JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

FEBRUARY 27, 2015 | UNITED STATES
Witnesses Win Major Awards for Green Building Design and
Construction
NEW YORK—Jehovah’s Witnesses, well-known for their global
Bible education work, are receiving recognition for excellence
in environmentally sustainable building design and
construction.
The Green Building Initiative (GBI) awarded certifications for
two new buildings at the Witnesses’ United States branch
facilities in Wallkill, New York: the Watchtower Farms F
Residence, completed in late 2012, and the Watchtower
Wallkill Office Building, completed in 2014. Both of the
buildings received the highest award of Four Green Globes.
Shaina Sullivan, Marketing Director for GBI, notes:
“Worldwide, less than 4 percent of all buildings assessed
under the program have achieved this top certification of Four
Green Globes.” Ms. Sullivan added that the Watchtower
Wallkill Office Building “is the first nonresidential project in
New York State to earn this rating.” Jenna Middaugh, Project
Manager for GBI, commented: “Of the 23 buildings [in the
United States] that have been certified with Four Green Globes
since 2006, the Watchtower Wallkill Office Building achieved
the highest point score with 94 percent.”
GBI administers Green Globes as a commercial rating system
and certification program that utilizes a third-party on-site
assessment of sustainable design and construction. Achieving
a Green Globes rating requires environmentally sensitive site
design that focuses on water management, minimization of
energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions,
minimizing the impact on natural resources by selection of
appropriate materials, and creating a healthful indoor
environment.
Photovoltaic panels provide at least 10 percent of the
electrical energy needs for the Watchtower Wallkill Office
Building, a feature of the building’s award-winning sustainable
design.
David Bean, sustainable design coordinator for the Witnesses’
facilities in the United States, says: “The achievement of these
awards attests to the high standard of design and
construction work that we set for all of our projects. We are
also pursuing Green Globes certification in the design and
construction of our new world headquarters in Warwick, New
York.”