Village Voice News - Community - Church goes green and grey

Maroubra Uniting Church is putting up its green thumb and committing to the long-haul process of environmental protection with its new "Project Green Church".

This project involves a series of sustainability initiatives including greywater recycling, installing rainwater tanks and using solar power.

The Church supports two student residences on its land, both of which now feature a stand-alone greywater recycling unit.

The Nubian Oasis tanks can each process 1200 litres of greywater daily, treating water from handbasins, washing machines and showers, and recycling it for toilet flushing. The units can save 100 litres of water per person per day.

Dr Miriam Pepper, the co-ordinator of the grassroots initiative, said the church aimed to "showcase strategies of sustainability to the community and the church as a way of encouraging environmentally best practice".

Other activities include car-sharing, regular cycle club rides, community gardening and outreaching to other churches.

Randwick Mayor Bruce Notley-Smith said the program showed that water recycling could be made a reality for many other urban properties.