When St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, CA began planning to build a new church, members wanted to strengthen their environmental stewardship and witness through the building itself. After becoming the first church ever to enroll in the Audubon International Signature Building program and meeting its standards, Audubon International dubbed St. Mark “The Greenest New Church in America” (N. Richardson, Stewardship News, Vol. 10, Issue 6, November-December 2007, at 1, 4).

The church is a model of green building design, using Audubon International and LEED standards. Daylight is accessible in 90% of the space. Windows are made of energy-efficient E-glass, and open for ventilation. Men’s restrooms feature waterless urinals, and the building uses “instant heat” (tankless) water heaters. Pews are built from mahogany harvested from a regenerating tree farm rather than native stands.

The grounds extend the greening beyond the church walls. With more than 500 trees and ample use of drought-resistant native plants, the site creates habitat for local birds andwildlife. The church saved existing sycamore and elderberry trees during the construction process. In addition, it preserved a canyon of riparian coastal sage habitat, receiving a “Backyard Wildlife Habitat” designation from The National Wildlife Foundation. The outdoor space has a public Nature Center for stewardship education. In the parking lot, an oil capture system keeps runoff out of local waters through the use of state-of-the-art filtration technology and three retention ponds.

These efforts are rooted in the church’s Ecophilian Committee. “The name Ecophilian was derived from ‘eco’ meaning environment and ‘philia’ meaning a friendly feeling for,” according to member Mary Roberts. The group’s mission is “to educate, motivate and provide action opportunities for our St. Mark congregation—and in turn the wider community—in support of environmental sustainability and in the context of our Christian values.” Members hope to work with and support other local Audubon International sites.

St. Mark Presbyterian
Contact: Mary Roberts
Contact via email...
Website: www.stmarkpresbyterian.org