To Help Care for the Earth, an Indiana Seminary Turned to Geothermal Energy and Efficiency

The Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Indiana has implemented a series of energy efficiency and clean energy initiatives over two decades to align its campus with its 'creation care' philosophy. These efforts include the construction of a LEED Gold-certified library using geothermal heating and cooling, the installation of two solar arrays, and comprehensive energy retrofits of existing buildings, resulting in a significant reduction in annual energy consumption between 2013 and 2022.

• The seminary's library, completed in 2007, is a 31,500 square foot facility and the first LEED-certified theological library in North America, achieving LEED Gold status. It utilizes a ground-source geothermal heat pump system consisting of 63 wells in a closed-loop structure across four acres to provide heating and cooling without natural gas.
• Between 2013 and 2022, the seminary reduced its annual energy consumption by approximately two-thirds. This was achieved through a series of upgrades starting in 2014, following an ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit and analysis using the EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager software.
• The seminary installed two solar arrays: a 50-kW ground-mounted system in 2017 and an 80-kW rooftop system in 2020. Together, these systems have offset more than 320 tons of carbon emissions and generated $82,000 in savings since their installation.
• Specific building retrofits included replacing two 1950s-era cast iron boilers with new units that are 50 percent more efficient, saving over $5,000 annually in fuel. The seminary also implemented lighting upgrades, occupancy sensors, and new HVAC systems based on audit recommendations that cost $42,500 and projected annual savings of $8,750.
• To support the geothermal infrastructure and regional biodiversity, the seminary planted six acres of tall grass prairie adjacent to the library, contributing to a total of 20 acres of prairie grasses on campus that support over 50 species of flora and fauna.

APA

Yañez-Barnuevo, M. (2023). To Help Care for the Earth, an Indiana Seminary Turned to Geothermal Energy and Efficiency. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/to-help-care-for-the-earth-an-indiana-seminary-turned-to-geothermal-energy-and-efficiency

Chicago

Yañez-Barnuevo, Miguel. To Help Care for the Earth, an Indiana Seminary Turned to Geothermal Energy and Efficiency. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2023. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/to-help-care-for-the-earth-an-indiana-seminary-turned-to-geothermal-energy-and-efficiency.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yañez-Barnuevo |first1=Miguel |title=To Help Care for the Earth, an Indiana Seminary Turned to Geothermal Energy and Efficiency |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=2 March 2023 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/to-help-care-for-the-earth-an-indiana-seminary-turned-to-geothermal-energy-and-efficiency |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaezbarnuevo2023help, author = {Yañez-Barnuevo, Miguel}, title = {{To Help Care for the Earth, an Indiana Seminary Turned to Geothermal Energy and Efficiency}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/to-help-care-for-the-earth-an-indiana-seminary-turned-to-geothermal-energy-and-efficiency}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }