UUCCSM Green Building Education Program UUCCSM has a longstanding commitment to sustainability. We value our Seventh Principle in our faith of Unitarian Universalism care for the interdependent web of all beings of which we are a part. This Community, along with Green Sanctuary /Green Living Committee, Facilities Building Committee and the Board of Directors have honored this commitment by incorporating many sustainable 'green' features into the design of the campus buildings and landscaped areas. We have prepared this guide and posted signage with a characteristic Green Sanctuary label to help to educated church members and visitors learn about the green features of our campus. Lots of these features can be incorporated into their own homes and renovation projects. The City of Santa Monica s Office of Sustainability and the Environment honored the UUCCSM with two separate Sustainable Quality Awards in 2010. Our Green Building Program incorporates multiple objectives, from saving water and energy to preserving our historic sanctuary and encouraging use of sustainable means of access to our facilities. The categories below are aligned with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and GreenPoint Rating green building systems. Stop #1-Church Offices and Sanctuary Pick up your Map and Tour Guide at the Church Offices. Check our signs about the following features in this area of the campus: Water Efficiency/SAVING WATER Sanctuary and Office Restrooms-Low Flow aerators on sink faucets and sink faucets are automatic. Flow is reduced to.15 gal per cycle/use. This is a 15% reduction over the strict California Green Code. Sanctuary and Office Restrooms-Toilets are and HET (High Efficiency Toilet) with 1.0 gal flush, saving.6 gallons of water with every flush. They are the latest innovation in water saving toilets. They exceed the California Green Building Code by 35%. Energy & Atmosphere/ENERGY EFFICIENCY Sanctuary and new Offices have a new roofs which are Energy Star rated. It serves to insulate the building and reflect heat. This will reduce our heat gain on the building and reduce our energy bills. The offices have been insulated with rigid insulation. All of the lighting installed in the Sanctuary and Office areas are LED lighting, greatly reducing the amount of energy required to light up the building. We exceed the 2014 California Energy, Title 24, the strictest lighting code in the country today. Material & Resources/ SAVING RESOURCES Offices: New White Oak Flooring-USA made and sustainably harvested. Offices: Insulation-All walls and floors in the office have new insulation which is 100% recycled from old denim blue jeans. Rigid insulation has been place on roof just under the roof material, further insulating this space from heat and cold. Sanctuary/Office Bathrooms: Terracotta Floor tile is locally manufactured in Santa Barbara and has a high recycled content. Sanctuary/Office Bathrooms: Decorative accent tile was made locally, and represents the classic California Malibu Style decorative art tile. Offices: New interior wood doors are made from FSC Certified Oak and were manufactured in Golden, Colorado. Clay Roof tiles at the Sanctuary Upper Roof have 59% recycled content. Office Furniture-Steelcase Answer systems furniture contains 29.5% recycled content. Historical Preservation-Our church has been recognized by local conservationists for preserving our Historic Sanctuary, built in 1930 by local Santa Monica Architect John Byers and used continuously by the Unitarian (later Unitarian Universalist) Church from that date. The church has provided a gathering place for many important social justice movements, including the United Farmworker's Movement and the sanctuary where many gay and lesbian marriages have been celebrated. Indoor Environment Quality/PRESERVING AIR QUALITY Campus-wide: We used Zero VOC Paints that are Greenguard certified. Greenguard is a third party certification which guarantees these paints are what they say they are. Offices/Forbes Kitchen: Low Emitting Cabinetry-Environmentally preferred glues, adhesives and NAUF MDF was used to construct cabinets. Office Furniture-All Systems furniture and Seating is Greenguard certified and manufactured by the most sustainable furniture company in the U.S., Steelcase.
