Admin l Saturday, February 18, 2017
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES GET HIGHEST RATING BY GBI FOR NEW HQ DESIGN
WARWICK, New York, United States – Jehovah’s Witnesses have been awarded Four Green Globes rating, the highest rating by the Green Building Initiative, GBI for environmental friendly design of their new headquarters in New York.
The headquarters was completed in August 2016. The Jehovah’s Witnesses headquarters buildings were picked among the 65 buildings given the highest GBI rating from 965 projects in the United States.
“Out of 965 projects nationwide, only 64 buildings have received the highest rating of Four Green Globes. For Jehovah’s Witnesses to receive Four Green Globes for all seven of their buildings at Warwick is remarkable. This accomplishment represents a very high level of commitment to water, energy, and environmental efficiency,” Shaina Weinstein, senior director of engagement for GBI, stated.
According to GBI, all seven of the Witnesses’ headquarters buildings eligible for consideration scored at least 90 percent, equivalent to Four Green Globes.
The GBI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of building practices that result in resource efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings and it provides ratings in sustainable design and operation for newly constructed buildings.
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“ As part of the rating process, a third-party expert in the field conducts an on-site assessment to verify GBI’s findings”, the agency said on its website.
David Bean, sustainable design coordinator for the Witnesses’ facilities in the United States, comments: “We appreciate these awards, which testify to the dedication of all involved to construct a campus that exemplifies many sustainable design features—a campus that integrates gracefully and appropriately into Sterling Forest State Park.”
The green roof of the Offices/Services Building, composed of native flora planted in a growing medium over a waterproof membrane. Storm water runoff from the building is treated on-site to reduce strain on the public water infrastructure.
The Witnesses’ strategy included preserving the trees on the property and incorporating felled trees into the construction project.
“I appreciated the decision to mill the trees that were cut down to clear the site and reuse them in the new building designs,” says Jeffrey Hutchinson, former park manager for Sterling Forest. “The environmental aspects of what the Witnesses have done are excellent.” Shaina Weinstein also comments, “In our opinion, the Warwick project exemplifies what environmentally conscious design and construction are all about.”
Richard Devine, who was chairman of the Witnesses’ Warwick Construction Project Committee, explains: “For decades, our organization has maintained the aesthetics of our properties in Brooklyn. Now we look forward to maintaining our eco-friendly facility in Warwick and preserving the existing beauty of Sterling Forest.”
25 Comments
So proud to call myself one of Jehovah’s Witnesses! Everything we do is aimed toward serving our almighty God Jehovah, even in the buildings we build now.
no waste, no pollution and respect for the earth God gives. It’s a good thing.
This could be considered a preview of coming attractions. (2 Peter 3:13, 14) “But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell. Therefore, beloved ones, since you are awaiting these things, do your utmost to be found finally by him spotless and unblemished and in peace. ”
Jehovah’s Witnessese are deeply concerned with the many ecological problems now affecting the earth. More than most people, we appreciate that the earth was created to be a pure, healthful home for a perfect human family. (Genesis 1:31; 2:15-17; Isaiah 45:18) We also have God’s assurance that he will “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) It is thus right to make balanced, reasonable efforts to avoid needlessly adding to man’s ongoing spoiling of our globe.
God’s people should not be oblivious of ecological matters. God required his ancient people to take steps to dispose of wastes, steps that had ecological as well as sanitary import. (Deuteronomy 23:9-14) And since we know his view of those who are ruining the earth, we certainly should not ignore things that we can do to keep the environment clean. We can reflect this in proper disposal of garbage or wastes, especially toxic substances. We conscientiously cooperate with recycling efforts, having added reason to do so if these are mandated by government. (Romans 13:1, 5) And some individuals draw satisfaction from taking additional steps, such as choosing to use biodegradable products rather than ones that would add to the mountains of refuse on land and under the seas.
Beautifully stated!
My question to you, as a person who clearly has deep religious and spiritual beliefs, is where do you draw the line? How do you feel about Jehovah’s Witnesses who drive cars that pollute the environment? How do you feel about buying products that have been produced in factories that pollute the environment? How do you feel about the use of fossil fuels that damage the ozone layer? Although I agree that caring for the environment is absolutely crucial, it is extremely difficult to live absolutely environmentally friendly. Tim
Yes me as well is proud to be a Jehovah witnesses. we follow Bible steps becausse its what our God Jehovah his using to direct we Jehovah’s witnesses and we are proud to follow the Bibles steps because it guide us and protect us. So we Apply our doings and knowledge with the Bible, even on non living things, like this one of our building we are talking about. we apply the knowledge we get from the Bible in constructing them all.
