The latest quarterly issue of Greenenergyohio.org‘s news magazine has a very good story about OhIPL’s work in helping houses of worship in Ohio work toward energy efficiency. Tony Bidinger’s article spotlights:
* Sanctuary lighting at First English Lutheran in Columbus * Solar panels at United Church of Christ in Sylvania * The first LEED-certified religious building in America, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Wayne County
You can download a PDF of the article here.
From EENews, thanks to Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light: The past decade was the warmest on record and shows global warming is “undeniable,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The July 28, 2010 article begins:
“The past decade was the warmest on record, adding to scientific evidence that shows global warming is “undeniable,” the Obama administration declared in a report released today. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s “State of the Climate” report compiles data from the atmosphere and oceans — the first gathering of so many observational records in a single place, the agency said.”
Read the full story here.
Here’s a short, obviously non-professional video about recycling building material. It spotlights Building Value, a nonprofit social enterprise in Cincinnati that salvages reusable materials for sale to the public. Building Value’s mission is to help the environment, reduce the cost of disposal, and give architectural gems a second life. In addition, each donation empowers people with disabilities and disadvantages to increase their independence through the work of their parent organization, Easter Seals Work Resource Center.
This is one of several short videos produced by CincinnatiMaintenance.com, a for-profit cleaning and maintenance firm that describes itself as Eco-Friendly. Ohio IPL does not necessarily endorse commercial enterprises nor the specific recommendations on this site, but there are some intriguing ideas here and we encourage non-profits and for-profits alike to explore ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Thanks to New Media Cincinnati on LinkedIn for this tip.
‘Where are the ears to hear and the eyes to see?’ are the words of the President of Interfaith Power and Light following the U.S. Senate leadership’s announcement yesterday on climate change legislation. After months of work to craft legislation, the Senate will not take up a comprehensive energy and climate bill before the August Recess. Courtesy of Clean Energy Works, here is the Rev. Canon Bingham’s statement in full:
“‘Where are the ears to hear and the eyes to see?’ This year we have witnessed an oil spill of epic proportions inflicting tragic environmental and economic devastation throughout the Gulf of Mexico. We have seen yet another deadly coal mining tragedy, and we have lived through the hottest six months on record. But instead of moving to address climate change and support clean energy alternatives, our senators have allowed the oil and coal lobbies to once again stall meaningful action.
“Where is the moral integrity of our elected officials? Is our representative democracy so broken? Are our elected representatives incapable of addressing the greatest environmental crisis of our generation? People of faith have urged our senators to act, and to invest in alternatives to burning oil and coal. Polls indicate Americans want a strong climate bill that addresses global warming, but our leaders are not listening, and they are not seeing. We are still waiting, and indeed, the world is waiting.
“During the August recess, Interfaith Power and Light will mobilize thousands of people of faith to demand that our senators not give up. Our senators and President Obama have a responsibility not just to do what is easy, or what is politically expedient, but to do what is right. It is time for moral leadership. They must go back to Washington in September, roll up their sleeves, and pass a cap on global warming pollution. Our future, and the future of all of creation, depends on it.”
From the Cincinnati Enquirer of July 21, 2010:
‘The green movement has found fertile ground and concrete applications within the region’s largest religious organization, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. . .’
‘”What is heartening is that, whether one believes specifically that humans are causing change, most people … agree that we can all be better stewards of God’s creation,” said Tony Stieritz, director of the archdiocese’s Catholic Social Action Commission. “We can all move forward to mitigate our impacts on the earth.’
The article also says that ‘Six smaller organizations within the archdiocese – five parishes and McNicholas High School in Mt. Washington – have applied for and will receive up to $125,000 in matching grants to make energy improvements in the buildings, including new windows and upgraded heating and air conditioning system.’
Read the full story here.
The Cincinnati Enquirer of Monday 7/12/10 has a profile of OhIPL co-founder and Board member Sister Paula Gonzalez. The article nicely describes the 1,450 square foot former chicken barn which has been her passive solar home since 1981, and her inspiring missionary work at the intersection of earth science and spirituality.
The same Local section also has an article about the feasibility of residential wind turbines in Ohio; however, that appears to be only in the print edition of the paper.
The Cincinnati Enquirer of Monday 7/12/10 has a profile of OhIPL co-founder and Board member Sister Paula Gonzalez. The article nicely describes the 1,450 square foot former chicken barn which has been her passive solar home since 1981, and her inspiring missionary work at the intersection of earth science and spirituality.
The same Local section also has an article about the feasibility of residential wind turbines in Ohio; however, that appears to be only in the print edition of the paper.
This week, national Interfaith Power and Light leaders the Rev. Sally Bingham and Susan Stephenson visited the devastation on the Louisiana coast from the BP oil spill. Also on the trip were Jim Wallis of Sojourners, David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, Sayyid Syeed of the Islamic Society of North America, Rev. Gerald Durley of Providence Baptist in Atlanta (and The Regeneration Project board member), among others.
Below is a sampling of some of the press coverage:
CNN Video: Is God Testing us with Oil Spill?
Susan writes: “The takeaway message for me was that people there are really afraid that the rest of the country doesn’t care or will forget about this disaster after it’s out of the media spotlight. Also, everyone asked for prayers. We will be working with the rest of the delegation to craft a “call to action” to faith groups around the country to support the relief effort and the long term restoration effort that will be needed. We are working with local advocates to include specific ways people can engage.”
CNN Religion Blog: An armada of faith leaders tours the Gulf spill zone
Austin Statesman: A moral epiphany: Faith leaders tour the Gulf, call for change
The Huffington Post: Testifying in the Gulf (Photos)
NOLA.com: BP’s Gulf oil spill is a sin, visiting clergy say after touring the coast
The Huffington Post: Faith Leaders Call BP Spill A ‘Sin Against Creation’
The Boston Herald: Green religion movement hopes spill wins converts
The former vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals is a Climate Convert. And he wants you to be one too. Richard Cizik says:
“I had an epiphany in 2002, when I attended a conference with leading scientists and biblical scholars presenting their findings on climate change. I realized that global warming is a real, human-caused problem, and that rising sea levels, pollution, and deforestation are already irreparably damaging some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. And I knew I had to do something about it. It’s right there in Genesis — people of faith are given the duty of tending and protecting the earth.”
Cizik, of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, is part of a national campaign to encourage the wearing of Climate Convert buttons on August 6-8. Find out more, from Interfaith Power and Light.
NPR’s Weekend Edition for June 27, 2010 ran a story about the Southern Baptist Convention passing a resolution on the BP BlowuP. Especially noteworthy is this comment from Dr. Russell Moore, the dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: “Simply trusting corporations to go about their business without polluting the water streams and without destroying ecosystems is really a naïve and utopian view of human nature. It’s not a Christian view of human nature.”
Among other things, the resolution calls on the government “”to act determinatively and with undeterred resolve to end this crisis … to ensure full corporate accountability for damages, clean-up and restoration … and to ensure that government and private industry are not again caught without planning for such possibilities.”