About Interfaith Power & Light
Since the year 2000, IPL has partnered with thousands of congregations to address climate change by stewarding Creation
Our Mission
IPL inspires and mobilizes people of faith and conscience to take bold and just action on climate change.
Our Vision
Interfaith Power & Light envisions a stable climate where humans live in right and just relationship, interconnected with a healthy, thriving, natural world.
Our History
Interfaith Power & Light effort began in 1998 with Episcopal Power & Light and the support of Grace Cathedral as a unique coalition of Episcopal churches aggregated to purchase renewable energy. In 2000, this Episcopal effort broadened its focus, brought in other faith partners, and California Interfaith Power & Light was born.
California IPL developed a successful organizational model that engaged hundreds of congregations, educated thousands of people of faith about the moral and ethical mandate to address global warming, and helped pass California’s landmark climate and clean energy laws. Building on California’s success, this model has now been adopted by 40 state affiliates, and we are working to establish Interfaith Power & Light programs in every state
Our Values
What we hold most sacred
Because we embrace faith and spirituality, we are grounded in the interconnectedness of the sacred, the natural world, and one another.
Because we embrace justice, we act with inclusion and respect, working in solidarity with vulnerable and marginalized communities.
Because we embrace hope, we are empowered to live into our vision for the world for present and future generations.
Because we embrace courage, we speak with a prophetic voice to create equity and restore wholeness to all.
Because love is central to who we are, we are committed to ending the suffering caused by climate change.
We live this out by…
Inspiring and engaging...
individuals, families, and faith and local communities to embody spiritual and societal transformation by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions while building a new relationship with Earth.
Mobilizing...
people of faith and conscience to advocate for just and equitable climate solutions at the local, state, and national levels.
Working collaboratively...
with the IPL national network, diverse partner organizations, and marginalized communities.
Modeling shared leadership...
and decision-making within our organization and our partnerships.
Focusing on our common values...
broadly communicating the moral obligation to address the urgency of global warming.
Planned Giving
Join Interfaith Power & Light’s Regeneration Society by sharing with us that you’ve include IPL in your estate plans. Your planned gift to Interfaith Power & Light is a flexible way to help preserve Creation for future generations. No matter your financial circumstances, there are planning giving opportunities available to meet your philanthropic goals:
Bequests & Memorials
Real Estate
You can choose to donate the remainder interest of a personal residence to Interfaith Power & Light while retaining a life interested in the residence by transferring the residence to a qualified personal residence trust. Ask your financial advisor for more information.
Retirement Plan Gifts
Life Insurance
If you have already named Interfaith Power & Light as a beneficiary in your estate plans or would like more information about our planned giving program, please contact at sarah@interfaithpowerandlight.org.
What’s New
On Living Your Convictions – A Tribute to IPL Volunteer Jerry Bernstein
We want to extend a huge thank you to our volunteer Gerald (Jerry) Bernstein who has given so much of his time and service to IPL. Jerry embodies the spirit of generosity and living his conviction with courage. For 5 years, Jerry served IPL by being a judge in the Cool Congregations challenge and helping congregations assess solar feasibility and financing. We sat down with Jerry and interviewed him about his illustrious life, how he became involved with IPL, and what motivates him to be part of the climate movement.
Stronger Soot Pollution Standards Needed for Cleaner Air and Healthier Communities
By Tiffany Hartung, Advocacy Director The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will be updating soot pollution standards to protect our health and our climate. The update is a critical step forward in helping protect communities from deadly air...
15 Congregations Win National Award for Climate Leadership
Innovative projects installed solar, upgraded church facilities, slashing carbon emission OAKLAND, Calif., January 20, 2023 — Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) today announced the fifteen national 2022 Certified Cool Congregations who have collectively reduced...
Washington Report – January 2023
Written by: Madison Mayhew, IPL Federal Policy Advocate Happy New Year! 2023 started with a bang after a historically tumultuous journey to name a new Speaker of the House. With a slim majority, House Republicans have passed...
Faith Climate Action Week
This events-based program encourages all faith groups to discuss the spiritual side of climate change at services, while also pushing for greater support from local and national policymakers. During the 2015 National Preach-In on Climate Change over valentines weekend, 1,500 congregations across the country signed up to participate. At FaithClimateActionWeek.org, groups have access to downloadable sermons, postcards and other resources. Following religious services, participants signed “Love Creation” valentines addressed to their senators in Washington, urging them to support the Environmental Protection Agency in enacting carbon pollution limits on new power plants. The EPA proposed the new limits in September, after President Barack Obama included them as part of his climate action plan. Congregations take advantage of Faith Climate Action Week resources all year long.
Cool Congregations
People of faith across the country are doing their part to prevent global warming in their own homes and places of worship through the Cool Congregations program, while saving thousands of dollars and tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere. Cool Congregations is a stewardship program designed to help congregations engage their members in caring for Creation by reducing their collective (and individual) greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about Cool Congregations.
Rev. Susan Hendershot
President
Rev. Susan Hendershot has served as president of Interfaith Power & Light since 2018. She was raised in a blue-collar family outside of Cleveland, Ohio, before attending Bethany College in West Virginia where she graduated with honors with a B.A. in Religious Studies. Rev. Hendershot went on to graduate school at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where she received her Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology. After graduate school, she moved to Iowa, where she was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and served as a pastor in local congregations, focusing on social justice. Rev. Hendershot also led faith-based nonprofit organizations and served as the first Heartland Field Organizer for the ONE Campaign on global poverty. Just prior to her current role, she served as the Executive Director at Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, one of the state affiliates in the Interfaith Power & Light network.
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Currently, Rev. Hendershot serves as co-chair of the Executive Committee for the RE-AMP Steering Committee, a network of over 140 climate, energy, and environmental organizations throughout the Midwest. Rev. Hendershot believes that climate change is a moral issue, disproportionately impacting those who are most vulnerable in our world. She gets her motivation and inspiration from her two sons.
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20% of our 2020 incomecame from individual donors like you.
Every contribution increases our impact across the country.
IPL by the Numbers…
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