Faith-based activism is certainly in vogue these days so it should be no surprise that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced last week that houses of worship can now earn the Energy Star label.

There are an estimated 370,000 houses of worship across the United States which now can use Portfolio Manager to receive an energy performance rating, and the most energy efficient among them can earn the Energy Star label.

According to the US EPA website, most congregations can cut energy costs by up to 30% just by investing strategically in efficient equipment, facility upgrades and maintenance.  Worship facilities in the United States spend more than $3 billion annually on energy costs. Improving the energy efficiency of America’s houses of worship by just 10 percent would save nearly 2 billion kilowatt-hours each year, preventing more than 1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions and representing a cost savings of about $315 million annually.

US EPA says that if America’s more than 300,000 houses of worship cut energy use by 10 percent nearly $200 million would be saved for congregations’ missions and other priorities. Think that’s all? They also say that more than 5.4 billion kWh of electricity would be available without additional cost and pollution and if that were not enough, more than 2 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions would be prevented, equivalent to the emissions of about 400,000 cars, or to planting over a half million acres of trees.

Don’t waste another minute reaching out to your house of worship and helping reduce the congregation’s carbon footprint. US EPA has a guide to help members work with their church, synagogue, mosque or any other religious building. With your help, your congregation could be the next to be awarded the Energy Star Congregation label and would be well on your way to reducing greenhouse gases.

By now, you have probably heard about ENERGY STAR, an energy efficiency labeling program operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy – but have you heard about a new program water efficiency program?

WaterSense is a labeling program operated by the U.S. EPA and it’s your opportunity to better the water efficiency in your home and office. Every year, Americans spend upwards of $500 on water and sewer bills, but if we all make the effort to save a little water, we can reduce those bills by as much as $170 in each household and save more than 3 trillion gallons of water across the country!

You might not have thought about it before, but saving water actually reduces your carbon footprint too. It takes a lot of energy to make sure you water is well treated and drinkable before it enters your home. Saving a little water, saves a little energy at the treatment plant. 

Saving water for saving water’s sake is important too. Fresh water is a resource in short demand around the world. Every year, our groundwater and other naturally drinkable water resources are diminished either through contamination or runoff.

Saving water also helps reduce the amount of water being sent to our nation’s decrepit waste water treatment facilities. In most cities around the country, the treatment facilities for water are woefully unequipped to handle not only the quantity of water coming to them but many of the pollutants now found in that water. Many of our cities’ systems were built early in the last century without the anticipation of the significant population increases we have now witnessed and before many of the chemicals we now see in our products even existed. When a waste water treatment facility cannot handle the amount of water being sent to it, water overflows open and untreated water is allowed into our waterways. Reducing your water usage, even a little, helps reduce these events and protects our nation’s waterways.

Take the time to learn about a few simple things you can do to reduce your water use. From changing the ways you water your yard to fixing that leaking faucet, there are plenty of ways you can personally pitch in to improve your water efficiency. If you are renovating your home or even changing a faucet or buying a new toilet, take the time to find one that is WaterSense certified. Just look for the logo above.

Already purchased a WaterSense certified product or improving your water efficiency? Let us know about it in the comments.