Green Faith in the Green Mountain State

All Souls Interfaith Gathering has built what they hope is the greenest church ever. Read the full story (and see more photos of this spectacular-looking place) in USA Today.

SHELBURNE, Vt. — All Souls Interfaith Gathering has a reputation for being all-inclusive.
The small congregation, founded in 1999, recognizes just about every faith you can think of. No one is turned away. And that includes Mother Earth.
ASIG prides itself on being one of the greenest churches in one of the greenest of states, and nothing proves that more than its spanking new sanctuary building, which opened in October.
It's a model for ecological correctness: locally harvested wood, bamboo flooring, compact fluorescent lights and a furnace that will heat the facility using grass, corn or wood pellets. The congregation expects to go through 30 to 35 tons of wood pellets this first winter in the new building.
Even the air conditioning is provided by using water from an artesian well.
"I'd like to think we're cutting-edge," says the Rev. Mary Abele, who heads the congregation that numbers 70 but is growing every week. "I suspect some come now because of our environmental practices."

Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 25 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.Find discounts on energy saving products at http://www.shopipl.org/

Sally Bingham of Interfaith Power and Light on CNN

CNN filmed a segment about our own Sally Bingham of national Interfaith Power and Light. It is showing periodically over the next few days and you can also see it on the CNN website. The segment is called Preaching Green.

Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 25 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.
Find discounts on energy saving products at http://www.shopipl.org/

Anglican Bishop of Liverpool Speaks to DC Area Faith Leaders

Forty-five Muslim, Jewish and Christian clergy and community leaders gathered October 24 for a breakfast on the role of faith communities in caring for creation. The Right Reverend James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool (Church of England), Imam Yahya Hendi, Secretary General and Founder of Imams for Human Rights and Dialogue, and Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, President of the Washington Board of Rabbis, spoke about faith foundations for active engagement in care of creation care and environmental justice.
“We are pleased to work with faith communities in the DC region to build a sustainable future,” said Allison Fisher , program director for Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light (GWIPL). “From our three speakers, we heard strong calls to reach across religious differences to work together to provide leadership to the growing response to global warming.” At the end of the morning, 22 of the local faith leaders pledged to incorporate creation care into sermons or support a lay-lead creation care effort in their community.

Bishop Jones shared how his own focus on the environment developed through a series of discussions he had with British school children during the millennium year. Challenging religious communities to put their faith into action, Jones said, “We are caught up in a disease of consumption and that is what is afflicting the earth. So last year for Lent in the Diocese of Liverpool I called a carbon fast.” A carbon fast would have more value than giving up chocolate or candy that some choose. He reported that by the end of the carbon fast “people weren’t ready to resume their previous consumption levels; it made them think about their life.”

Imam Hendi shared the unique response he gives to the question, “Where are you from?” Hendi explained that he says, “I am from dust. I am a Dustian. ... I try to remember that I come from dust, and therefore I am someone who tries to find that harmonious relationship with the dust from which one comes.” Hendi went on to encourage humanity to come together as Dustians, to move together to protect our mother earth.
Religious communities contribute multi-generational thinking to the broader society, added Rabbi Dobb. Multi-generational thinking will “lead to some very different outcomes than when we are focused on quarterly profit earnings reports and other much shorter cycles of time that the dominant society would have us focus on. As people of faith, we can take the long view. When we take the long view, what’s two cents per KWH more to make sure the electricity that lights our sanctuaries and fellowship halls could come from wind or biomass instead of from coal? Intergenerational thinking will begin to change our action.”
The breakfast workshop, ‘Caring for Creation: How to Build a Sustainable Future,’ was co-sponsored by the British Embassy and Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light.
Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 25 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.htm

