We offer many resources at no cost to faith communities:

 Educational Programs offering practical, hope-filled solutions available to individuals and congregations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other energy costs, suitable for youth and adult religious education classes and fellowship circles. We can also present on particular topics, including sea-level rise along the North Carolina coast, the anticipated health impacts of rapid climate change, food choice and climate change, and climate-related public policy advocacy for faith communities.  

 

 

 

Energy Efficiency and Audit Programs which examine ways in which your congregation and its member households can decrease your carbon footprint and save money on energy bills while helping to protect Creation. You can even track your energy use, efficiency improvements, and your carbon footprint at www.coolcongregations.org.   

Interested in scheduling an audit? Contact us at info@ncipl.org for more information!

 

 

Public Policy Advocacy initiatives, including action alerts, are promoted with e-mail notices, in workshops, on brochures, and on the Faith In Action page of our website. We support policies and regulations that will reduce global emissions to levels consistent with scientific recommendations, while facilitating a rapid transition to a clean energy future. Effective climate legislation must also be equitable and just, providing access for all to the new clean energy economy, and protecting vulnerable people and communities from the unavoidable impacts of climate change.

 

 

 

Earth Sabbath Celebrations include songs, inspirational readings, scripture of world religions, silent and spoken prayer, guided meditations, sharing of our joys and concerns for our work, and a ritual sending forth to do the Creation care we are called to do as people of faith. These are currently being held monthly in three locations.

Asheville: St. Mary's Episcopal, 337 Charlotte St. 4th Monday of each month.

Chapel Hill: Community UCC, 1321 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. 2nd Tuesday of each month, begining in March!

Durham: Durham Friend's, 404 Alexander Ave, 1st Tuesday of each month, begining in March!

Raleigh: Community UCC, 814 Dixie Trail. 4th Tuesday of each month.

If you’d like to organize an event in your own community, please contact us at info@ncipl.org.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                   Renewable Energy Information Clearinghouse 
                                                                                   Why Solar for Congregations?  As people of faith have become more deeply engaged in environmental stewardship they have begun to recognize that rapidly accelerating climate change has become one of the greatest challenges that civilization has ever faced. Some are doing energy audits and making steps to reduce energy use, or designing new buildings and additions that are highly energy efficient. These actions are taken out of love for the beauty and goodness of God’s work and the desire to observe our responsibility to preserve and protect it.

NC IPL believes that it is important for congregations to be leaders in their communities by installing solar systems, and we are committed to helping forge this precedent-setting path forward. Seeing solar panels on a house of worship becomes an iconic marker to the broader community, a demonstration of the congregation’s love of the Creator and creation, and it shows a commitment to change our relationship to energy, especially fossil fuel use.  We are please to note that four faith communities have gone solar in 2011.

Our Solar Clearinghouse document contains useful details that can help your congregation go solar.