Geothermal Initiative Begins at General Theological Seminary
The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church, New York, is converting its present heating-cooling system to an energy-efficient geothermal system. The project is largest of its kind in New York City, and drilling for a series of standing column wells will begin this fall.
The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church, New York, is converting its present heating-cooling system, which uses fossil fuel, to an energy-efficient geothermal system. Drilling for a series of standing column wells, integral to the new system, will begin this fall. Years in the planning stages, construction on the project begins in the wake of the Episcopal Church's General Convention, which passed significant "green" legislation encouraging the church at every level to reduce "energy use through conservation and increased efficiency, and by replacing consumption of fossil fuels with energy from renewable resources" toward the reduction of global warming.
Thanks to the new system, the seminary will reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,400 tons a year. Any need for roof-level cooling towers will be permanently eliminated, helping to preserve the architectural integrity of the campus - an entire city block of landmarked Gothic Revival buildings and serene, gardenlike open space set in the heart of the bustling Chelsea neighborhood.