Interfaith Power & Light

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March 22, 2021

Congratulations to the 2021 Cool Congregations Challenge Winners and Runners Up!

The Cool Congregations Challenge shows that people of faith are united by concerns about climate change and are taking action! The winners provide strong moral role models for their communities, and their activities have a ripple effect with people in their own homes.

The annual contest accepts applications from religious congregations around the United States who are doing work to address global warming by reducing their carbon footprint as they create models of sustainability within their communities. The judges remarked that there were so many excellent submissions this year that it was difficult to choose!

There are five national Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) 2021 Cool Congregations Challenge winners and thirteen Runners Up. Read their whole stories here.

 

COMMUNITY INSPIRATION

The Islamic Center of East Lansing in Michigan won the Cool Congregations Community Inspiration Award for putting up their own solar array AND inspiring their neighboring congregation, University Lutheran to install solar also. University Lutheran was awarded Honorable Mention in the Challenge. 

“The solar project implemented by the Islamic Center is our attempt to care for God’s creation by generating electricity without a trace of carbon footprint,” Chaudhry said. “As a house of worship, we didn’t want to merely preach [but] put our words into action. By producing electricity from a renewable source, we are conserving the environment as required by our faith.”

 

RENEWABLE ROLE MODEL

Gesu Catholic Church and School in Detroit, Michigan won the Cool Congregations Renewable Role Model Award for their student-led collaborative effort to install solar on their building.

 

 

“We are thrilled that our Gesu students seized the opportunity to learn about sustainability, environmental justice, and the care of creation, while at the same time advocating for community health. Having IPL’s recognition will continue to enhance their learning and deepen Gesu’s positive impact on the environment,” said Rev. Phil Cooke, SJ.

 

SACRED GROUNDS

 Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church, located near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, won this year’s Cool Congregations Sacred Grounds Award for their collaborative effort to restore the four-acre habitat their church campus is built on.

“Our congregation is honored to be acknowledged for our environmental work,” said the Rev. Susan DeWyngaert, the senior pastor at Woods. “As a Presbyterian Church (USA) Earth Care Congregation, we have made a commitment to work toward sustainability by providing worship, education, prayer and service opportunities in our church and community. Receiving the Cool Congregations Challenge Award is thrilling for us. We hope it will model and inspire more emphasis on sustainability as a faith practice.”

 

ENERGY SAVER

The Church of Our Saviour in Arlington, Massachusetts won the Cool Congregations Challenge Energy Saver Award for replacing their old oil heater with new heat pumps. The rectory of this small church is now saving 15 tons CO2 per year with new heat pumps, with of total savings $1,710 in annual energy costs. 

“As part of celebrating our centennial year as a congregation, we looked back on our church history, not just to see where we had come from, and how our values were shaped, but also to consider what kind of legacy we wanted to leave future generations. A vestry discussion revealed that decreasing our carbon footprint was high on our list of priorities, as we wanted to do our part in leaving a cleaner planet and greener church for future generations,” Rev. Malia Crawford.

 

COOL PLANNER

First Plymouth Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Englewood, Colorado won the Cool Planner Award for their teamwork to swap out their lighting for efficient LED lighting despite pandemic restrictions.

The Creation Justice Ministry team at FPCC estimates they will save about $3800 per year and reduce their emissions by about 36 tons annually at their 55,000 square foot building.

 

RUNNERS UP

These congregations also had awesome projects!

COOL PLANNER

State College Friends Meeting, State College, PA

Congregation Kol Shalom, Bainbridge Island, WA

 

ENERGY SAVER

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lansing, MI

 

RENEWABLE ROLE MODEL

Genesis of Ann Arbor: Note that Genesis of Ann Arbor is a partnership between St Clare’s Episcopal Church and Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor, MI

New Garden Friends Meeting, Greensboro, NC

Second Presbyterian Church, Little Rock, AR

 

COMMUNITY INSPIRATION

St. John United Methodist Church, Anchorage, AK

Winchester Unitarian Society, Winchester, MA

West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, Rocky River, OH

 

SACRED GROUNDS

Gesu Catholic Church and School, Detroit, MI

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Wilmington, DE

West Raleigh Presbyterian Church, Raleigh, NC

Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Bayside, CA

Read more about the Runners Up here.

