The Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham, president and founder of Interfaith Power & Light, sent this message to supporters today. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Interfaith Power & Light!
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I am filled with gratitude for all of you who have supported our work either with prayer, volunteer work, funds, or action. This is my chance to say thank you to all of you who have encouraged us and kept us moving forward.
• There are now IPL programs in 40 states and the District of Columbia. We are building or renewing our presence in states including Alaska, Delaware, Maryland, Missouri, and Tennessee.
• The 2012 National Preach-In for Global Warming was the biggest one yet, with more than 1,000 congregations holding activities. People of faith sent an estimated 37,500 postcards to U.S. Senators asking them to support clean air legislation.
• Growing numbers of faith communities took part in the Cool Congregations Challenge to cut their carbon footprint. Watch our website to learn more about the 2012 winners and finalists.
• During this election year, we encouraged people to vote their values in electing leaders who will work for a stable climate. IPL state affiliates helped pass key ballot measures in California, New Mexico, and Rhode Island, and achieve an organizing victory around stronger renewable energy policy in Michigan.
Interfaith Power & Light continues to mobilize a religious response to global warming in countless ways, including our Carbon Covenant work in the developing world and Cool Harvest, which helps congregations make the food-faith-climate connection.
With its extreme weather events, 2012 has given us a taste of the future and has shown that we have a lot of work to do and not much time in which to do it. I am thankful for so many generous people who understand the urgency of addressing this issue. I agree with President Obama, who said, “We want our children to live in an America that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.”
On Thursday, as we gather for our Thanksgiving meal, let us give thanks for all the joy and goodness in the world and also pray for strength to continue our work on behalf of Creation, our children, and our most vulnerable neighbors.
With love and hopes for a Happy Thanksgiving holiday,
The Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham
Interfaith Power & Light
P.S. Thanksgiving is just the start of a season of family, friends, and feasting. We’ve updated our annual list of ideas to help you create climate-friendly meals throughout the holidays.