This is quite ironic really considering I was brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness and was taught from a very young age that the world would be distroyed in Armageddon, along with all the unbelievers, along with being brainwashed that getting a secondary education was frowned upon as the world was ending and my life was better spent being subservient to man as he is superior to me and go straight from school to full time door knocking. Disgust doesn’t even begin to mention how this sits. Perhaps rather than overcrowding our world with more buildings- green or not they spent that money on all the victims of abuse within the congratulations from elders and members, and actually admit that there was a “two witness rule” to every child that came to them to report abuse. JW.org protects pedophiles. Great building or not.
Well I am an active Jehovah’s Witness. All of us need an education without it we can not serve Jehovah correctly. But we do try to put him first in our lives. If we all lived by the notion that you stated none to knock on doors right after school we would not have the money to donate to help build such a beautiful building.
We as men value women in fact the Bible tells us to love and respect them. The Bible also tells us that Woman is a complement and helper to her husband not a slave.
The Bible tells us to treat our wives like we want to be treated not subservient.
We also do not brainwash people we teach from the Bible.
This is a very fair comment Greg. However I must agree with Kylie. I feel the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a good people in general, but I believe that many of the teachings and beliefs are very unchristian and morally destitute. I appreciate that pedophilia is everywhere and is not easy for every religion to perfectly control for, but I think the religion needs reform as opposed to beautifully build headquarters. I feel they need to move away from what I would call ‘narrow mindedness’ and encourage members to be more critical of their teachings. I would agree that they discourage independent and critical thinking, which I think is dangerous as it gives the leaders an incredible amount of power over the minds of the people. This is where I believe the religion falls down morally, as all I have seen in the religion is manipulation and extortion of such individuals.
Well Jehovah created all humans with free will,the Bible is our test book,if Jehovah’s witness encouraged you to keep to Bible advise is wickedness that means you are saying freedom to commit sin is the best and God Almighty is foolish and wicked,left for you,but why do President Trump reject gay marriage which is not scriptural? Is Trump a Jehovah’s witness? You free and anybody is free to make a choice of how he want to live his life,even from ancient times,kings of Isreal,any person is free to worship whatever he want,but what ever a man sow he shall reap,am proud to be a Jehovah’s Witness,I and my family shall worship Jehovah! Please make your choice and stop complaining, stop slandering Jehovah’s Witnesses, you are attacking God Almighty, live your free life!
I agree with pretty much everything you have written there Godwin. If God exists or not, we have free will and we are therefore able to choose what we do with our lives. The point I am making however, is that I have more free will than the average Jehovah’s Witness who do not have the freedom to choose exactly what they believe, as they are told what to believe by the organisation. You could argue that you choose to subject yourself to the organisation, and that is a valid point, however it is my experience that many Witnesses are forced to comply and have no say in the matter. I simply feel that is dangerous, and once again, I encourage you all to open your minds and think outside of the JW box. I also agree you reap what you sow. It is a fundamental law of the universe. Interestingly, I sowed 22 years of ‘JW truth’ in my life and I reaped misery, depression, and suicidal tendencies. The past 6 years, I have sowed freedom from the religion, faithfulness to who I am, love for every person I meet, and a commitment to question the world around me, and guess what… so far I have reaped happiness, contentment, friendships, and a true purpose in life free of anxiety and depression. I wouldn’t say I’m complaining or slandering… however I am giving an opinion… one that is based upon my own experience. I’m sure God would be happy that I am questioning what I am being taught.
This is a perfect testimony to what we as Jehovah’s Witnesses can do with the God given knowledge we have been given by our God, Jehovah. In an imperfect world, a structure so incredibly Eco-friendly and conscientious to our earth is achieved by paying attention to our responsibility to the earth, given to us as a gift from our God. I am so proud to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses everyday.
It may be beautiful and it may be environmentally friendly, but it has been paid for with blood, extortion, manipulation, and betrayal. The Jehovah’s Witnesses should be ashamed of their leaders and how their beliefs have destroyed families and have caused severe mental problems and suicides amongst their followers. They may now be an environmentally friendly religion, but the moral and ethical environment in which they reside is toxic and filled with hypocrisy.
a bunch of lies.