“The national winning congregations are casting a vision for the kind of world in which they want to live, and then carrying out that vision with practical actions that make a real difference in creating lasting solutions to climate change,” said Rev. Susan Hendershot, President of Interfaith Power & Light.

IPL encourages congregations completing projects or plans in 2022 to apply for next year’s Cool Congregations Challenge by December 15, 2021. Due to Covid the project eligibility window has been expanded to projects completed in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Learn more here.

Thanks to our expert panel of judges this year! By category they are:  Community Inspiration: Ashaki Scott, IPL National Office Manager and Program Assistant and Gregory Lopez, IPL board member. Energy Saver: Ryan Snow, Director, Market Transformation + Development at the U.S. Green Building Council and Hannah Bastian, Research Analyst from The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Renewable Role Model: Jerry Bernstein, Special Projects Coordinator and Dara Bortman, Board Chair of the American Solar Energy Socieity. Sacred Grounds: Tim Darst, retired Executive Director of Kentucky IPL and Carla Ellern, IPL DMV supporter, Registered Landscape Architect with Lila Fendrick Landscape Architects, member of American Society of Landscape Architects and a LEED AP (Accredited Professional) BD+C. Cool Planner: Mikelann Scerbo, Senior Associate, Research at the Alliance for Saving Energy.

 

Filed Under: Blog, What's New

March 9, 2021

Sacred Ground – Cultivating Connections: Food, Faith, Climate April 16-25, 2021

This year for Earth Day, dig into a faith-based discussion with your congregation on the intersecting challenges of food insecurity, racial injustice, and the climate crisis.

Faith Climate Action Week is Interfaith Power & Light’s annual program of climate-themed worship services and sermons that spans ten days of activities around Earth Day. This year’s dates are April 16-25. Join the community of people of faith preaching, teaching, and acting to heal the climate in 2021!

The 2021 theme is “Sacred Ground: Cultivating Connections Between our Faith, our Food, and the Climate.” We will examine how our food systems contribute to injustice and to climate change, and how our faith traditions call us to respond with practical solutions.

Use the resources in this year’s Faith Climate Action Week kit for your congregational action.

The Organizer’s Kit includes a Sacred Ground Guide, with information on how the ways in which we grow our food can be part of the climate solution and also bring about a more just community. In the kit there are faith-based discussion materials; suggested short films; a Garden Blessing ceremony; and suggestions and resources for how to get engaged in supporting food justice and healthy soil.  Also included are advocacy postcards addressed to the Secretary of Agriculture – consider printing them and including them in your congregation’s mailings.

Free digital download of the Organizer’s kit is now available. Click here to download.

 

Plan to screen this year’s featured film, Kiss the Ground, as part of your events for Faith Climate Action Week. People are calling it, “The Most Important Film You’ll Ever Watch”. This is a really big claim, but it just might be true!

Kiss the Ground is a new film how about how regenerating the world’s soils has the potential to rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems, and create abundant food supplies. This film explains why transitioning to regenerative agriculture could be key in rehabilitating the planet, while simultaneously invigorating a new sense of hope and inspiration in viewers.

View the trailer and purchase a DVD for your screening here.

Download the free screening kit (at the same link above) that includes faith-based discussion questions on the film page, and host a film discussion with your congregation.

Please follow the COVID-safe regulations in your area for your in-person screenings. Some congregations are planning to host outdoor, socially-distanced screenings projecting the film on a wall or screen. And some congregations are passing around a DVD to congregational families or COVID-pods for small screenings.

SAVE THESE DATES!

 April 10 – 26

Thanks to a special arrangement with Kiss the Ground and Roco films, IPL will also offer a free online viewing period for home viewing. Registration required.

 April 1

Registration for free online home viewing during Faith Climate Action Week will be released April 1. Watch IPL emails for reminders.