Enjoy discounts on energy saving products at http://www.shopipl.org/

Obama Speaks at Interfaith Climate Forum

Barack Obama addressed an interfaith audience about climate change, according to the AP article excerpted below:
By AMY LORENTZEN DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama said Sunday that his religious beliefs influence his plans for how to protect theenvironment.Speaking before religious leaders and others at what he called an"interfaith forum on climate change," the Illinois senator said God has entrusted humans with the responsibility of caring for the earth, and "weare not acting as good stewards of God's earth when our bottom line puts thesize of our profits before the future of our planet." "It is our responsibility to ensure that this planet remains clean and safeand livable for our children and for all of God's children," he told about200 people gathered at the downtown public library. "But in recent years, science has made it undeniably clear that our generation is not living up tothis responsibility. Global warming is not a someday problem, it is now."Last week, Obama released a plan to combat global warming that calls for an 80 percent reduction in U.S. carbon emissions by 2050.Obama said he would force industries and power companies to clean up theiroperations. He would institute a "cap and trade" approach that would require polluters to buy allowances, essentially putting a price on pollution andcreating an incentive to cut emissions.He said $150 billion from the sale of allowances could help drive thedevelopment of environmentally friendly technologies, including the next generation of biofuels, expansion of a delivery infrastructure andfuel-efficient vehicles."We've heard promises about energy independence from every single presidentsince Richard Nixon, but we are actually more dependent on oil today than ever before," he said.Obama said many of his rivals have talked about the issue but "have taken apass on it in years in Washington."He said he would ask the biggest carbon-emitting nations join the U.S. increating a global energy forum to develop climate protocols. He would alsoshare clean energy technologies with all nations.Obama also challenged individuals to do their part to help the environment, and he called for making government, businesses and homes 50 percent moreenergy efficient by 2030. He said he wants all federal government buildingscarbon neutral by 2025.
Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 22 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.htmEnjoy discounts on energy saving products at http://www.shopipl.org/.

Obama, Climate and Faith

OBAMA FIRST PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TO DO FORUM FOCUSED ON FAITH AND GLOBAL WARMING – OCT. 14TH
For the first time a presidential candidate will hold an event exclusively to discuss his faith perspective on global warming with potential voters. Senator Barack Obama will host an interfaith forum on climate change this Sunday, Oct. 14th at 9:45 AM (doors open at 9:15 AM) at the Des Moines Public Library ( 1000 Grand Avenue). For more information, go to: http://my.barackobama.com/page/m/69a36f792831c909/Y8s5wS/.

Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 22 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.htm
Enjoy discounts on energy saving products at http://www.shopipl.org/.

Climate Change Event at Mercy Center

Faith Communities Engage with Global Warmning

Wednesday May 9, 7-9 pm

Free program

Mercy Center* in Madison, Connecticut
Contact 203.245.0401 or betty@mercybythesea.org. to register [see http://www.mercybythesea.org/ for directions]*

[unfortunately for some with mobility challenges, the only space avialablethat evening is upstairs]

Join us to share resources and to learn what various faith communitiesand organizations are doing to learn about and take action on globalwarming. Following shared reflection and viewing of the interfaith video, "God's Creation and Global Warming", participants will share experiences and resources. We will explore ways to help congregations engage with issues ina faith context, and seek ways to move beyond resistance and obstacles toidentify significant actions they can take right now that can lead to a moresustainable future for the whole community of life. Please bring handouts and resources to share. Refreshments will be served.

Jeanie Graustein, the Environmental Justice Ministry Coordinator for theOffice of Urban Affairs of the Archdiocese of Hartford, will facilitate thediscussion. There will also be input and resources from Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener, of Congregation Pnai Or, Director of the Interreligious Eco-JusticeNetwork of CT, who is unable to attend, but who has worked with numerous congregations taking action on energy efficiency. Mercy Center is a spiritual retreat and conference center for human development.

