Washington Interfaith Power & Light
An interfaith religious response to global warming
Earth Ministry’s Washington Interfaith Power & Light (WAIPL) project organizes an interfaith religious response to climate change. WAIPL is part of a national Interfaith Power & Light movement that is 38 states strong and growing. It is led by Jews, Christians, Muslims, and the faithful from other traditions across Washington State.
WAIPL works to protect creation and safeguard society’s most vulnerable by providing education about climate change, helping individuals and congregations reduce their carbon footprints, and advocating for sustainable energy. To accomplish this mission, we:
- Speak and lead workshops on climate change for faith
communities across the state
- Develop educational & spiritual resources for religious communities
- Provide regular updates on state and national climate issues
- Offer workshops, trainings, and advocacy opportunities for
people of faith to weigh in on important climate and energy policies
Individuals and congregations of all faith traditions are welcome to become members of Washington Interfaith Power & Light. Faith communities seeking membership in WAIPL also sign a "Congregational Covenant" pledging to educate and engage members on energy and climate issues and commit to faithful stewardship of their energy resources.
We’re excited about Washington Interfaith Power & Light and looking forward to the coming year. There is much work to do, but together we can make a difference. Please join us!
Recent News
She Answers Abraham
She Answers Abraham is a blog which features weekly scriptural reflections by three women: a Jew, a Christian, and a Muslim. On March 28, 2012, Earth Ministry/WAIPL Executive Director LeeAnne Beres guest authored a blogpost with Yaira Robinson of Texas IPL and Amanda Quraishi. Check it out!
A Song for Our Planet
On March 18, 2012, Seattle First Baptist and Plymouth United Church of Christ hosted an interfaith concert for environmental justice which included the world premiere of A Song for Our Planet by noted composer Henry Mollicone. Over 500 people heard the beautiful choral work, which focused on caring for God's creation and humanity's commitment to change our destructive ways.
Leaders from diverse faith traditions contributed readings and an environmental justice information fair followed the concert. An offering was collected to benefit Washington Interfaith Power & Light (WAIPL), in support of our interfaith climate and energy advocacy.
Cool Congregations Challenge!
What's more exciting than a contest? Washington Interfaith Power & Light (WAIPL) is inviting you to participate in the Cool Congregations Challenge. Hosted by Interfaith Power & Light, it's a contest with prizes to recognize congregations who care about Creation and the climate.
Top cash prizes of $1,000 will go to winning contestants in four categories: energy efficiency, renewable energy, grounds and water conservation, and inspiring Congregants to lower energy use at home. Projects of any size completed in the last year between October 20, 2010 and October 20, 2011 qualify. A complimentary entry guide is available on the website. There is no fee to enter the contest. Entries due by October 20, 2011.
Faith, Climate, and Coal
On April 29, 2011, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law the Coal Free Future for Washington legislation to responsibly transition TransAlta Corp.’s Centralia, WA power plant off of coal. WAIPL joined Gov. Gregoire, TransAlta executives and workers, legislators, and members of the environmental and labor communities at the power plant in Centralia for the bill-signing celebration. The legislation will phase out the company’s coal-fired power plant between 2020 and 2025, allowing an opportunity for cleaner power to replace the largest coal-fired power plant in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, the bill includes $68 million from TransAlta in investments in the community’s economic future and a clean energy future for Washington. Throughout the campaign, Washington Interfaith Power & Light (WAIPL) represented the faith community in support of the legislation to phase out Washington’s single largest source of dangerous air pollution, acting to protect God's creation from the harmful effects of coal.
For more information on moving Washington beyond coal, visit our Coal Free Future for Washington page.
Reflections on the Power of Water in the Holy Land
Seattle Pacific University professor and former Earth Letter Editor Doug Thorpe shares a moving contemplation of the power of water in the Holy Land, as he experienced it on an Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light eco-justice trip to Israel, Palestine and Jordan in January, 2009. The article was featured in the April 2011 Edition of Soujourners Magazine.
Read the article in its entirety here.
Sacred Places Can Be Important Venues for Interfaith Dialogue
In this Tacoma News Tribune article, Turan Kayaoglu speaks to how when Christian communities open up their churches for Muslims to worship, it creates a place for interfaith interaction, dialogue, and learning. Washington Interfaith Power & Light's work is referenced. Click above to read the full article.
Interfaith Power & Light Conference and Lobby Day
Washington Interfaith Power & Light leaders traveled to Washington, DC the first week in May for the national Interfaith Power & Light conference and lobby day. Nearly 70 religious leaders from 38 state affiliates from around the country participated, and Earth Ministry’s Washington Interfaith Power & Light project was well represented. We partnered with staff from California IPL to lead a session on building effective coalitions with other religious environmental, health, and public interest organizations, and co-led a workshop with Texas IPL on how to organize the faith community to oppose coal-fired power production. WAIPL staff also led lobbying breakout sessions to help prepare state leaders for visits to Capitol Hill.
On lobby day, WAIPL religious leaders met with eight Washington State congressional offices, including in-person meetings with Sen. Maria Cantwell and Reps. Inslee, Reichert, and Herrera Beutler. The focus of the meetings was to gain support for maintaining the Clean Air Act, which protects human health by regulating the amount of pollution in the air we breathe. Numerous bills introduced in Congress threaten the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to safeguard our communities, and faith leaders across the country concerned about childhood asthma, mercury poisoning, and climate change met with their legislators to oppose any weakening of the Clean Air Act.
Senate Stalls on Climate and Clean Energy Solutions
Earth Ministry/WAIPL Executive Director LeeAnne Beres joined Congressman Jay Inslee and members of the business and veteran communities in a press conference speaking to the continued need for comprehensive national climate legislation. Click above to read LeeAnne’s full statement following the press release.
Washington Interfaith Power & Light Director Travels to Turkey for Faith and Cultural Exchange
Jessie Dye of Washington Interfaith Power & Light was fortunate to travel to Turkey in June as the guest of the Seattle-based Acacia Foundation. The Acacia Foundation is an organization of Muslim business leaders and educators who have been influenced by the Turkish Sufi Muslim Imam and great public intellectual, Fethulla Gulen.
Jessie and five other educators, business and policy leaders traveled in Istanbul and Western Turkey and met with teachers, scientists, and civic leaders who put Gulen’s ideas into practice. At the heart of Sufi tradition and Gulen’s work is belief that faith and spiritual illumination manifest in love of humanity and of all creation. With its emphasis on education, tolerance, and interfaith dialogue, the preaching of Imam Gulen identifies a path in which religious values can be combined successfully with living in the modern world. Jessie hopes that this is only the beginning of a long association with Gulen’s organizations worldwide.
Seattle Climate Rally & EPA Hearing
In May 2009, the EPA came to Seattle to receive public comment on their findings that greenhouses gases pose a threat to human health. Three religious leaders testified at the EPA hearing in the morning and at noon 30 religious leaders from the Jewish, Christian, Unitarian, and Buddhist traditions showed their support for action on climate change in front of a crowd of 2,000 people - including many Earth Ministry/WAIPL members! Click above for photos, testimony, and media clips.
Resources
The Cry of Creation: A Call for Climate Justice - an interfaith study guide on global warming
ShopIPL - Receive discounts on energy efficient products!
Cool Congregations Calculator - A carbon footprint calculator specifically for congregations
Resources from Interfaith Power & Light/The Regeneration Project (sermons, films, books, energy efficiency)
Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds ($3 for every book purchased through this webpage will be donated to WAIPL)
Order Online; Mail-In Order Form
Learn about Climate & Energy Issues