Stop #2-Cottage-RE Office and Classrooms Water Efficiency/SAVING WATER Cottage Education Building-The two (2) toilets installed in the cottage are dual flush toilets. By pressing up on the lever for liquids, only.8 gallons per minute is used, while pressing down on the lever produces a 1.6 gallon per minute flush. Faucets have an aerator that reduces flow to.5 gallons per minute. Energy & Atmosphere/ENERGY EFFICIENCY Lighting within the Cottage uses Compact Fluorescent bulbs, which are more energy efficient than regular incandescent bulbs, though they must be disposed of carefully due to containing mercury. We are slowly converting all fluorescent bulbs to LED through the help of the City of Santa Monica. We have replaced all windows with energy efficient, dual glazed, low E windows, while maintaining the historical look of the buildings. (Historic windows in the cottage remain the original single pane redwood or Douglas fir windows except where they are new or originals were badly damaged.) Material & Resources/ SAVING RESOURCES Campus-wide Bathrooms: Ceramic Tile is US Made and has recycled content Historic Preservation and Reuse-The Cottage Education Building was a bungalow belonging to a local judge, who sold the adjacent corner lot for construction of our original sanctuary, designed by John Byers in 1930. By renovating his home and retaining many of its historic features, we preserve the history and character of our neighborhood while providing a warm environment for numerous church functions. The Cottage is a 1905 Craftsman Bungalow which was moved forward on the site and remodeled to provide classrooms. The preservation and restoration of the Cottage and Church Sanctuary built in 1929 by local Architect John Byers earned the church an Award from the Santa Monica Conservancy. Indoor Environment Quality/PRESERVING AIR QUALITY Campus-wide: We used Zero VOC Paints that are Greenguard certified. Greenguard is a third party certification which guarantees these paints are what they say they are. Kitchen: Low Emitting Cabinetry-Environmentally preferred glues, adhesives and NAUF MDF was used to construct cabinets. Sustainable Sites/COMMUNITY Bicycle Racks and Good Neighbor Policies- The Church has installed bike parking racks for 12 bikes to accommodate the growing number of people biking to church. These bicycle racks accommodate the growing number of church users who arrive for services and other events by bicycle, reducing air pollution from car use and providing healthy exercise. We have also offered a multi-age Bike Skills Class to church members to help children and adults learn important cycling skills to improve safety and confidence on the road. Stop #3-Courtyard Storm water Management Devices-Large crate-like storm water detention devices are located beneath the permeable pavers of the Courtyard near the 18 th Street gate and near the large glass doors to Forbes Hall. These storm water retention devices allow rainwater to percolates slowly into local groundwater, rather than overwhelming local storm drains and storm water treatment systems and increasing ocean pollution. Permeable Pavers-The pavers of the Courtyard rest on a bed of gravel that allows the first three inches of rainwater to percolate into the soil to recharge local groundwater, rather than being drained into the storm drain system. Drip Irrigation with mulch in planter areas-drip irrigation delivers small amounts of water directly to the roots of landscape plants, thus avoiding nourishing weeds. Mulch retains the soil moisture and further inhibits growth of weeds. Drip irrigation and mulch is used throughout the church campus except where in turf areas. Flaming Chalice Planters-The Prairie-style planters flanking the cottage entrance, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright represent the form of a Unitarian Universalist chalice, and are planted with birds of paradise and succulents.
Stop #4-Forbes Hall and Classrooms Water Efficiency/SAVING WATER Forbes Community Hall-Low Flow Aerators installed on all Kitchen faucets. (1.5 gpm). Forbes Community Hall/Bathrooms-Low Flow aerators on sink faucets and sink faucets are automatic. Flow is reduced to.5 gal per cycle/use. Women's restroom faucets are solar powered-mini photo voltaic cell recharges batteries. Will not require replacement. Toilets are HET (High Efficiency Toilet) with 1.1 gal flush, saving.5 gallons of water with every flush. They are the latest innovation in water saving toilets. Energy & Atmosphere/ENERGY EFFICIENCY The Hall has a new roof (White) which is Energy Star rated. It serves to insulate the building and reflect heat. This will reduce our heat gain on the building and reduce our energy bills. The offices have been insulated with rigid insulation. Day lighting through windows, skylights and clerestories reduces need for electric lighting in all buildings, especially in Forbes Hall. Forbes Hall/Decorative Lighting was made in the USA and is LED lighting, using only 7 watts of energy. Some of the lighting is set to occupancy sensors, with the goal