Why should the Church consider sustainable design and development? To answer this, let’s consider the reasons behind the mainstreaming of green practices (a.k.a. "greenstreaming") in the secular business world. Today a "green tsunami" of activity is rising in real estate, design and development circles because buildings produce half of all global greenhouse gas emissions and account for 70 percent of the electricity demand in the United States. More than a half billion square feet of space in almost 5,000 projects is awaiting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, and nearly 600 projects have already attained this mark. In 2006, the U.S. Conference of Mayors surpassed federal and state regulators by passing a resolution that immediately requires the global warming impact of all new and renovated buildings to be reduced by 50 percent, and ultimately requires new buildings to be carbon-neutral by 2030. This effort has been called the most significant movement to influence architecture and building design since the Industrial Revolution.

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer (with 3,800 U.S. stores and $312.4 billion earned last year), stated in a recent New York Times advertisement that "Every company has a responsibility to reduce greenhouse gases as quickly as possible." Wal-Mart is embarking on green retrofits of hundreds of older buildings, and is incorporating strategies in new stores such as daylighting, xeriscaping, bioswales, wildflower meadows, waste-heat capture, water efficiency, fly-ash concrete, photovoltaics and wind turbines. The company’s commitment to sell products that sustain the natural environment will have enormous repercussions in the industry, from shippers and materials providers to the contractors working on its stores. Wal-Mart is not alone. According to a report issued by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, more than half of the world’s 500 largest corporations issuing sustainability reports say that they want to build and occupy real estate that reflects their values. Why? Three key reasons include market demand, financial return and corporate responsibility. It may make sense to reconsider the stereotyped "slash and burn" reputation of evangelicals for the same reasons. Each one has a parallel in "Christianese":

For years, corporations have realized that customers frustrated by pollution, sprawl, traffic and the disappearance of open space are open to marketing messages that convey some level of environmental responsibility. For example, hotel companies found that they could avoid replacing and laundering towels daily in the name of environmentalism (reduced water consumption and chemical use). Recently, as the debate on global warming has shifted from "if" to "how fast" it is occurring, a staid politician (Al Gore) has become a rock star, and rock stars have become proud tree-huggers. U2 concerts have combined rock and roll, church, social justice awareness (AIDS/Africa) and Greenpeace calls-to-action for years. The National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education has indicated that homebuyers will pay a premium of 16 percent to live in a "New Urbanist" community that preserves open space by increasing density and decreasing house/lot size.

Because the environmental movement was co-opted by the New Age movement and then identified with the liberal left, the response and reputation of evangelicals has tended to range from suspicion to ambivalence. Increasingly, a cultural gap between mainstream culture (which is attracted to notions of sustainability) and Christians (many of whom remain as skeptical of global warming claims as previous generations were of a round world with dinosaurs!) has widened. By perpetuating a false dichotomy in which concern for the environment falls to the liberal left, while hunting and increased Alaskan drilling falls to the "moral majority" right, we as believers may be losing an evangelistic opportunity by placing yet another unnecessary barrier between culture and Christ. This is being recognized and addressed by Christian leaders who seek to bridge this cultural gap by positively contributing to culture, such as the Fermi Project (www.fermiproject.com), as well as churches pursuing sustainable church design and development.

It would be a bit naïve to believe that the greenstreaming of corporate America is purely altruistic. The reality is that green development strategies are increasingly recognized for increasing financial rates of return by decreasing operating costs. The perception of increased up-front construction costs associated with green development is also being shaken. The key to maximizing the return on investment is a holistic and collaborative development process which begins with all team members examining the entire project – site, exterior, interior and budget – as a whole before planning or designing a single element.

Site selection based on infrastructure and locational attributes can reduce a project’s up-front and long-term costs. Mixed-use sites, in which parking is shared between various users with differing peak demands, can dramatically reduce overall site acquisition and development costs. Beginning the project design with a detailed site analysis that documents the "environmental infrastructure" (topography, drainage, natural features, wind and sun patterns) can minimize costs related to earthwork (storm drain capacity, civil infrastructure and landscape materials). Site planning and building orientation, for example, can lessen the creation of heat islands, take advantage of natural ventilation and daylighting, or minimize the facade’s exposure to summer sun, which will lower heating and cooling capacities, construction and operating costs.

