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Saturday March 13, 2010

Release Date: 03.13.10 | Location: Fulton County | Organization: Jesuit Retreat Center at Ignatius House

Faith Goes Green: Ignatius House Converts Retreat Center to Energy Efficient, Green Building

$38,000 Grant from The Community Foundation's Grants to Green Program Matches Existing Funds

ATLANTA, March 10, 2010 - Ignatius House continues its process of "greening" the 50-year-old retreat center located on the Chattahoochee River in Sandy Springs, thanks to a $38,000 grant awarded by The Community Foundation's Grants for Green program. The grant matches existing funds for several green initiatives that will save more than 400,000 gallons of water each year and reduce energy expenditures up to 50 percent.

"We make every effort at Ignatius House and the fantastic natural setting that we are blessed with to focus on being better stewards of God's creation," said Maria G. Cressler, executive director of Jesuit Retreat Center Ignatius House. "The Community Foundation grant, along with the support of our generous donors, allows us to immediately reduce our impact on the environment and continue our green initiative efforts."

The awarded grant from The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta follows a previous Grants to Green assessment, conducted this past winter by Southface. The assessment outlined opportunities for energy efficiencies in the 50-year-old, 48-room retreat house. The grant, along with matching funds, allows the recommendations to be implemented this spring, including:

• Replacement of current chiller, which cuts energy use by 50 percent, saves at least 80,000 gallons of water per year and eliminates unnecessary chemicals.
• Installation of low-flow aerators and showerheads in each room, saves an estimated 321,640 gallons of water per year.
• Retrofitting current lighting with motions sensors and new compact fluorescent bulbs, reduces energy load by 16,446Wh, saving an estimated $2,155 per year.

These upcoming improvements complement Ignatius House's "green initiatives" that began in 2008. Among its list of accomplishments, the retreat center first eliminated the use of all Styrofoam products in the dining room and break-room areas, replacing them with eco-friendly ceramics. The soda machine now carries cans instead of plastic bottles, with a well-marked container to recycle the cans. A newly installed water-cooler has lessened the use of individual plastic bottled water. The retreat center shifted to seasonal, locally-farmed produce in the warm weather months. Retreatants are encouraged to participate in green efforts by adopting a "one mug" policy for their stay and highly visible signs encourage retreatants to turn off lights and HVAC units in their rooms when leaving. In addition, the staff of Ignatius House has made steps to reduce paper use by shifting the majority of its mailings to online channels such as email. "All of this, all of these green initiatives are part of our commitment to being a vibrant example of ‘care for God's creation' - a main tenet of Catholic social teaching," added Cressler. "This is something we all can achieve without too much effort."

Open to men and women of all faiths and backgrounds, Ignatius House hosts silent, spiritual retreats allowing individuals to take a break from the material world and become closer to God by surrounding themselves with and embracing God's beautiful creation. During the weekend, the retreat director presents a series of brief 30-minute talks, based on scripture and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. These exercises are designed to provide an opportunity for personal renewal in faith and an awareness of the love and peace initiated by God. The rest of the time on retreat is for personal, quiet meditation. Individuals value the silence and solitude that are conducive to experiencing God's presence, rest, reflection and renewal.

About the Jesuit Center at Ignatius House:
Ignatius House is the place to unleash yourself from the digital world and experience the spiritual one. Open to men and women of all faiths and backgrounds, Ignatius House offers silent, guided retreats. It is owned and operated by the Jesuit Fathers and Brothers of the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus and is the only center located in Georgia. The retreat center is named after Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a sixteenth-century nobleman and the founder of the Jesuit Order. The Spiritual Exercises that are practiced are based on the notes that St. Ignatius himself made as he underwent his own spiritual conversion at Manresa, Spain. Ignatius House is located on more than 20 peaceful acres along the Chattahoochee River in Sandy Springs, Georgia, a northwest suburb of Atlanta. www.ignatiushouse.org

About Grants to Green:
Grants to Green provides environmentally focused knowledge and funding to strengthen nonprofits in the Atlanta region. The founding partners of Grants to Green are The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (www.cfgreateratlanta.org), providing expertise in grant making, and Southface (www.southface.org) providing expertise in energy efficiency.