A Religious Response to Global Warming
On Wednesday, April 22 celebrate Earth Day as NYIPL member congregation University United Methodist hosts Roger Downs, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Conservation Director. He will report on the activities of the new Legislature in Albany and discuss the status of the Atlantic Chapter’s efforts to date.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015, 7:30 Pm
University United Methodist Church
1085 E. Genesee St.
Syracuse, NY
On March 31st, President Obama re-affirmed his climate targets that he had announced in China in 2014 by submitting them to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The goal is to reduce the United States’ emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, and to make best efforts to reduce by 28%.
Win $1000!
Your congregation is eligible to enter IPL’s Cool Congregations Challenge if it has finished an energy efficiency, renewable energy, or grounds and water conservation project this year, or if it has engaged your community in response to global warming. There is also a planning category for those who have recently finished their energy audit and developed plans for improvements.
Good luck everyone! Deadline for entries: Dec. 15, 2014 — here’s the guide.
Fall harvest celebrations are around the corner. These present great opportunities to share a Cool Harvest with your faith community — that is, food choices that are healthier for people, the planet, and the climate.
Interfaith Power & Light’s has an official 2014 free kit for hosting a Cool Harvest potluck with your friends or faith community.
There are many ways our food system and our food choices affect the climate. Factory farms are not only terrible places for animals, they create a huge amount of pollution. From cattle methane emissions to hog waste “lagoons” that foul waterways, the way we produce meat, and the huge quantity of it, contributes a large portion of global warming pollution.
One of the first and simplest things we can do to reduce our carbon “foodprints” is to eat less meat. Another step in cooling our diet is even simpler: reducing waste. It’s estimated that nearly half of food produced in the U.S. is eventually thrown away. That means all that energy used to grow, transport, prepare, and package that food was wasted, too. With too many people in our country still hungry or food insecure, this is another unjust consequence of our modern industrial food system.
Also available, our free Cool Movie and Discussion Kit — with suggestions and descriptions of films to introduce your faith community to some of the issues around food production in our country. The kits are supported by a companion website, coolharvest.org with inspirational food stories from the faith community, sustainable recipes and shopping guides, and much more.
Food that’s healthier for the planet doesn’t need to be complicated or hard to find — often it’s in our own backyards. Make organic seasonal vegetables the centerpiece of your meal and get produce from local organic farms when possible. Finding new ways to connect with and support your community through food can be very rewarding. We hope that you find one or both of the Cool Harvest kits useful in helping you to lead a food, faith and climate activity for your friends, family, or congregation this fall.
As you may know, the EPA has proposed new standards for coal plants regarding carbon emissions. The proposal will limit emissions by 30% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.
These new standards are a key measure in our collective efforts to reduce climate change. The EPA is accepting comments on this proposal until December 1st. Click here to take action.
This week the U.S. and China (the world’s two largest polluters) reached a historic agreement on climate change. Both nations will cut back carbon emissions, with the U.S. reducing levels by 26-28% of 2005 levels by 2025, and China agreeing to peak its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, with 20% of energy coming from renewables.
Together, China and the U.S. are responsible for 45% of global carbon emissions. This historic agreement signals that China is serious about climate change. This could be a game-changer since many politicians have used Chinas uncontrolled emissions as a reason for the U.S. to do nothing.
While this agreement alone is far from enough, it is a step in the right direction. Let us celebrate and give thanks for this historic step forward.
Here is Bill McKibben’s analysis of this agreement.
Last Spring, thanks to the opportunity provided by New York Interfaith Power & Light, Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church (a NYIPL member) screened the film Chasing Ice. A visually engaging and spiritually challenging film, Chasing Ice examines the melting of glaciers and the connection to climate change.
Building on this success, Huguenot church is hosing an environmental film series that is free and open to the public. The next in the series is American Meat, a film intimately examining America’s meat industry including farming methods that respect both people and creation.
Director Graham Meriwether will be available after the screening for further discussion about his work, the film, and the inequality found throughout the meat industry. Don’t miss it!
Additional films in the series include the following:
January 12 – I AM
February 23 – GMO OMG
March 16 – Thomas Berry: The Great Story
April 13 –TBD: Food Inc. or A Place at the Table
For more information, contact Rev. Jacob Bolton at jbolton@huguenotchurch.org
6:30 p.m.
Huguenot Church
901 Pelhamdale Avenue, Pelham Manor, NY 10803
As you have no doubt already heard, the People’s Climate March was a tremendous success!
More than 400,000 people filled the streets of Manhattan, calling for action on climate change. Hundreds of people from 13 different states were there to represent Interfaith Power & Light.
New York Interfaith Power & Light helped organize people of faith to attend, with more than 10,000 people of faith gathering for a pre-march prayer service on 58th Street.
Thanks to all of you who attended, or who made this important event possible in other ways.
To register, go to climate-treaty-event.eventbrite.com.
Click the image to download a printable flyer.
In Syracuse, New York Interfaith Power & Light is a part of a grassroots coalition of nonprofits and local residents who are organizing a program called Solarize Syracuse. We are on a mission to bust the prevalent myths about solar energy and help make solar simpler and more affordable for all.
Solarize Syracuse is encouraging residents, businesses and houses of worship in “go solar” and get as many people in the region to participate in the process as possible, driving down costs.
After a rigorous process, the group chose a solar installer who has the capability to handle numerous solar installations within a short timeframe. Having an installer already chosen simplifies the process for many people.
As of today, 129 people have already signed up to see if their property is suitable for solar!
In the past few years, successful Solarize campaigns have spread from Oregon to Massachusetts to New York, Solarize campaigns have the power to double the amount of installed solar in their communities and invigorate the local solar market. If you are interested in replicating this project in your community, or if you just want more information, call Janna Stieg Watkins at (315) 256-0078.