First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Francisco has been nominated by California Interfaith Power & Light for an Energy Oscar in the category of Green Building. In addition to installing a 21.5 kW system with Luminalt, the Church’s Green Committee took other energy saving measures such as retrofitting the lights and caulking cracks. These simple measures realized significant savings for them, in addition to lessening their carbon footprint as a congregation.
UUSF has a Green Committee, a group of parishioners who find ways of engaging the community on the church’s commitment to the earth. The Green Committee organized “bin monitors” during post-service coffee hours to ensure that people put their waste into the correct bin – whether compost, recycling or trash. The Green Committee was also responsible for organizing the Solar Task Force, a group of UUSF parishioners charged with guiding the church through the process of installing solar. The task force included experts in green building and design – they ultimately chose Luminalt for our reputation of craftsmanship and our commitment to social justice .
“Over time, this will save money for the Church.” – David Jones, UUSF Solar Task Force 
The First Unitarian Universalist Church’s decision to install solar was guided by the basic tenet of the church to demonstrate “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” Unitarian Universalism draws in part from the “spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.”
Interfaith Power & Light, the sponsors of the 5th Annual Energy Oscars, has the mission to “be faithful stewards of Creation by responding to global warming through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.” Last year, Luminalt’s donated installation at Grace Tabernacle Church in San Francisco’s Bayview won an Energy Oscar – Luminalt was honored with a Community Partnership award in recognition of our volunteerism.
Find out more about how Luminalt gave Grace Tabernacle Church energy independence.
Read more about Luminalt’s award at last year’s Energy Oscars here.