MJCCA Receives Generous Grant from The Community Foundation to Support Campus-Wide Environmental Sustainability

The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) is the recipient of a grant from The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta’s Grants to Green initiative. This matching grant of $370,074 will enable the MJCCA to upgrade its interior lighting, HVAC equipment and controls, and kitchen ventilation, among other facility systems, to ensure the energy efficiency of its Zaban Park campus in Dunwoody at 5342 Tilly Mill Road.

A partnership between The Community Foundation and Southface, Grants to Green gives metro Atlanta nonprofits the opportunity to renovate or build healthier work places, stressing energy, water, and environmental efficiency. The ultimate goal is to improve an organization’s environmental impact and increase operational cost efficiency, so that the savings can be passed along to the communities these organizations serve.

“These funds will enable us to address the greening of our campus and reduce our energy costs,” says MJCCA CEO, Gail Luxenberg. “This grant also illustrates our commitment to Shomrai Adamah (Guardians of the Earth), an important Judaic value we have pursued through our Values in Action initiative.”

Environmental initiatives are not new to the MJCCA, and Luxenberg explains that the agency has implemented some of the grant’s requirements through its annual facilities plan. The agency began greening its campus at the first of the year, with internal staff making a commitment to reuse, reduce, and recycle. As part of the Values in Action program, the MJCCA has incorporated environmental efforts into many of its programs, including the development of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiative. Through CSA, members and staff can purchase shares of local, seasonal, and organic produce provided by Rise ‘n Shine Organics.

For more information on the MJCCA’s Grants to Green award, contact Erika Barnes, at (678) 812-4144 or erika.barnes@atlantajcc.org, and for details on the MJCCA’s greening efforts, CSA, or Values in Action programs, contact David Hoffman, at (678) 812-3974 or david.hoffman@atlantajcc.org.