Effective landscape architecture (from simple evergreens to "green screens") along particular facades can limit heat absorption, air-conditioning requirements and construction costs, as well as long-term energy and water consumption. Architectural strategies once considered "edgy," such as "green roofs," can pay for themselves by insulating the building (reducing heating and cooling capacities, as well as construction and operating costs), and reducing storm-water management capacities by absorbing rain, reducing runoff and filtering pollutants. Exterior building design elements can mitigate extremes in temperature and support natural ventilation through a variety of strategies, from simple operable windows to double curtain wall systems and wind chimneys.

Artificial lighting can represent one-fourth of a building’s direct energy consumption. Narrow floor plates, natural daylighting, and automatic motion- and daylight-sensors can quickly reduce artificial-lighting requirements, construction costs and energy bills.

In the past few years, green building technologies, products, materials and furnishings such as these have become far cheaper and more widely available in response to consumer demand. Natural fiber and recycled carpeting, natural linoleum, Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood products, strawboard, toxin-free natural insulation, and furnishings with recycled content are all comparably priced to their standard counterparts. Other examples of recent cost reductions in technologies and systems commonly used in sustainable design include low-E glazed windows, sunlight-filtering window shades, individual lighting and temperature controls, low-flow faucets and waterless urinals. Incentive, grant and rebate programs are also available from sources such as utilities and governmental agencies.

For too long, "stewardship" has been incorrectly defined by the Church as spending as few dollars as possible, particularly in regard to up-front building construction costs. "Building for the Kingdom" seems to mean sacrificing creativity for predictability, and life-cycle costs for up-front costs. Secular developers and retailers, however, realize that design can create value through increased visibility, marketability, capture rates and life-cycle costs. In the parable of the talents, Jesus condemns the poor steward who does not comprehend the concept of return on investment (ROI). Today, ministries across the country are discovering techniques such as architectural evangelism (inviting the unchurched in through relevant design and community-enhancing gathering places) that result in a Kingdom ROI, measured in changed lives and baptisms. As an environmental designer, I have found that upon observation of the Supreme Architect’s handiwork, it is always more effective to work humbly with, rather than against, the canvas of His creation and systems. In creating master plans, it just makes sense to discover our Master’s plan.

One of the nation’s most respected community and mall developers, Jim Rouse, once stated that we need to be "lifted up to the bigger view of communities as gardens in which we are growing people and a civilization." Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott recently stated that growing in "more sustainable ways ... positively serves every stakeholder in our company." Whether through increased regulatory coercion, political pressure or consumer demand, corporate America is increasingly responding to calls to mitigate environmental deterioration. Corporate ethics have "grown up" to encompass more than just quarterly shareholder profit.

In contrast, a prevailing perception of the Judeo-Christian perspective is that it promotes a "rape and pillage" view of the land, with critics focusing on Genesis 1:26-28, in which God commands man to have dominion over the earth and to rule and subdue it. Our calling as believers is higher. In light of a fuller view of God’s Word, man’s role on the earth might properly be seen as that of a steward or a caretaker, not a worshiper nor a reckless destroyer of God’s creation. God never gave up authorship or ownership of His creation! In the second chapter of Genesis, God clarifies man’s role as a caretaker of the Garden (Creation), and His word includes numerous examples and reiterations of this theme. Leviticus 25 gives the Israelites careful instructions in the sustainable care of the land given to them. In Isaiah 5, God warns those who unjustly (yet legally) misuse the land. Job 38 and Psalm 104 humble us by reminding of God’s continuing care and maintenance of his creation. And Jesus reminds us how much the Father cares for even the smallest of sparrows (in Matthew 6 and 10). Since our decisions today affect God’s creation and our children tomorrow, our love for God and for our (perhaps unborn) neighbors should inform our decisions and actions beyond our immediate goals and short-term time frames.