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  • The Jewish Cantor Raises Up Themes of Thanksgiving

    Before the Thanksgiving holiday fades entirely from memory, I wanted to share a thoughtful op-ed published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch by Rachel Rhodes, a Jewish leader in Virginia. The link below discusses her reflections on Jewish links to the natural world and good tidings from the mountains.

  • Iowa Interfaith Leaders and Earth Day 2016

    A group of religious leaders met at the Iowa statehouse today to discuss a call for action on climate change. The event was organized by Reverend Susan Hendershot Guy, the executive director of Iowa Interfaith Power and Light. Regardless of the political debate between the two parties regarding climate change, Gerald Sorokin of the University of Iowa Hillel Foundation said he and the other faith leaders at the capitol that day can find some consensus on the issue.

  • Hitzhusen to Deliver Lecture on Spirituality and Sustainability on Sept. 20 in Sylvania, OH

    The Science Alliance for Valuing the Environment, an “educational consortium for environmental concerns” affiliated with Lourdes University in Sylvania, OH, will host Dr. Greg Hitzhusen to deliver a lecture on “Spirituality and Sustainability: Hope for All Creation” at the Franciscan Center from 7:30-9:00pm on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

    Attend this FREE public lecture hosted by S.A.V.E. – Science Alliance for Valuing the Environment.

    To read more about this event please click on the link below:

  • Tomorrow (Sept. 1) is World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation: Pope Francis calls on believers and unbelievers to care for our common home

    Thursday, September 1, 2016, has been declared a shared World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation by Catholic and Orthodox Christian communities. This year, Pope Francis issued a video invitation to prayer in which he calls believers and unbelievers alike to work together to care for our common home. In August of 2015, the pope issued a letter
    (https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150806_lettera-giornata-cura-creato.html) declaring Sept. 1 as an annual day of prayer for the care of creation, joining the Orthodox Church, which has been doing so since 1989. Citizens are urged to pray and join a local prayer service, or if no local service is offered, representatives from Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Episcopalian churches will offer an online prayer service (https://seasonofcreation.org/2016/08/25/sept-1-online-prayer-service/) at 8am US EDT.

  • Dalai Lama's Message to World Leaders

    Before COP-21, the Dalai Lama recorded a message for all people to see, addressing the world leaders who were going to meet in Paris. In his message, he urged people to take responsibility for what we have done to the planet and start to live more sustainably. He also noted that Tibet is effected much more drastically by climate change than other regions of the world. Tibet has long been considered the rooftop of the earth, and is much more susceptible to environmental degradation.

  • Today is registration deadline for Columbus Diocese Creation Care Conference on Oct. 8

    The Columbus Diocese is offering a day of reflection, inspiration, study, and sharing of resources to help Columbus area Catholic communities respond to Pope Francis’ environmental urgings in his recent encyclical, Laudato Si: Caring for Our Common Home. The conference: “Enlivened by Laudato Si’: We Care for our Common Home: Our practical response to care for God’s creation” will be held at the Martin De Porres Center in Columbus from 10am-2pm on Saturday, October 8.

    The conference will feature creation care team building sessions, spirituality and worship, education, sustainability information for energy savings, and advocacy to care for creation and the poor. Dr. Greg Hitzhusen of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State will deliver a keynote address.

  • Ohio Interfaith Power and Light offers advocacy training

    Event Announcement: Ohio Interfaith Power and Light will offer Advocacy Training as part of a faith based response to climate change issues in Ohio on Saturday, October 15, 2016.

    OhIPL Director Sara Ward and Coordinator Deb Steele will be reviewing legislative policies at the state and national level with a focus on what constituents can do to advocate for laws that will better care for our collective home.

    – Help Ohio end the “freeze” on our energy efficiency & renewable power legislation

    – Learn more about the national Clean Power Plan

    – Take action at the end of the training by calling your legislator and submitting a Letter to the Editor

    If you’d like to attend please contact Deb Steele by email: Dsteele@ohipl.org or cell 614.323.1703

    Saturday October 15th 2016
    10am to Noon @
    First Unitarian Universalist @
    93 W Weisheimer Rd, Columbus, OH 43214
    Light refreshments will be provided

  • Christian Communities Respond to Trump’s Executive Order

    President Trump signed an executive order on March 28 directing the EPA to review the Clean Power Plan. This executive order has the possibility to dismantle important climate change protections and fails to offer an alternative plan to protect our air quality and climate stability. Many Christian communities have responded to this action and made official statements on their thoughts and about protecting the Earth.

  • Episcopal Diocese of Ohio: Bellwether Farm

    Bellwether farm is a new camp and education center of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. It is meant to provide leadership development and teachings through sustainable farming, food production, and care of the environment. It is located in Wakeman Ohio, with the goals of informing, inspiring, and empowering leaders for a sustainable future. The buildings are models of green technology featuring passive buildings, renewable energy, and water reclamation systems.