I wouldn’t call these lies, but I would say it is clearly a matter of perspective. This is my experience. I think the religion is toxic and destructive. I can appreciate that this kind of wording is strong and for any current Jehovah’s Witness it likely makes their blood boil that anyone could potentially be so derogatory to what they consider to be the ‘truth’.
I have seen it destroy families, I have seen it extort money and time from individuals, I have seen it crush young people, I have seen it quash individuality, expression, and critical thinking, I have seen how it encourages division and the shunning of friends and family, I have seen how it has defamed the name of Christianity through very unchristian acts, and I have seen how it has caused severe mental health problems in individuals.
I was raised a Jehovah’s Witness and was a practicing member for 23 years. I found it to be a very regressive religion and one that drove me to suicidal feelings on a daily basis. Since leaving I feel free and I am now a very happy person. For those who are still a member of the religion, I urge you to at least consider alternative points of view. Open your minds and think more critically about what you are being taught. There is nothing wrong with asking questions and critically analyzing what you are being taught. Tim
can u prove what you are saying. pls dont say something you do not know
See comment above.
YEs many imperfect people need constant guidance from Jehovahs perfect word. Some need to be corrected by disfelloshiping until they humble themselves. When Jesus said to endure to the end, he knew the enemy Satan and his demons would work harder on us to break our loyalty to our creator. Perfection will take a thousand years, so what do you expect from us? We are trying hard to serve God with all our hearts, no matter how infirm, the more we do His will, the happier we are. HE IS THE HAPPY GOD. YOU SOUND VERY UNHAPPY.
I don’t disagree that the bible is an excellent source of wisdom and knowledge for helping people to live their lives properly. However I feel the Witnesses approach the whole aspect of disfellowshipping from the wrong point of view. I have never understood how shunning individuals, telling them to leave home, and breaking all personal and secular contact with them can be classed as ‘loving’. It strikes me as the exact opposite. I appreciate the usual response to these kinds of remarks is that it is an act of love as it brings the person back and helps them to see the error of their ways. Regardless of the reason, it is cruel and fundamentally unchristian. I would agree that I sound unhappy – in the context of discussing this religion, I would agree. I was a Witness for three quarters of my life and I can say with absolute conviction that they were the worst, most depressing, and most suicidal years of my life. Since leaving, not a day has passed where I have been unhappy. My days are filled with joy, pleasure, and contentment. I would recommend leaving the religion to anyone. Tim
So what you are saying is that those who do their best to serve Him should not heed the advice from these verses. 1 Cor 5:11; Rom 16:17; 2 Jo 10; 2Th 3:6, 14; Mt 18:17; Ac 19:9 etc. What do the say? Keep being best friends…..? Chill&Hang out with them…..?
When a child is about 5 years old he/she asks mum for a meal she answers ‘what is the magic word’.
When a child has passed its teen years mum for a meal she answers ‘food is in the fridge after you have eaten wash your plate’.
When a child is about 30 years old and asks for a meal mum answers ‘time to stop playing video games and go live in your own place’.
I have heard that over 99.9% of people who have left Jehovah are feeling much worse after that. At least that is what experiences both in Watchtower and in videos show, as it seems you are the 0.1 % representative. Clearly the song ‘Make the Truth Your Own’ did not reach your heart. I hope I did not offend you or Jehovah in any way for being so blunt with you.
