Genesis Gets Greener

As the snow falls in Ann Arbor, Genesis keeps getting greener as we progress toward our goal of carbon neutrality.

In Fossil Fuel Freer on the Roof, we covered the installation over the summer of 76 solar panels, expanding our rooftop array to a total of 236.

Our efforts are getting noticed.

This month's issue of the Washtenaw Jewish News featured an article by Green Team chair Murray Rosenthal summarizing the full arc of our solar journey—from the original 160-panel system installed in 2020, to Genesis’s purchase of that array in March 2025, to this year’s expansion. The piece highlights both the environmental impact (nearly 700,000 pounds of CO₂ avoided to date) and the financial benefits, including meaningful reductions in summer electricity costs now that Genesis owns the entire system.

As Murray noted in the December 2025 WJN feature, “Genesis of Ann Arbor Expands its Solar Commitment” (p. 21):

Genesis’s solar journey is a model for how houses of worship and nonprofits can overcome financial barriers to clean energy. By leveraging community investment, federal incentives, and strategic planning, they’ve achieved both environmental stewardship and budgetary resilience.

Solar power, however, is just one part of Genesis’s progress toward sustainability.

Behind the scenes—and often up on ladders—Steven Kurz and the Genesis staff have completed an impressive series of improvements this year that directly support our long-term energy goals:

• All interior fixtures that once used T8 fluorescent tubes have been rewired to operate LED bulbs without ballasts.

• Ten exterior fixtures have also been converted to LED, improving brightness and reducing maintenance needs.

• Electrical service has been extended to accommodate a new convection oven, which will reduce our natural gas usage.

• A heat-pump rooftop unit installed over the sanctuary last summer continues to improve heating and cooling efficiency.

• The massive windowpanes along the ramp to the Social Hall, which had been massively leaking air, were replaced.

• And, the new windows installed in the Lower Level in 2024 have dramatically transformed the summertime climate downstairs—eliminating the heavy humidity that until last summer ahd required emptying dehumidifiers of buckets of water every day.

These upgrades show energy savings and also show how well volunteer leadership and professional staff can work together to make our vision real. The Green Team continues to guide strategy and seek grants and opportunities, while Steven and the staff carry out the detailed work that transforms a vision into practical improvements throughout the building.