The MCC is a green facility. That means every day we work to embody the stewardship principles in our Islamic faith and aims to be a zero-waste facility.

At our more than 10,000 dinners hosted annually at the Muslim Community Center, we use only compostable dinnerware and utensils and educate our congregation members how to compost leftover food along with their plate. We also mandate that our caterers use recyclable packaging.

Our other sustainable efforts include:

  • hosting year-round youth Jumu’ah education posters and activities tables, a green sermon on Earth Day, and interfaith talks to nurture the relationship between Islam and environment in our congregation and community;
  • removing litter from our roadways at monthly Adopt-a-Highway cleanups;
  • livestreaming most sermons, lectures, and workshops to reduce fuel wastage (although we love visitors!);
  • having readily available recycle and compost bins throughout the facility and having our custodial staff sort and recycle waste to reduce trash to area landfills;
  • encouraging our congregation to visit nature reserves by hosting monthly hikes;
  • encouraging our congregation to use less water for wadu (ritual cleansing prior to prayer) and towels with bathroom signage, and;
  • cutting back on electricity usage by utilizing Smart thermostat controls throughout the massive MCC facility as well as utilizing low-energy Smart robots in Prayer Hall for targeted nightly vacuuming rather than utilizing high-energy commercial vacuums.

Our mosque and community center are at its peak use and attendance in Ramadan. We had our first Green Ramadan in 2018 when we diverted more than 400 gallons of compost and 130 gallons of recyclables from area landfills at each community dinner attended by 500 or more guests.

We are sustainable in the Holy Month by:

  • selling Green Deen reusable bottles each Ramadan at discounted cost to congregation members to encourage use during Taraweeh night prayers over disposable plastic bottles (those who cannot afford a reusable bottle always get one for free) and making filtered, cool water available at three drinking stations throughout the facility;
  • using compostable dinnerware and utensils at more than 4,000 Iftars (evening meals that breaks the daily Ramadan fast) and providing easy-to-follow instructions on Smart TV displays around facility on how to dispose of the plate so there is zero dinner waste;
  • providing large recycling and compost bins and smaller garbage bins – clearly labeled and with helpful volunteers making announcements – during Iftars to instruct congregation on disposing waste, and;
  • incentivizing good green living habits by giving special-colored wristbands to dinner guests who present with a reusable water at the registration table and allow those Iftar guests to go to front of the dinner line.

In 2020, we are increasing our green stewardship and sustainability efforts by in 2020 by:

  • switching to recycled grey water for landscaping and placing our sprinkler system on a Smart irrigation controller that meets EPA WaterSense criteria;
  • mandating vendors for our 140 lunch and 50 dinner order each Friday to only deliver food in compostable boxes (never styrofoam);
  • in an effort closer to a zero-waste Ramadan, incentivizing congregation members to bring reusable glass or plastic Tupperware containers, a reusable spork, and thermos (will also be sold by MCC at cost) and giving congregants who bring these items priority during food service and soapy buckets to rinse containers after the Iftar;
  • organizing youth street clean events around the MCC facility and at the nearby Islamic cemetery, and
  • continuing to explore a massive roof solar project as part of Master renovation of the MCC facility.