Hi Marco. No I appreciate your bluntness. I like straight talking people. I appreciate the points you are making about disfellowshipped ones. I would never in a million years suggest that you hang out with people who fundamentally disagree with your own points of view, although I would argue that it is just sheer decency to atleast recognise and acknowledge their existence in the street. Actually… I would reason that having a wide range of beliefs around you is a good thing. I have a specific belief in Subject A but my 3 friends all have different beliefs on that subject. I personally feel its narrow minded to shut people off because their beliefs dont align with yours. Differing beliefs lead to fascinating and stimulating conversation and debate within friends and groups. I feel that should be encouraged… and whats more… the truth will stand out regardless if its the truth. Since leaving the JWs I have turned to science, which has taught me an awful lot about expanding my critical thinking abilities. I would like to pick a few holes in your last few sentences. Tell me what you think. You say 99.9% of people who leave feel worse. If that is the case, Im wondering do they feel worse because they no longer have Jehovah, or maybe its because they have lost all social support? What is the cause of that distress? That would be my first question. Secondly, there is the extremely important matter of selection bias by the Watchtower. The experiences in the WT of course are going to tell you that those who leave are worse off. I remember reading about all of the awful things that happen to people who leave. They are never going to report the occasions when JWs have left and are now living happily as that would be counter productive. What I am saying is that if you read forums for ex JWs you will see how a percentage are upset, a percentage are angry, a percentage are relieved, a percentage are happy. In a way you are kind of making my point for me. The fact that the only statistic you quote comes directly from the WT means you have not likely looked at other sources and have looked solely at what has been fed to you from the WT. My original point of this thread is to look beyond the WT and see what others are saying and expand the mind. Finally, Id like to think during my time as a JW I made the Truth My Own. For a time I feel I did. However when I questioned that ‘truth’, I was reprimanded. Being inquisitive is not a sin. I merely wanted to improve and bolster that truth. Tim
I find themJehovqhs Witnesses to be a breath of fresh air in a world full of religious hypocrisy and extremism. Many consider them extreme because they are so different from mainstream religions in many ways. But I find that a good thing. As someone who loves science I am often disgusted by the outright denial of proven science by religions. However JWs have long been sounding the warning about climate change while much of Christendom is still in denial. They also teach that the earth is at least billions of years old – unlike much of religion. They also teach that it took millions or billions of years for life on earth to come about – not 6 literal days. They also teach that when you die, you are dead. They do not believe in an immortal soul or spirit. They also teach that mental illness including depression and anxiety disorders are illnesses that require medical intervention and are not a sign of spirituality or lack thereof.
But because they acknowledge trees and bunnies and eggs have nothing to do with Jesus, that makes them extreme and “abusive”. Yeah….no.
What’s Happening i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I have found It absolutely helpful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & assist other users like its helped me. Good job.
Hélas beaucoup d’hypocrisies ? matériéllement ils sont très bien, grace a ceux qui se sact-rifie pat la Société JW.Org. , une fois qu’ils sont trops vieux ils n’ont plus rien ? Travail tous bénévollements et cela font des énéfices de la mains d’oeuvres et vendent les livres par des contributions volontaires ? Dont elle s’enrichossent ces sociétés qui sont a travers le monde ! Mais le malheur on ne le dit pas ceux qui sont vieux, OUI , enquelques sorte, ne sont pls productifs sont dehors sans rien ? Puisque ils ont sacrifié leurs vie comme des esclaves a la Société la JW.Org. qui ne respecte pas les LOIS en bonne partie sont aussi poursuivi et sont condamnés a des amendes parce qu’ils ne remplissent pas les conditions pour les travailleurs ? OUI ils sont habillés, nourrit, loger gratuitement et rien de plus !… Il y a beaucoup des vieux qui n’on rien reçu de la JW.Org. mais ces présidents sont soutenu toute leur vie et ont des maisons ? Enfin du bon comme du mauvais qui sont bien camouflé et caché ! On montre toujours ce qui est nouveau et beau pour faire croire des mensonges !…
Hélas beaucoup d’hypocrisies? matériellement ILS are très bien, grâce un Ceux qui se pat sacrifie la Société JW.Org. , Une Fois Qu’ils sont trop vieux n’ont, plus rien? Travail Tous bénévolement et ACDE police des bénéfices de la Mains d’œuvres et vendent les livres par des contributions volontaires? Dont la JW.Org. s’enrichissent. Qui sont a travers le monde! Mais le malheur qu’on ne le dit pas ! C’est ceux Qui sont vieux ! Ne sont plus en mesure d’aider , OUI, en quelques sorte : On ne parle pas de ceux qui sont en dehors et qu’ils sont sans rien? Puisqu’ils ont sacrifié leur vie exactement comme des esclaves à la Société la JW.Org. Qui ne respecte pas les LOI en bonne partie la société est poursuivie et des Condamnés des amendes. Parce Qu’ils ne remplissent pas les conditions pour les travailleurs ? OUI Ils sont Habillés, Nourris, Logés Gratuitement et n’ont rien de plus! … Il y a beaucoup des vieux qui ne reçois rien comme pension de survie de la JW.Org. MAIS les présidents sont soutenu a vie, et, ont des maisons gratuitement ? Enfin, il y a des bonnes nouvelles, tout, comme des mauvaises nouvelles Qui sont bien camouflé et caché! On Montre Toujours des choses positivement est du nouveau et c’est beau faire croire en cachant les mensonges! …