Interfaith Power & Light

A Religious Response to Global Warming

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April 5, 2021

Faith Leaders Call on Biden Administration to Step Up Climate Commitments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2021

Contact: Susan Stephenson
[email protected]
(510) 484-7198

Faith Leaders Call on Biden Administration to Step Up Climate Commitments
Offer examples of religious communities already at zero carbon

Today Interfaith Power & Light released a letter to President Biden signed by 1,000+ people of faith, including hundreds of clergy and other faith leaders, calling for increased U.S. ambition on climate. The letter also highlighted efforts by congregations to reduce emissions substantially, including three that are zero carbon.

At the U.N. climate conference later this year, other nations will want to see what the world’s largest historic polluter has done since we exited the accord, and what we will pledge to do as we rejoin. Internationally, the fact is current pledges are not sufficient to keep global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius — or even under 2 degrees, the upper limit of the Paris accord. A strong and credible commitment from the U.S. will encourage other countries to step up their own ambition.

“Interfaith Power & Light and our network of 22,000 congregations around the country are grateful that President Biden listened to people of faith and conscience and followed through with his promise to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord on his first day in office,” said Rev. Susan Hendershot, president of Interfaith Power & Light, “but this is only the very beginning of what we need to do to get the U.S. and world on track to a truly sustainable future.”

The letter reads in part: “Later this year, at the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, I urge you to make a U.S. commitment that goes beyond the Paris agreement. For the sake of our children’s future and all of Creation, we must achieve at least 50% reductions by 2030 and a 100% clean energy future by 2050, while supporting developing nations.”

The good news is that the U.S has already begun working toward those goals. While the previous administration was rolling back climate protections, Americans were continuing to reduce emissions in our houses of worship, homes, schools, and other institutions. Some have cut their emissions by half or more already.

“The next step is setting ambitious goals and demonstrating real commitment to reduce our country’s carbon pollution, along with support to help the developing world adapt and transition to sustainable clean energy. As the world’s wealthiest nation and largest historical emitter, we have a moral obligation to support communities suffering the most from a changing climate,” said Rev. Hendershot.

People of faith and conscience view the climate crisis as one of the defining moral issues of our time. A recent poll commissioned by Interfaith Power & Light found that almost three-quarters (73%) of voters say they are worried about climate change, including 87% of Black Protestants, 82% of nonwhite Catholics, 77% of white Catholics, 76% of Jews, and 57% of white evangelical Protestants.

More than 8 in 10 of these faith voters see their responsibility to care for God’s creation as a reason to act on the climate crisis. Our country should follow the example of these zero carbon faith institutions, and make a stronger commitment on climate, by reducing our own emissions at home and helping developing nations to rapidly shift to clean energy.

These three congregational signers of the letter are already cutting emissions to zero or near-zero:

Church of Our Saviour in Arlington, Massachusetts

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. Read their story here

Unitarian Universalist Society, in Coralville, Iowa

They have built the greenest church in Iowa, a LEED certified, Net-Zero building with geothermal, solar, and electric car charging stations. Read their story here

The Church of St. Martin in Davis, California

This “Cool Congregation” is certified at 100% reduction as a net-zero congregation! Read more here.

To learn more or to get a copy of the letter to President Biden, email Susan Stephenson at [email protected]

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Filed Under: In the News, Press Releases, What's New

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

January 26, 2021

A Legacy of Love: Remembering Muriel E. West Durley

The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith. —Billy Graham

Muriel E. West Durley was a beautiful woman, a devoted wife, a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, a dedicated First Lady, an intentional educator, a skilled entrepreneur, and a faithful servant. She was an exemplary servant-leader who radiated humility, compassion, generosity, and she always spoke the truth with love.

Lady Durley used her gifts and talents to plant many seeds that would bear fruit in different seasons of her life. Whether it was working in ministry alongside her husband, Reverend Dr. Gerald Durley, educating and equipping elementary school kids for lifelong learning, developing her craft as an artisan, loving on those who have been downtrodden, and raising her children to follow her legacy of love, Muriel Durley was a great woman of God, and the ripple effects of her presence on this earth will be felt for generations to come.