Mercy Center offers a hospitality that reveres the valueand uniqueness of each person, and hosts and develops programs thatenhance the quality of life in a changing world. For more information,contact Mercy Center Guest Services at 203.245.0401

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Yale Interfaith Event April 21

Greetings!
On Saturday, April 21st, please join the students of the Yale Divinity School and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies for 'Interfaith Solidarity on Global Climate Change', an interfaith climate change awareness gathering on the Yale Divinity School Quad (409 Prospect St, New Haven). We invite all interested individuals and religious communities to gather in an expression of shared concern about global climate change, and to show our support of one another aswe work together to address this and other environmental issues. Come willing to learn and share - leave feeling empowered! Individuals and delegations from religious communities are encouraged to bring a banner or other symbols of their community so we may recognize the diversity ofthe faith-based environmental movement. Families (including leashed pets) are welcome! Before the event officially kicks off at 12, attend a FREE one hour sustainable energy workshop with Carol Wilson, energy consultant and instructor of theInterreligious Eco-Justice Network's 'This Old House of Worship' program. The workshop will be from 11 AM until 12 noon on the Quad. At 12 Noon, we will officially start the event by gathering for a prayer andtime of reflection on global climate change. Immediately following the prayer,we invite all to join us for an informal information exchange among faith-based leaders - clergy and lay, environmental activists and organizations from theYale and Greater New Haven communities, and university students. At 1 PM we'll host a general Q and A session - all questions welcome. Plus, we'll have activities for kids, and LIVE MUSIC by the Yale Klezmer Band! Enjoy a FREE lunch catered by Claire's CornerCopia, a New Haven restaurant featuring delicious and original dishes made with locally grown and organicproduce.Please don't miss this opportunity to join us on Saturday, April 21st for a time of prayer, partnership building, and celebration for the Earth!If you have any questions, and to RSVP (appreciated but not required), pleasecontact Rachel (rachel.holmes@yale.edu) SPREAD THE WORD!

Walking for the Climate

The Interfaith Walk for Climate Rescue begins tomorrow, March 16, 2007, in Northampton, Mass., according to this article in the Worcester Telegram. The March will end on March 24, 2007 in Boston, Mass.

The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas of Grace Church in Amherst is organizing the interfaith prayer service planned March 24 at Old South Church in Boston. The service will include representation from the Roman Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and other faiths, she said yesterday. “I would say that each faith tradition says creation has been entrusted to our care,” she said.

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Connecticut Environmental Justice Breakfast

Congregations United for Racial Equity and Justice (CUREJ) will hold a Prayer Breakfast and Press Conference on Thursday, March 22, from 10am to 12pm in the Capitol Building, room 310 (the Old Appropriations Room). At this time, religious and community leaders from across the state will have the opportunity to meet and discuss environmental justice in Connecticut and pending legislation in the 2007 session. Save the date for now: a formal invitation will follow. Please feel free to pass this notice on to members and leaders in your own worship communities.

For more information, please contact Reverend Josh Pawelek at revpawelek@sbcglobal.net, or (860) 646-5151.

Religious Leaders on Climate Change

In this radio interview, a number of religious leaders discuss climate change. The group includes:

-Cassandra Carmichael, Director of the Eco-Justice Program for the National Council of Churches.

Eileen Claussen, President of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and Strategies for the Global Environment, and former Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the Clinton Administration.

Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, Jewish environmental educator and activist, and rabbi of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Synagogue in Washington, DC.

Ned Stowe, Senior Legislative Secretary for the Friends Committee on National Legislation who leads Quaker efforts to address global climate change.

IREJN is Connecticut Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Interfaith Climate Change Event Apr. 14

Interfaith/Ecumenical Climate Change Gathering
at Yale Divinity School
New Haven, CT
April 14, 2007 11:00AM to 1:00PM

Event Description:Yale Divinity School invites delegations from religious communities to gather in expression of shared concern about climate change. Assembly at 11am; reception and very brief program following. Optional workshops before and after by experts in congregational organizing and the science of climate change. Delegations are encouraged to bring a banner and other symbols of their community.
For more information on the National April 14 Climate Change event visit www.stepitup07.org.

All events free; RSVP preferred.

Location:Gather in the central Quad of the Dinity School at 409 Prospect St, New Haven. (Rain site, the Great Hall, above the main entrance.)

Directions:From I-95 North or South, take I-91 North towards Hartford. Take Exit 3, Trumbull St. At the end of the ramp go straight on Trumbull Street. At your 5th light, take a right onto Prospect Street. The Divinity School is about one mile on the right, #409.