国家地理-2008-08-14 环保教堂

At Madison Christian¹ Community, they gather each Sunday to worship a higher power. These days, seeing the light means much more.

"My prayer now is ‘God, let your light shine in my life’. So, I am always happy when the sun is shining."

 Pastor² Jeff Wild appreciates the sun even more because of these -- solar panels the church installed in 2002. He was surprised to learn that the energy his church used to consume, released a staggering amount of fossil fuel emissions³.

 "Sometimes within a week's time, a ton of CO2 was being released into the atmosphere."

 So Pastor Wild encouraged change. The 480-member community had already surrounded itself with restored prairie grasses instead of a lawn that requires fertilizer. Inside, it now relies in part on solar power, more energy efficient light bulbs and more common sense. As a result, electricity use is down 40 percent. Kevin Little installs software that tracks energy consumption in buildings.

 "This is the peak 15-minute period for the whole week."

 He says it's important for people to see what they're saving because the general idea of conservation is often far removed from daily life.

"It's a preservation⁴ of wildlife in the Amazon, or it's the climate in Kyoto Protocol(s). All the stuff is very intellectual and takes a lot to understand. I think that if we have a specific building, a specific place, then I can begin to help people understand. "

 That's what Dave Stephenson is counting on—a retired⁵ Methodist minister and teacher of environmental ethics⁶. Dave founded the Wisconsin Interfaith, Climate & Energy Campaign.

 "A lot of the churches were built 50, 75, 100 years ago. They are big, leaky barns in terms of per hour, per person use. Houses of worship are probably the most energy-wasteful buildings in America."

 That message's spreading in the Green Bay Diocese. St. Francis of Assisi Chapel⁷ is being held up as a model of how to build green from the ground up. The floors are made of recycled concrete. Fly ash from power plants is part of the mix. The oak pews and other wood work come from a local sustainable forest. St. Francis even has an environmentally-friendly holy water font.

 "We asked them to use recycled items. So this is all recycled dyed glass. We don't have infinite resources. We have finite resources. And by taking some care, even in a small project like this, it's gonna make a difference in the long term."

 That modern message fits a traditional mission.

 "Is this going to revolutionize how churches use energy? I don't know, but I think you can help people to begin to think about what can we do. The possibility is tremendous."

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

3 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

4 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

7 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。