April 21

IPL will also host a webinar with the filmmakers on April 21. Details to come.

All film details here.

 

Worship Resources – Faith Climate Action Week 2021 offerings on our website also include sample sermons and talks, music, prayers, blessings, youth resources and more for your worship services.

Click here to access worship resources.

 

 

IPL National Earth Day Climate Prayer – Join IPL on FaceBook on Earth Day at 12noon local to pray along with Rev. Susan Hendershot, IPL President as she prays the Interfaith Earth Day Climate Prayer.

Download the text of the prayer here so you can pray along.

 

 

Pin your events to the Faith Climate Action Week Map and calendar of events! Let’s show the world that people of faith and conscience are taking the lead on climate and post as many events as we can! During Covid many events are online and could be of interest to people beyond your own congregation. By posting them you give others the chance to join your online events. Be sure to include a link to register and contact information in your posting.

Post your events to the calendar here.

Thank you for joining the community of people of faith preaching, teaching, and acting to heal the climate in 2021!

Contact Sarah at [email protected] for more information.

 

Filed Under: Blog

November 16, 2020

Cool Congregations Challenge – Enter to win $1000!


We all want clear skies overhead; especially after the intense wildfire and hurricane seasons we are experiencing this year. And we’d all like clear skies AHEAD when it comes to climate action.

If your congregation has taken steps to clear the skies, enter by December 15 to win $1,000 in the IPL Cool Congregations Challenge, Interfaith Power & Light’s annual contest to award congregations for their efforts to care for Creation.

Normally only projects completed in the past year are accepted, but because of COVID things are different.

IPL recognizes the difficulties caused by COVID – plans to upgrade properties to save energy have been postponed, and congregational administrative offices have been closed making it difficult to access records. So IPL is expanding the project eligibility window to include 2018, 2019, and 2020. If you have applied for projects ending in those years before, you may enter again, as long as you did not win. 

IPL congregations across the nation have already reduced their carbon emissions or engaged their communities in climate resilience. Some congregations have gotten an energy audit and are making plans; some are managing their grounds sustainably. IPL’s Cool Congregations Challenge supports and honors you, wherever your congregation has focused its’ efforts to care for Creation. 

Click here to enter the Challenge or to download the entry guide today, for a chance to win $1,000 in each of the five entry categories.

There are five entry categories:

Energy Saver: Lighting, Insulation, Windows & Doors, Heating & Cooling Systems

Renewable Role Model: Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Solar Water Heating

Sacred Grounds: Native landscaping, Organic Gardening, Water Conservation, Bike Racks, Wildlife Habitats, Recycling & Composting

Community Inspiration: Inspiring Congregants to Reduce at Home, Helping Communities Transition from Fossil Fuels to Clean Energy, Helping Communities Prepare for the Impacts of Climate Change

Cool Congregations Planner: Audits, Planning Reports, Fundraising – Consider applying for this category if your plans for 2020 were waylaid by COVID.

Projects can take place inside the worship space or other buildings, on the grounds, in congregants’ homes, or in the community.

So even if you have applied before – as long as you did not win – you may enter your projects completed in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Click here to enter the Challenge or download your entry guide today. It includes all of the details, as well as a flyer to get your green team excited about entering, inspirational stories of past winners, and links to the entry form. Entry deadline December 15.

A BIG THANK YOU to the stellar line up of judges this year:

Jerry Lawson, National Manager of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Small Business & Congregations

Mikelann Scerbo, Research Manager, Alliance for Saving Energy

Hannah Bastian, Research Analyst, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy​ 

Ryan Snow, Director, Market Transformation + Development, U.S. Green Building Council

Jerry Bernstein, IPL National Special Projects Manager

Dara Bortman, Sr VP of Marketing/Sales of Exact Solar, and Board Director, American Solar Energy Society

Gregory Lopez, IPL National Board Member

Ashaki Scott, IPL National Staff

Carla Ellern, IPL DMV supporter, Registered Landscape Architect with Lila Fendrick Landscape Architects

Tim Darst, Retired Executive Director of Kentucky IPL

Filed Under: Blog

September 22, 2020

It’s National Voter Registration Day!

