powerplantenergyisusedtolight,
powerandcoolbuildings.Mostofthatenergycomesfrom
burningcoalthatcausesacidrain.
4.TogetherU.S.buildingsmakeupthesinglelargestcontribution
toClimateChangeintheworld.
5.Churchbuildingsuseapproximatelytwopercentoftheenergy
usedinbuildingsintheU.S.eachyear.
The technology is available today to build zero energy or carbon neutral
buildings (buildings that need no outside energy and have no smoke-
stack emissions), and we know how to do it. The most cost eective
way to go about it is in this order: plan the appropriate size building;
design the building to make use o the naturally available energy oppor-
tunities; build buildings that conserve energy; employ the most ecient
equipment to heat, cool and light our buildings; and then make use o
renewable energy technologies.
Green is stewardship
Good stewardship o resources involves being clear about needs or
church space. This clarity about program needs will make it possible to
identiy opportunities or multiuse rooms that can allow or the building
Good stewardship of resources
involves being clear about needs
for church space ... identifying
opportunities for multiuse rooms
that can allow for better,
smaller church buildings.
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6 • On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007
o better, smaller church buildings; better because they are less expen-
sive to operate, energize and maintain; they leave a smaller ootprint on
the earth; and, the nancial resources can be invested in higher quality
church.
Some building design strategies that dramatically
reduce the need or ossil uels or renewable energy
to heat, cool and light our buildings include earth
sheltering and thermal mass to stabilize building
temperatures; passive solar gain or heating; natural
ventilation and shading or cooling; and daylight or
lighting. San Xavier del Bac Mission Church outside
o Tucson, Ariz., makes use o a large thermal mass
in the three oot thick adobe brick walls that mini-
mize internal temperature swings between summer and winter and day
and night to result in a cool interior in summer and a warm interior in
winter.
It is less expensive to incorporate energy conservation into building
construction than it is to create and use that same energy ecientlyin another way. Energy loss in buildings takes place in three dierent
ways: through walls, roo and foors; through windows; and, through all
the little cracks and holes. Compared to the cost to heat and cool during
the average 40-year lie o a building, insulating the walls, foor and roo
is inexpensive and pays or itsel quickly. Window glazing technology
has come a long way and the use o low emissivity or Low ‘E’ coatings
with insulating glass has dramatically improved the thermal eciency
o windows. And all those pesky little cracks and holes that make up a
third o a building’s heat or cooling loss are best dealt with by air-sealing
the structure prior to insulating. Investing in these measures will allow
or the use o smaller heating and cooling equipment and requires less
energy overall.
Additionally, using high eciency lighting, appliances, heating, ventilat-ing and cooling equipment will stretch the energy used as ar as pos-
sible. Commissioning or tuning these systems to work at their optimum
will also improve their energy eciency. And the use o programmable
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thermostats, occupancy sensors and energy management systems
will urther improve eciency by lowering or turning o this equipment
when not needed. Saving energy in these ways requires an investment
up ront, but this will quickly be repaid in lower operating costs.
Using renewable or solar energy is the only way to actually create a
zero-energy building. Turning the building into a small power plant that
makes use o active solar heat collectors or hot water or heating and
photovoltaic panels to generate usable power on site does this. Another
viable alternative is the purchase o green tags or carbon osets to in-
vest in osite renewable energy projects such as wind arms to provide
a ‘green’ energy supply or the building.
At the heart o sustainable building material use is the mantra “reduce
– reuse – recycle – renew.” And there is no better place to start than by
reducing construction waste; orty percent o the solid waste in landlls
comes rom building construction and renovation. We can reduce waste
by more eciently using materials in modular sizes, or using durable
materials that have a long lie and low maintenance which can extend
the lie o a structure beore it must be remodeled or built anew. Anotherway to reduce is by using locally available materials that reduce trans-
portation energy costs. This in turn reduces the embodied energy o a
building (energy used during construction), which can be as much as
ten percent o the energy
used during a building’s
lie. The Stave Churches
o Norway constructed o
locally available wood (a
renewable resource) are
a wonderul example o
this, and the act that they
are several hundred years
old means the originalembodied energy o the
building is now a tiny
amount.
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Adaptive reuse o a building such as the Pantheon, now used as a
Christian church, is a great way but not the only way to reuse materials.
Salvaged materials such as wood timbers and fooring can sometimes
be reused. Recycled steel has been used in building structures or many
years now, and has been joined by recycled bricks, glass, concrete and
other materials recently. The uture will include other products like re-
manuactured carpets. Renew-
able material options include
bamboo, straw or wheat board,
and Forest Stewardship Council
certied lumber. Finding ways
to reduce, reuse, recycle, and
renew will enable us to use
the earth’s resources more
equitably.
