“It’s about creating a place of
worship that works in harmony with the environment,” said H. David
Burton, Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, and responsible for the physical facilities of the Church. “For decades we have
looked for innovative ways to use natural resources in our meetinghouses
that reflect our commitment as wise stewards of God’s creations.”
The Farmington meetinghouse is
part of a new pilot program that demonstrates the Church’s ongoing
commitment to stewardship and conservation. Four other meetinghouse
prototypes located in Eagle Mountain, Utah, Apache Junction, Arizona,
Logandale, Nevada, and Pahrump, Nevada are also currently under
construction. In addition to Farmington, Apache Junction and Logandale
are solar powered.
Upon completion, these meetinghouses will be LEED (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design) certified; built to the construction
industry’s highest standard. Journalists were given a tour of the
Farmington building to highlight some of its conservation features which
included the high efficiency heating and cooling system that can
interface with the solar power equipment, landscaping designs and
plumbing fixtures that cut water use by more than 50 percent, and Low-E
Solarban 70 windows that block 78 percent of the sun’s heat energy.
“These buildings are designed
to last many, many years,” said Dean Davies, managing director of the
Physical Facilities department of the Church, “It may actually cost more
up front to put certain systems in but because they have lower
operating costs and longer life cycles in the long run they are better
for us and better for the environment.”
In fact, around 75 percent of the
technologies qualifying for LEED certification have been used in existing Church buildings
for several years.
“I
clearly think we’ve ramped it up,” said Davies, “We use emerging
technologies in our building design, from the use of materials to
computer aided design, to energy management systems.”
For example, Church buildings in
the Baltic Nation of Latvia are built with radiant heated floors for
greater energy efficiency during the harsh winter months, the tabernacle
in Vernal, Utah was rebuilt into the Vernal Temple by reusing existing
materials from the historic structure, and a meetinghouse in Susanville,
California, is heated exclusively through geothermal energy produced
from a well located on the property.
Emerging technologies also extends
to landscaping. Moisture sensors monitor weather conditions via
satellite to shut off Church sprinkler systems during rainfall at many
meetinghouses across the country. The Church Office Building in Salt
Lake City even utilizes several underground spring wells for heating and
cooling.
Jared Doxey,
director of architecture, engineering and construction for the Church,
said, “It’s important that buildings are designed to be a reflection of
the community in which they are constructed.” He added that
“conservation is a natural built-in part of the planning process. We’ve
always been interested in following best practice in industry. Whatever
the best thinking is, we want to latch on to that. If there is a new
technology that reduces total cost of ownership, makes good business
sense, we want to tie into that.”
That’s especially true when the
Church operates 17,000 meetinghouses and is building or expanding a new
facility every working day of the week. Bishop Burton said, “As the
Church continues to grow globally, and there is a greater demand for
meetinghouses, more than ever we need to engage in wise construction
practices to benefit both the environment and our members.”
“This is a member-driven
initiative,” said Davies, “it's representative of how our members feel
about the communities in which they live.”
**************************************************** Elder D. Todd Christofferson @ 180th Annual General Conference, said the following concerning the scriptures... "God uses scripture to unmask erroneous thinking, false traditions, and sin with its devastating effects. He is a tender parent who would spare us needless suffering and grief and at the same time help us realize our divine potential. The scriptures, for example, discredit an ancient philosophy that has come back into vogue in our day—the philosophy of Korihor that there are no absolute moral standards, that “every man prosper[s] according to his genius, and that every man conquer[s] according to his strength; and whatsoever a man [does is] no crime” and “that when a man [is] dead, that [is] the end thereof” (Alma 30:17–18). Alma, who had dealt with Korihor, did not leave his own son Corianton in doubt about the reality and substance of a divine moral code. Corianton had been guilty of sexual sin, and his father spoke to him in love but plainly: “Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost?” (Alma 39:5)." "In a complete reversal from a century ago, many today would dispute with Alma about the seriousness of immorality. Others would argue that it’s all relative or that God’s love is permissive. If there is a God, they say, He excuses all sins and misdeeds because of His love for us—there is no need for repentance. Or at most, a simple confession will do. They have imagined a Jesus who wants people to work for social justice but who makes no demands upon their personal life and behavior.2 But a God of love does not leave us to learn by sad experience that “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10; see also Helaman 13:38). His commandments are the voice of reality and our protection against self-inflicted pain. The scriptures are the touchstone for measuring correctness and truth, and they are clear that real happiness lies not in denying the justice of God or trying to circumvent the consequences of sin but in repentance and forgiveness through the atoning grace of the Son of God (see Alma 42)." "Scripture tutors us in principles and moral values essential to maintaining civil society, including integrity, responsibility, selflessness, fidelity, and charity. In scripture, we find vivid portrayals of the blessings that come from honoring true principles, as well as the tragedies that befall when individuals and civilizations discard them. Where scriptural truths are ignored or abandoned, the essential moral core of society disintegrates and decay is close behind. In time, nothing is left to sustain the institutions that sustain society."
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