National Voter Registration Day!

By Susan Stephenson, Executive Director

Today is National Voter Registration Day. It’s time to take action!

Voting is the central sacrament of our democracy.  For people of faith and conscience, voting is how we create a country that reflects our values.

To exercise this basic right and civic obligation, we must be registered to vote. That’s why IPL has partnered with When We All Vote and National Voter Registration Day. These partners are getting voters registered through community influencers like Selena Gomez, Shonda Rhimes, and YOU! Here’s how to help seize the opportunity on this day:

Register to Vote: It’s simple, it’s free, and it’s secure. You can easily start the process here.

Spread the word: Once you make sure you’re registered, share this link with a friend, and ask them to join you in publicizing the day on social media. Share this voter registration portal- weall.vote/ipl. Don’t forget to tag Interfaith Power & Light and When We All Vote on all platforms, and make sure to use #NationalVoterRegistrationDay and #VoteReady in all of your social media posts.

Get #VoteReady: Already registered? Even better! If you want to vote by mail this year, request your ballot today with When We All Vote’s Voter Resources Hub. Take ten minutes today to visit the hub to learn more about what’s on the ballot, where your polling station is, and other ways to get involved ahead of Election Day.

Thank you for taking a few moments to strengthen your community – and our country – with your voice.

Filed Under: Blog

September 11, 2020

Washington Report – Sept 2020

Washington Report - Sept 2020

Labor Day in an election year normally marks the start of the final sprint to election day—it’s the date at which Congress fully turns its attention from governing to reelection. But with the government only funded through the end of the month, and no federal COVID-19 relief since March, we hope that won’t be the case this year.

COVID Relief Package?

The expected COVID relief bill never materialized in August, as talks broke down over the size and priorities of the bill. Democrats were unwilling to go below $2.2 trillion with a package that covered expanded unemployment insurance, assistance for state and local governments, and funding for safe elections. Republicans largely opposed those priorities and were unwilling to spend more than $1 trillion, although they agreed with Democratic leadership on another round of $1200 checks.

Even in the failed talks, our priorities were largely missing.

Those priorities include:

Investing in good paying clean energy jobs, through initiatives like renewable energy tax credits. Clean energy can put people to work while also making our communities healthier and more resilient.

Freezing utility shut offs nationwide. During this public health emergency, we must make sure that everyone has the resources to stay safe and healthy while at home. And we should invest now in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program to create jobs and lower utility bills.

Curbing air pollution, especially in communities of color that have borne an unfair share of our dirty air. Research has shown this unfair burden of pollution is one reason communities of color have been hit harder by the virus. We can start to change this by investing in programs like the EPA’s Environmental Justice Grants.

Promoting health and jobs in former coal communities by including the RECLAIM Act. This bipartisan bill offers the opportunity to both protect public health and provide immediate employment for hard-hit communities by funding clean up and economic development in communities with abandoned coal mines.

Negotiations have continued sporadically, but both sides now say a deal is unlikely until at least after the election.

Federal Budget

The federal government is funded through September 30th, meaning that without action, the government would shut down on October 1st. That’s unlikely, however, as both parties feel pressure to avoid a shutdown in the weeks before the election.

Negotiations are currently ongoing to continue funding the government at current levels into December. Democrats may try to attach extra funding for COVID relief to that short-term budget, but it’s unlikely that they will consider our priorities.

Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

On August 17th, the Trump Administration announced that it will open the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, with leasing starting possibly as soon as this year. Drilling in the refuge would be a disaster, both for Alaskan natives and the wildlife that depend on the area, and for all of us, who need oil to stay in the ground if we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change. If this move is successful, it’s estimated that drilling could continue for half a century.

However, even if an auction is held this year, it would be 8 years before drilling could actually start. The ultimate fate of the refuge is likely to depend on the next president.

Filed Under: Blog

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