Southface Institute recently named the Levite Jewish Community Center a GoodUse grantee, which means funding and technical assistance to make building upgrades that will improve The J’s environmental and financial sustainability. The highly competitive grant, awarded by the Atlanta-based Southface Instititute, will continue an important partnership that began last year.
“We’re excited to continue this collaboration,” says Brooke Bowles, executive director at the LJCC. “We’re a large facility that includes three pools, a fitness floor, and the Cohn Early Childhood Learning Center. Increasing our water and energy efficiency can make a huge impact, with the energy savings allowing us to enhance the resources we devote to community-focused programming.”
And, Brooke adds, lessening The J’s environmental footprint speaks directly to the Jewish value of tikkun olam, or repairing the world.
The J was able to put last year’s GoodUse grant to good use by arranging for detailed engineering plans that outline the replacement of the facility’s outdated chiller and boiler system and, coming up in August, the installation of four new high-efficiency rooftop air-conditioning units.
Southface Institute is an Atlanta-based nonprofit whose architects and engineers will continue working with LJCC staff to increase efficiencies, lower expenses, and improve indoor health. Each year, Southface’s GoodUse program helps 40-50 nonprofits upgrade the efficiency of their facilities so they can save on their utility bills and invest more in their core services to the community. Since 2008, 545+ GoodUse projects have saved nonprofits $2.5 million in operating costs.
Other recently named GoodUse grant recipients include Birmingham Landmarks (owners and operators of the historic Alabama Theatre and Lyric Theatre), Tennessee Aquarium, Blue Heron Nature Preserve, multiple Salvation Army locations, and numerous other organizations.