Reducing indoor air pollutants
by increasing ventilation and introducing resh air will create a healthier
indoor environment or congregations. Limiting the use o volatile organ-ic compounds ound in paints, composite wood products, and adhesives
can also reduce pollutants. Reducing the use o carpets and changing
air lters requently also helps to control the presence o dust and other
allergens.
The power of light
Natural light inspires us. It inspired the building o great cathedrals, such
as Chartres, that reach or the light o heaven. More than just a spiri-
tual application, daylighting churches can reduce energy costs related
to lighting and cooling by as much as a quarter. Daylighting has been
shown to increase store sales, increase workplace productivity while
reducing absenteeism, and increase student test scores. Although there
is no study o daylighting in churches, might the benets include lower
energy bills, better attendance, richer oerings, and a more hospitable
environment or visitors?
We need to incorporate the natural world into the experience o
our buildings, since being in harmony with nature lowers stress and
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On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007 •
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improves psychological and physical health.
Thorncrown Chapel is an excellent example
o incorporating nature into the church set-
ting. Located near Eureka Springs, Arkansas
and designed by Fay Jones, the chapel is
set within the woods and has windows on
all sides that provide a view o the trees.
Norman L. Koonce, Executive Vice President
and CEO o the AIA had this to say about
it, “How do the thousands o visitors who
annually make what is, in eect, a pilgrimage
value this vision? Inside the chapel there stands a handsome dona-
tion box, also designed by Jones. Each year, more money is voluntarily
dropped in that box than it cost to build the chapel. The box has no lock,
yet in all the years Thorncrown Chapel has been open to the public, it
appears that not a cent has ever been taken. What an armation o the
power o architecture to elevate and enrich our human experience!”
So, was Solomon’s Temple “green?”
Like most pre-industrial buildings, there were no ossil uels used to
build, heat, cool or light the temple. It made use o windows or light and
ventilation, and relied on the stone’s thermal mass to temper summer’s
heat and winter’s cold. The building materials came rom nearby, albeit
on the backs o a conscripted labor orce. And while the cedar used in
its construction is a renewable resource, the Cedars o Lebanon orest
was likely not managed in a sustainable way. And though we think o the
Temple as the building itsel, it was actually o modest size set in a larger
complex where the congregation gathered outside in the courtyard
surrounded by the beauty o God’s Creation. In its way, it has stood the
test o time. The Western Wall still serves as an open-air synagogue and
a place or all to pray. On the whole, it was and is, a green building and
a worthy example o what we can strive or in the churches we design
and build today.
Al Terry is an architect based in Seattle, AIA and LEED AP, and a
member of Findlay Street Christian Church.
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Green Seal Green Seal certies a variety o products, including somebuilding materials as well as many building maintenance products suchas cleaners. www.greenseal.org
National Council of Churches The NCC has a website promoting avariety o ecological justice programs. They have also published a guide
or building green churches entitled “Building a Firm Foundation.”
www.nccecojustice.org
Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth This website covers a vari-
ety o aspects o congregational lie and how they relate to the environ-ment. It includes a section on green building entitled “Green Sanctuary.”
www.uuministryorearth.org
U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
is the industry leader in certiying and promoting sustainable or green
building. Their Leadership in Environment and Energy in Design (LEED)certication system is based on 69 points that a building project may
earn toward several levels o sustainability—silver, gold and platinum
levels. They also have a program to accredit sustainable design andbuilding practitioners known as Accredited Proessionals or LEED AP.
The strength o the LEED certication system is its rigorous certication
process that requires third party verication o every point earned. Theweakness o their program is that it is relatively expensive to adminis-
ter and consequently most o the certied buildings are relatively large,where the certication cost represents a small portion o the total cost,or they are projects where the label or USGBC brand has public relations
appeal and certication costs can be viewed as a cost o marketing. The
69-point checklist is a useul guide in the design o sustainable buildingseven i an organization is not interested in actual certication o their
building. www.usgbc.org
Web of Creation The Web o Creation website has several resources
or congregations interested in green building. Check out the ‘building
and grounds’ section, it includes a guide or green church building.www.webocreation.org
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1 • On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007
From the Field
By John Davidson, Congregational Services Consultant
Finding potential savings
Are utility costs taking more and more o your congregation’s resources
each year? For many congregations, the operational cost o utilities is
rarely considered as a budget item that can be reduced or changed, even
though the cost o gas, water, and electricity are rapidly rising and cost-ing churches more money. For the congregation o Northwood Chris-
tian Church in Indianapolis, this dilemma became apparent when the
question was raised, “Why are we paying more than $55,000 a year or
utilities? That is money that we could use or ministry and programming,
instead o giving it to utility companies.”
