Periodic news items and alerts about global climate change justice, energy efficiency, energy conservation, and sustainable energy alternatives for congregations.
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Blessings!
Tim Kautza
Coordinator
Contents:
INTERFAITH POWER & LIGHT CONFERENCE FOCUS ON CONGREGATIONS AND HOUSEHOLD
IOWA EPISCOPAL BISHOP SCARFE FEATURED AT TOWN HALL MEETING
90 CONGREGATIONS TO SHOW "AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH"
CLIMATE CHANGE SPREADS INFECTIOUS DISEASES; HUMANS NEED TO ADAPT; POOREST COUNTRIES TO BE MOST IMPACTED
HELP SUPPORT IOWA INTERFAITH POWER & LIGHT
RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS FILE CLIMATE CHANGE AMICUS BRIEF WITH U.S. SUPREME COURT
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INTERFAITH POWER & LIGHT CONFERENCE FOCUS ON CONGREGATIONS AND HOUSEHOLD
On October 8, 2006, Rev. Sally Bingham, founder of Interfaith Power & Light, will keynote the conference Interfaith Power & Light: The Religious Response to Global Warming to be held in Des Moines and sponsored by Iowa Interfaith Power & Light. The 1:00 –4:45 p.m. event will feature two concurrent 75-minute workshops beginning at 2:30 PM for congregations that want to lower their energy costs and mitigate their collective effects on global warming. The conference is FREE, but those planning to attend are asked to register by providing their name and email address at ncrlctk@mchsi.com or by calling 515.270.2634.
One workshop, "Greening Energy Use in Congregational Facilities," is designed for those congregations that want to make their buildings and grounds more carbon neutral. It will be led by sustainable designer Kevin Knordmeyer, RDG Planning/Design, Des Moines. The other workshop, "Household Carbon Footprints," describes a model "carbon reduction stewardship program" that can easily be used by individuals and congregations to help calculate and then reduce the carbon footprint of each member household, lowering both long-term energy costs and our personal impact on global warming. This workshop will be led by Rev. Benjamin Webb and several members of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Cedar Falls. We welcome any individuals to these workshops, but especially congregational leaders who want put together teams capable of developing carbon reduction strategies in their own faith communities. Highly motivated congregations that also want to host and train other congregational teams in their region are encouraged to contact Tim Kautza, ncrlctk@mchsi.com at least a week in advance of the workshops for further details.
Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie and Rev. Bingham will also discuss policy initiatives at the local and federal levels. Rich Dana, policy leader for Iowa Renewable Energy Association, has been invited to discuss state initiatives.
Please help us promote this valuable conference by posting the attached poster and sending it to your friends and neighboring congregations. Additional information will be available at http://www.ncrlc.com/IIPandL-webpage.html Please spread the word.
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IOWA EPISCOPAL BISHOP SCARFE FEATURED AT TOWN HALL MEETING
Iowa Episcopal Bishop Alan Scarfe, a member of Iowa Interfaith Power & Light’s Steering Committee, made clear to an audience of more than 200 people last night the moral imperative for people of faith to lead with hope in caring for creation and vulnerable people in the face of global warming. He recalled and honored the plea of Rt. Reverend Michael Baroi, Bishop of Bangladesh, calling on the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church at their September 2005 gathering to be the voice of the voiceless and powerless people of Bangladesh who will be among the first to suffer from global warming as the ocean begins to consume their country. "The most vulnerable people in our communities will suffer if we don't take action now to solve the global warming problem. It's not just a political or environmental issue, it's a moral issue. We are called to be stewards of the earth and addressing global warming is part of fulfilling that duty," he said. Joining Bishop Scarfe on the program at Plymouth Congregational Church, Des Moines was Des Moines Mayor Frank Cowney, retired US Navy Admiral Dennis McGinn, Iowa Energy Center’s Norm Olson, and Dale Bryk of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The gathering was sponsored by Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, National Council of Churches, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, Peace Committee of Plymouth United Church of Christ, Natural Resources Defense Council, Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club, and Iowa Farmers Union. Watch http://www.ncrlc.com/IIPandL-webpage.html to read the complete presentation.
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90 CONGREGATIONS TO SHOW "AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH"
As of September 1, the cut-off day to reserve the movie An Inconvenient Truth, 90 congregations in more than 30 Iowa communities across the state. An estimated 4500 people in the state are expected to view the movie to be hosted by most every faith and Christian denominations. Iowa congregations who wish to show the movie after the first week in October can contact congregations with the movie. Watch http://www.ncrlc.com/IIPandL-webpage.html for a list of locations and contact people next week.
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CLIMATE CHANGE SPREADS INFECTIOUS DISEASES; HUMANS NEED TO ADAPT; POOREST COUNTRIES TO BE MOST IMPACTED
Warming temperatures are causing organisms to migrate according to Professor Paul Hunter, head of health protection at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, who reported on his research earlier this week. "There are already significant indications of disease burden occurring in Europe as a result of climate change," he told the Festival of Science conference. He emphasized that "such burdens of climate change will fall on the poorest countries in the world, and the tropical countries." For the complete story, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/5311196.stm
At the same conference, Frances Cairncross, president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Chair of the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council, suggested that "world leaders need to think about adapting to climate change rather than focusing only on trying to fight it." Believing that global warming was an inevitable reality the world was going to have to cope with, she said. "... We need to think now about policies that prepare for a hotter, drier world, especially in poorer countries. That may involve, for instance, developing new crops, constructing flood defenses, setting different building regulations, or banning building close to sea level." Visit http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1359807.ece
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HELP SUPPORT IOWA INTERFAITH POWER & LIGHT
This electronic newsletter now reaches more than 500 Iowans; religious leaders, people of most every faith, readers, and activists concerned about global warming and the resulting impacts of global climate change on creation and poor and vulnerable people. We receive kudos weekly from many who are pleased to receive the newsletter and who praise the work of our two organizations. Iowa Interfaith Power & Light is a membership organization. Congregational membership (church, synagogue, mosque, center, school, hospital, or organization) is $50. You can become a member with any contribution you feel is appropriate. Contributions can be sent and made payable to IIP&L, 4625 Beaver Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310-2145. For more about membership, visit http://www.ncrlc.com/1-pfd-files/IIPL_Brochure_final.pdf Your support is greatly appreciated and will put to good use.
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RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS FILE CLIMATE CHANGE AMICUS BRIEF WITH U.S. SUPREME COURT
National Council of Churches, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, and Church World Service jointly filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court August 31 to support legal action by 12 states in Massachusetts v. EPA. The states and environmental groups petitioning the court hope to compel the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take action to curb the release of heat-trapping carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere. EPA maintains it has no authority under the Clean Air Act to do so, and even if it had the ability, regulations are inappropriate. It favors, instead, national and international "voluntary partnerships" over mandatory rules covering domestic industries.
View the NCRLC/NCC/CWS brief at http://209.200.74.155/doc/NCC-CWS-NCRLCBrief--Final.pdf and those of other supporting organizations and groups of individuals at http://209.200.74.155/template/page.cfm?menu_id=53
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