of all being set to code-required vacancy sensors in the near future. We have replaced all windows with energy efficient, dual glazed, low E windows, while maintaining the historical look of the buildings. New energy efficient range and ventilation hood in Karen s Kitchen in Forbes Hall provides adequate ventilation for commercial range while meeting energy efficiency standards. Material & Resources/ SAVING RESOURCES Campus-wide Bathrooms: Ceramic Tile is US Made and has recycled content Waste Diversion from Landfills during Construction-According to the Santa Monica Green Building Program, 75% of waste from a project must be diverted from the landfill and recycled. Indoor Environment Quality/PRESERVING AIR QUALITY Campus-wide: We used Zero VOC Paints that are Greenguard certified. Greenguard is a third party certification which guarantees these paints are what they say they are. Kitchen: Low Emitting Cabinetry-Environmentally preferred glues, adhesives and NAUF MDF was used to construct cabinets. Sustainable Sites/COMMUNITY Good Neighbor Policy to Reduce Parking Impacts-The congregation approved a Good Neighbor policy in 2005 to address neighborhood concerns about potential impacts of church events on street parking. The church has a long-standing agreement with the UCLA Santa Monica to use their parking structure at 16 th and Arizona for Sunday services and occasional large holiday events. Surveys show that most church members who drive use the garage parking, while many others walk, bike, carpool or take transit to church. Disabled Parking and Off Site Shared Parking-These parking spaces are provided for church users. On Sundays, all parking spaces are reserved for those with disabilities, and most church attendees use the garage parking at 16 th and Arizona. By using shared parking, less of the site is needed for pavement and more is devoted to community facilities, pervious paving and landscaped areas. Transit Accessibility The Church is served by multiple Big Blue Bus and Metro Bus Lines on Wilshire Boulevard (BBB2 and Metro 20, 720 and 920) and Santa Monica Boulevard (BBB1 and Rapid 10 and Metro 704, and by the Metro Expo Light Rail Station at 17th and Colorado four blocks away. Stop #5-The Garden of Eternity Flaming Chalice Planters at the entrance are planted with the succulent Euphorbia tirucalli, or Sticks on Fire which resembled the flame in the stone chalices. California Native plants include Ceanothus ( blue grey flowered shrub under the Jacaranda tree) and the Western Red Bud tree next to the offices. Edible plants are included to recall the gardens found adjacent to California s Missions. Rosemary, thyme, sage and other herbs are included near the Memorial Patio, as well as pineapple guava, lemon and orange trees. With the vegetable grown in the central courtyard garden, they are used to teach how to grow sustainable and healthy local food.
GREEN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING The Green Living Committee sponsors regular, ongoing educational programming on environmental issues, with a focus on inspiring participants to take personal, community and political action to preserve the environment. Earth Day and regular Second Sunday Cinema presentations focus on Global Warming, Water and Energy Resources, and other complex environmental issues and the personal and political change needed to address these issues. As Energy Champions, the church hosted presentations on home energy upgrades which inspired church and community members to do major energy upgrades to their homes through the Energy Upgrade CA program. The recent Memorial Garden and the church campus landscaping incorporates Best Practices of Storm Water retention using underground detention facilities beneath permeable pavers, native and California friendly plants, drip irrigation and use of a Smart Irrigation controller. SUSTAINABLE/GREEN BUSINESS PRACTICES UUCCSM participates in regular reviews with the City of Santa Monica to identify ways in which church facilities and office practices can be operated more sustainably. These range from recycling, diverting organic waste to compost, and the use of green cleaning products. Church policies included a Sustainable Purchasing Plan, which focuses on buying sustainable paper products and Energy Star office equipment. For more information please go to our website, uusm.org/green Living Committee.
Cottage New Metal Signs here: Material Reuse 2 Stop #2 :RE Office and Classrooms Stop #3:Courtyard 3 Bike Racks Courtyard New Temporary Signs for rain water treatment for site here Forbes New Metal Sign here: IAQ Paints Restroom New Metal Sign here: Water 4 Sanctuary New Metal Sign here: Energy Start Here. Stop #4:Forbes Hall 1 Stop #1:Church Office Restroom New Metal Sign here: Water Stop #5:Garden of Eternity 5 End Here. Garden New Temporary Signs for Ca Native Drought Tolerant Planting and Rain Barrel UUSM Green Building Tour 2017
Saving Water Rain Barrel Our RE Youth installed this Rain Barrel for Earth Day 2016. Rain Barrels store rain water from rooftops for plants.