Georgia Bulletin

The Newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta

Atlanta

Parishes, schools earn grant money to be more energy efficient

Published December 21, 2017

ATLANTA—Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), a faith-based nonprofit, recently awarded nine parishes and schools a total of $34,253 to upgrade facilities to improve energy usage.

The grants come out of a study to reduce the carbon footprint of Catholic institutions and a collaboration between GIPL and the Atlanta Archdiocese. The effort found that schools and parishes could lower energy demands by updating technology and changing to lower-energy lighting. The goal is to lower utility bills and redirect the money to parish outreach.

The impetus to look at how schools and parishes could be more environmentally friendly came from Pope Francis’ 2015 “Laudato Si’” encyclical, which focused on caring for the earth and its resources.

Grants were awarded to: Christ Our Hope Church, Lithonia, $5,250; Mary Our Queen Church, Peachtree Corners, $1,890; St. Catherine of Siena Church, Kennesaw, $9,249; St. Mary Church, Rome, $3,000; St. Mary School, Rome, $4,180; St. Matthew Church, Tyrone, $4,974; St. Paul the Apostle Church, Cleveland, $3,460; and St. Peter Claver Regional School, Decatur, $2,250.