Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters' Motherhouse Undergoes Green Renovation

The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), have begun

a multimillion-dollar “green” renovation of their 1930s Motherhouse in Monroe, Michigan. The building serves as a retirement and healthcare facility for 250 of their senior members. The completed renovation, expected in 2003, will feature increased daylighting, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and energy-efficient lighting. The surrounding 280-acre (110 ha) campus is also being overhauled. Extensive native landscaping will employ indigenous plants and include a 5-acre (2 ha) meadow savanna. One of the most innovative changes will be the introduction of a graywater recycling system. Separate pipes will route water from sinks and showers through an emergent marsh, pond, and wet meadow before it is finally chlorinated, marked with blue dye, and reused to flush toilets throughout the facility. The renovated Motherhouse is expected to use 55% less water than the original facility. For details, see the IHM Web site:

www.ihmsisters.org/future-motherhouse.html.