Michigan motherhouse earns 2007 Energy Star award from U.S. EPA

Published: 2008-01-10

MONROE, Mich. (CNS) -- The renovation of the motherhouse of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Monroe won a 2007 Energy Star award for small businesses and congregations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is the eighth environmental award given to the religious community for the motherhouse project, whose design has been incorporated into the curriculum of a half-dozen colleges and universities. It is the community's second award from the EPA; the first was the Clean Air Excellence Award in 2003. The motherhouse renovation was completed in 2003. It features a geothermal heating and cooling system, natural light throughout the building, reused doors and windows, and marble bathroom partitions reinstalled as countertops. In a press statement about the award, the religious community said all these features "focused on the three Rs of sustainability -- reduce, reuse and recycle." In announcing the latest award last fall, the EPA cited the religious community's success in attaining energy efficiency and its commitment to energy savings.

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