December 2014
Please make your year-end contribution to Kansas IPL by clicking here.
When I look back at the work of Kansas Interfaith Power & Light in 2014, what stands out for me are three extraordinary moments.
Three moments no one could have predicted. Three moments that seemed unlikely. But three moments that (I believe, I hope, I pray) have changed – in big and small ways – the trajectory we are on, and made it possible to address the issue of climate change in effective and meaningful ways.
The first was March 25 (actually it was after midnight, so it was March 26), when the Kansas House voted, by a margin of 77-44, against repealing the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). This policy, which has led to an investment of over $8 billion and 13,000 Kansas jobs since its adoption in 2009, has been under near-constant assault by fossil fuel interests for the past three years. In response, Kansas IPL, along with our partners in the Kansans for Clean Energy coalition and in the wind industry, worked hard to get the word out about the benefits of the RPS, and to generate emails, phone calls and visits in support of it to our state legislators.
When the House decided not to repeal this sensible policy, we re-learned the most important lesson of all: that our voices, together, can make all the difference. That was an extraordinary moment.
The second extraordinary moment occurred on September 21 – the historic People’s Climate March in New York City. On that day several other IPL directors and I, along with tens of thousands of people of faith from every religious tradition, joined with literally hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country to demand effective policies to address the threat of global climate change. You probably saw the photos: 400,000 people marching across Manhattan, and scores of other demonstrations all over the world, showing the world leaders scheduled to meet the next day at the UN that there is massive, popular support for effective climate action.
And the third extraordinary moment happened just a few days ago: President Obama and President Xi Jinping of China came to a historic agreement to limit and begin to bring down CO2 emissions by 2030. While (the science tells us) this isn’t sufficient to keep us under a 2℃ rise in global surface temperatures, it certainly is a necessary first step. Even more importantly, it shows a willingness by the two biggest carbon emitters, and the two most powerful economies, to address the issue in a meaningful and cooperative way. This will help set the stage for even more effective action at the climate conference in Paris next year.
Three moments: one in our state, one national, and one part of international relations. Three moments demonstrating that, by putting our faith into action, we can move mountains! We can cause world leaders to respond. We can help address the overarching moral issue of our time: the threat of global climate change.
Can you help support Kansas IPL’s unique work at this critical time?
Of course, there’s a lot more to it than three powerful moments. It isn’t always glamorous, and most days we aren’t filling the streets or making the news. But Kansas IPL’s work – in congregations, in the state capitol, and in the streets – has inspired thousands of people here in Kansas to make a connection between our values and how we are called to act in a warming world.
Together, we are building a movement — a movement of hundreds of thousands of people who are praying, working, and marching together for a protected climate and a better world.
All of our traditions teach that we are responsible to our neighbors. Through the work of Kansas IPL, our communities reflect on how our world is changing and how we might respond. When we do so, we fulfill our highest purpose, honoring the respect for human dignity and the reverence for the natural world that are core values for all of our sacred traditions.
It’s never been more important to speak out faithfully for our neighbors and for the natural world. And no one is engaging Kansas congregations and people of faith more effectively on this issue than Kansas IPL:
Efficiency and Clean Energy in Homes and Congregations:
- We developed and rolled out our new “Adopt-a-Light” program, to help congregations replace old, inefficient fluorescent lighting with new, more efficient and better lighting – at minimal cost.
- Through an arrangement with Cromwell Solar, homeowners throughout Kansas can now put solar power on their homes with no money down – saving substantially on utility bills as well as dramatically lowering their carbon footprints.
Teaching and Preaching about the Faith Basis of Environmental Stewardship:
- In 2014, we visited congregations in towns and cities all over Kansas, bringing the message of Earth Stewardship to new audiences throughout the state.
- Last winter we sponsored five screenings the powerful documentary “Chasing Ice,” and this year we are screening the film, “Bidder 70” at congregations in Salina, Lawrence, Topeka, Wichita and Johnson County.
- In 2014 we had our largest number of congregations ever participate in the national Interfaith Power and Light “preach-in on global climate change.”
Advocacy for Public Policies that Support the Clean Energy Economy
- In addition to protecting the RPS, we supported Kansas’ first-ever legislation on energy efficiency.
- We negotiated a compromise with the utilities to protect net metering for home solar installations and included (for the first time) religious institutions and schools in the law.
As we have seen over and over, when we come together in prayer, reflection and action, we can change the world. And when we stand together as people of faith, and our voices ring out in protection of what we love, it makes a truly joyful noise.
Please join us — and ensure we can continue this good work — by making a gift today.
We are grateful to be sharing these extraordinary moments with you, and are deeply appreciative of your support.
With blessing,
Rabbi Moti Rieber
Director