For the past six months, Church Extension has been working with
a variety o congregations and organizations, exploring ways to helpcongregations lower their energy bills and improve their stewardship o
creation. Church Extension began this process in June 2007, with an ap-
proach to the Indiana Community Action Association (INCAA-an Indiana
organization with more than 30 years o experience in energy assess-
ment) or assistance in designing a service to connect and share with
congregations. We then
worked with Northwood
Christian Church to do
an energy audit o their
building, and explore how
the congregation could
lower its energy costs.
On September 12, 2007
an auditing team including
two INCAA employees,
a boiler engineer, church
members, and three
observers rom Church
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On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007 • 1
Extension gathered to conduct the pilot.
The audit began with a tour o the acility,
analyzing its thermal and pressure boundar-
ies, identiying areas where the building was
losing its conditioned air, and evaluating itsheating and cooling systems. Several o the
tests conducted used inrared cameras to
locate area heating and cooling loss; testing
doors with pressurized gauge systems to
measure the amount o air that was escap-
ing; and metrical calculations o the building’s
boiler system. The audit showed that, by making several capital improve-ments, the church could quickly lower its heating, cooling, and electrical
costs.
On November 26, the auditing team met with congregational leaders
to discuss the report. It showed that, with an investment o $20,000 or
insulation and air sealing, the church could save between $2,000-$4,000
in heating and cooling costs per year. It was also observed that by cor-
recting the boiler and hot water heating system, which had been improp-erly installed, the church could achieve additional cost savings (the costs
o repair and upgrades were less than $30,000, and are expected to save
the congregation around $2,000 annually). Finally, a later review o the
church’s lighting system showed that by upgrading to energy ecient
lighting systems, the church could save an additional $3,000-$5,000 per
year. These estimated annual savings o around $10,000 represent a
return on investment or payback period o less than six years, and theywill provide immediate savings or the congregation.
For all involved, this study provided valuable inormation as we try to
be better stewards o God’s creation and o nancial and capital resourc-
es entrusted to us. Church Extension is planning to join with other con-
gregations or studies and discovery o green building options to share
with the wider church. The Northwood congregation plans to pursue the
recommendations o the energy audit and to include eciency boosting
building projects in its upcoming capital campaign.
On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2008 • 1
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1 • On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007
From the Mission Stations
Trying to be green –One church’s story
Shortly ater the building committee was ormed to plan or the new
second campus o Geist Christian Church in Fishers, Indiana, a member
asked i we should be thinking about this new building being “green.”
Not so many years ago, a “green” building would reer only to the paint
color. But now, calling a building “green” means that steps are taken in
the planning, construction and operation o the building to consider the
environmental impact o the new or existing building. Shortly ater the
question was asked, there was consensus around the building com-
mittee table that being “green” was certainly the right thing to do. We
are, ater all, caretakers o God’s creation. We preach that stewardship
is about more than money, so this was a time we could model such a
commitment.
Early on, the architects gave the church an orientation to the world o
environmentally sustainable design, and introduced a host o acronyms
that could rival those used in the church. Environmentally sustainable
design is given direction by the United States Green Building Council
(USGBC). This non-prot organization, made up o all acets o the build-
ing industry rom designer to end-user, has established a rating system
with which to evaluate sustainable design, construction and operation
practices. This rating system is known as the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™, better known
simply as LEED. LEED provides a nationally recognized benchmark or
environmentally sustainable buildings both or new construction and
existing buildings.
Working with the new construction LEED template (available at the
USGBC website at www.usgbc.org), the Building Committee learned
1 • On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2008
By Ryan D. Hazen, Senior Associate Minister,
Geist Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN
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On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007 • 1
that becoming
“LEED certi-
ed” is the
ultimate goal
o most whoare considering
“green” building.
LEED certica-
tion utilizes a
point system
with a possible
69 points. Theactual number o points achieved and veried determines the level o
LEED certication – obtaining 26 points gives the base LEED certica-
tion, 33 points or silver, 39 points or gold and 52 points or platinum.
The certication checklist covers areas such as innovation in design,
indoor environmental quality, site design, water and energy eciency
and use o materials.