A legacy of love goes on and endures forever. Muriel will always be within our hearts and the many others that loved her.

To read an article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Muriel Durley, click here

To view the obituary of Muriel Durley, click here 

Filed Under: Blog, What's New

January 8, 2021

Protect our Democracy – Statement from the IPL Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of Interfaith Power & Light joins the civic groundswell calling for the swift removal of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States, by any lawful means.

On Wednesday, we watched with grave concern as white supremacists and other extremists took over the U.S. Capitol, taking illegal and violent action and inappropriately invoking religion as they rampaged through the halls of our democracy.

This grave threat to our democracy was provoked and encouraged by the current president, seeking to overturn the election and remain in office against the will of the people. Though his remaining time in office is short, these actions are a clear threat to national and global security. We join the growing bipartisan chorus insisting that he is unfit for office, and must be removed for the safety of our country and its citizens.

Especially disturbing was the double standard on display by law enforcement, with a violent white mob receiving lenient treatment, in contrast to recent experiences of people of color in peaceful protest being met with intimidation and violence.  As an organization committed to racial justice, we must raise our voices at this latest display of racism’s continuing legacy. As people of faith, we are called to advance both racial and climate justice, and we commit ourselves to work to heal the divisions in our nation.

 

Filed Under: Bottom Feature, Press Releases, What's New

November 16, 2020

The Washington Report

NEWS RELEASE: NOVEMBER 2020

CONTACT: Jonathan Lacock-Nisly

THE WASHINGTON REPORT

Washington, DC has been full of celebrations this week, as the District that gave President Trump just 5% of their vote bids him a not-so-fond farewell. On the Saturday after the election, as the major television networks called the race for President-elect Biden, Washingtonians took to the streets and partied into the night, ultimately buying more champagne than on the last two New Years combined. 

But what else happened in this election?

New Congress

House Democrats, who had been expecting their 232-197 majority to grow, instead saw it shrink to the smallest House majority in decades. Votes are still being counted in several races, but it’s clear that Democrats will have a very small margin for error. They will likely need the agreement of all but three or four members of their caucus to pass legislation.

Control is still TBD in the Senate, with Democrats failing to pick up expected victories in Maine and North Carolina. That puts the Senate at 50 Republicans and 48 senators in the Democratic caucus, leaving control to be determined by two run-off races in Georgia on January 5th. Whether or not Sen. Mitch McConnell remains majority leader will have big implications for what legislation is possible in 2021.

Lame Duck 

It could be an unexpectedly busy lame duck session, with negotiations over another covid relief bill ongoing. IPL and other faith partners have been speaking out on our vision for a faithful recovery for months. While a deal with some of our priorities seemed close in July and August, those talks ultimately fell apart. You can see our priorities for a faithful recovery here.

With the government set to run out of funding by mid-December, both parties have also expressed a surprising interest in completing a full budget process. Rather than passing another Continuing Resolution to keep funding at current levels for several months until the new Congress is seated, the current Congress will go through the full committee process to set the budget for 2021. We’re hopeful that any priorities not included in the covid relief bill can be funded in that budget.

Looking to 2021

What exactly Congress will be able to accomplish is largely dependent on the outcome of those Senate races in Georgia, but the faith community has already established principles for the new Congress and new administration. These principles will guide our shared call for climate action.

Shared FAITH Principles

  • FRONTLINE, vulnerable, and BIPOC communities must be supported first;
  • ACCELERATE the transition to clean energy and commit to net-zero climate pollution in electricity by 2035;
  • INVEST in climate resiliency and sustainable infrastructure;
  • TRANSITION our workforce to clean energy jobs with support and job training for workers;
  • HONOR Creation by following science and commit to net-zero climate pollution by 2050

From day one, we’ll expect the Biden administration to get to work on integrating considerations of environmental justice into all of the workings of the federal government, while also starting the regulatory process of reinstating the 100+ key environmental protections rolled back by the Trump administration.

Be sure to check back here for updates on that work, as well as legislative priorities for the new session of Congress. And to everyone who voted in this election with the climate in mind, a big thank you from Interfaith Power & Light!

 

Filed Under: What's New

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