Early in the design process, it was clear that some items on the check-list would not add to the expense o the building and were just the “right
thing to do.” Other items on the list would add initial expense to the
building, but would be cost-eective in the building’s operation. For the
Committee, operating with a nite budget and needing to get as much
square ootage as absolutely possible, these items were evaluated on a
case-by-case basis. Decisions were made based on the payback period,
initial investment, and level o environmental impact. Lastly, some itemson the list simply were out o the question either because o the limita-
tions o the site, the desired programming o the building, or the budget.
One example that was immediately out o range or this project was the
development o an “innovative wastewater technology” – basically the
development o a way to reduce potable water demand by 50%, per-
haps by treating building wastewater and/or using rainwater collection
systems or restrooms, etc.
Knowing what could not be done, the Committee and architect went
to work on what could be done. Landscape architects worked diligently
on the site design to minimize the stormwater runo to a neighboring
stream. The entire site will utilize “water ecient landscaping” that will
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16 • On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007
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eliminate the need or irrigation.
Bicycle parking will be provided
at the building and locker rooms
are incorporated in the restrooms.
The building itsel is designed withdaylighting to reduce the need
or articial light, and the roo is
a “high-albedo” (highly refective
in color and material) product that will dramatically reduce heat gain. Air
conditioning rerigerant that is environmentally riendly currently comes
at a signicant premium, but is expected to come down in price as its
use is more commonplace.In other areas, the interior designers on the project committed to using
materials made with recycled content and rapidly renewable materials.
In addition, they are considering paint and carpets that are deemed to be
“low-emitting materials.” LEED benchmarks suggest controllable sys-
tems or both lighting and heating/air-conditioning. During construction,
the construction manager and sub-contractors will be working to divert
at least 50% o the construction waste rom disposal.One point o discussion has been the importance o the actual LEED
certication stamp o approval. The process o getting certied is a
costly one. The USGBC requires a $600 registration ee, a $2,250 design
and construction review (assuming the building is less than 50,000
square eet), and an initial certication review o $1,500. In addition,
there are additional costs or third party consultants to veriy and test
various building systems. Any committee considering LEED certicationwill debate the advantages o having the actual designation o a “certi-
ed” building.
Geist has worked in partnership with Church Extension or the plan-
ning and nancing o the project. While the nal chapter or this par-
ticular project is yet to be written, it is clear that any step made toward
environmentally sustainable design is better than a step not made. This
will be especially true or those congregations considering their existing
buildings. The National Council o Churches has quality material on the
subject at www.nccecojustice.org including “Building a Firm Foundation:
‘Green’ Building Toolkit.” The care o God’s creation rests with us, and
the decisions we make impact us and generations to come.
The care of
God’s creation
rests with us.
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On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007 • 1
Find out more:call 1-800-274-1883,en español1-866-534-1949,visit us online atwww.churchextension.org
Church Extension workswith churches—servingyour ministry.
Church Extension
understands cycles incongregational life, and howto work with these differentcontexts.
Church Extension servesDisciples every step of the
way. We pray with you.We stay with you.
You support the church andother Disciples. It’s morethan just an exchange of money, because as you repayyour loan, your money helpsprovide services and newloans to congregations.
Church Extensionconnects Disciples whenbanks can’t, such as withnew congregations, or
congregations with nohistory of borrowing.
On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2008 • 1
Why should yourcongregation borrow
through Church Extension?
Why should yourcongregation borrow
through Church Extension?
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1 • On the Cutting Edge • Winter 2007
From Our Partners –Disciples Home Missions
Links to help green your building
By Angela Herrmann
Director of Web site development, Disciples Home Missions
Stories o congregational budgets broken because o high heating bills
have emerged as the cost o oil rises. With some congregations payingthousands o dollars annually to heat and cool their buildings, addressing
energy usage is a congregational stewardship opportunity. Congrega-
tions need to seriously consider how they spend members’ money to
maintain the church building. Lessons in church building stewardship can
ultimately lead to increased personal stewardship.
Guides to greening your congregation:
National Council o Churches Green Churches
http://www.nccecojustice.org/grbuilding.htm
ELCA Resources and Audit Workbook
http://www.elca.org/advocacy/environment/
Web o Creation Green Congregation Programhttp://www.webocreation.org/BuildingGrounds/index.htm
Earth Ministry and Energy Conservation
http://www.earthministry.org/Congregations/energy_conservation.htm
ENERGY STAR or Congregations (U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency)http://www.energystar.gov/index.cm?c=small_business.sb_
congregations
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8/7/2019 Why building green matters - Church Extension
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/why-building-green-matters-church-extension 20/20
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