  • Profile: Melanie Harris

    Dr. Melanie L. Harris is Associate Professor of Religion at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX . There, she teaches and conducts research in the areas of Religious Social Ethics, African American Religion and Environmental Justice. She is a GreenFaith Fellow and co-director of Earth Honoring Faith with Ghost Ranch Education and Conference Center. Dr. Harris is currently a member of the Board of Directors of KERATV/Radio in Dallas and facilitates contemplative retreats as a licensed Spiritual Director. She is the author of Gifts of Virtue: Alice Walker and Womanist Ethics (Palgrave), as well as coeditor of the volume Faith, Feminism, and Scholarship: The Next Generation (Palgrave) and editor of Ecowomanism: Earth Honoring Faiths (Brill).

    Along with Dr. Jennifer Harvey, Dr. Harris conducts workshops about racial justice, womanist ethics and environmental justice. She has presented to audiences in the AME, United Church of Christ, and Baptist church traditions.

  • 6 Ways to Green Your Holiday

    6 Ways to Green Your Holiday is a graphic made by the Sierra Club. It gives 6 easy ways make Christmas traditions more sustainable. To view the image, click below or *download*

  • The Regeneration Project

    The Regeneration Project was created as the parent project of Interfaith Power&Light. It is meant to help deepen the connection between ecology and faith and to help people of faith recognize and fulfill their responsibility for the stewardship of creation. They do so through educational programs for clergy and congregations

  • Start 2018 by Speaking Up for God’s Creation

    Young Evangelicals for Climate Action posted an article on how to speak up for God’s creation. The article focuses on The Clean Power Plan and how to effectively speak up to stop the repeal and replace of the plan.

  • Sikh Statement on Climate Change

    EcoSikh has created the groundwork for a Sikh environmental theological foundation, and the inspiration to connect Gurbani (hymns in the central text of the Sikhs) to the state of the environment today. This is the first of its kind from the Sikh community and it outlines new actions Sikhs can take to strengthen their connection to their faith through environmentalism. The following quote is an excerpt from the statement:

    “You, Yourself created the Universe, and You are pleased…You, Yourself the bumblebee, flower, fruit and the tree. You, Yourself the water, desert, ocean and the pond. You, Yourself are the big fish, tortoise and the Cause of causes.”

  • Global Faith Leaders Unite to Restore our Earth’s Balance

    A campaign by Religions for Peace, worldwide religious leaders call on heads of state to respond urgently to the threats of climate change, commit to 100% renewable energy by 2050, and build a more flourishing, inclusive, and balanced world. Leaders of the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Indigenous, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, Shinto, Sikh, Taoist, and Zoroastrian faiths pledge to do their part by embracing the moral responsibility to care for our world.

  • Catholic Bishops Push Ohio Towards Clean Energy

    The Catholic Bishops of Ohio are against an indefinite freeze of Ohio’s clean energy target standards. The Ohio Mandates Study Committee has called for this freeze due to a need for continual studying of energy standards and their impact on the state. The Bishops, however, feel that there is no need to freeze the standards, as alternative energy sources benefit the environment as well as society.

    This is not the first time that the Bishops of Ohio have voiced such a stance. Back in 2014, a similar issue arose with SB 310, which proposed the original freeze of Ohio’s advanced energy portfolio standard that was established by SB221. The Bishops voiced opposition to SB 310 at that time.

  • The Supreme Court and The Clean Power Plan

    The Clean Power Plan was designed to allow states the greatest flexibility in implementation, attempting benefiting the health of individuals by improving the quality of the air for everyone. The Supreme Court has ruled to stay the implementation of the Clean Power Plan (5-4 ruling). Many churches and faiths have banded together to express their dissatisfaction with this decision. A predominant tenet of most religious organizations is their concern with protecting the health and well-being of vulnerable communities and God’s Creation.

  • United Methodist Agency Green Roof

    John Hill, from the Board of Church and Society at the United Methodist Agency, narrates the video below about their recent green roof addition. The series of squares used covers the entire area of the flat roof, reducing energy consumption, making the building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. In addition, and equally important, it reduces storm water runoff. When it rains, the water remains in the roof rather than adding pollutants into the nearby watershed, which feeds into the Chesapeake Bay.

  • Laudato Si' and the U.S. Catholic Church Recordings

    "The 2023 Laudato Si’ and the U.S. Catholic Church (June 14-July 27, 2023) national conference, is part of a biennial conference series  co-sponsored by Creighton University and Catholic Climate Covenant to equip and inspire Catholics to more deeply integrate Laudato Si’ and its creation care teachings into the U.S. Church. The purpose of this year's conference is to encourage a greater understanding of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform’s seven goals – Response to the Cry of the Poor, Ecological Economics, Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyle, Ecological Education, Ecological Spirituality, Community Resilience and Empowerment, and Response to the Cry of the Earth – and encourage Catholic individuals and groups to enroll in the Platform, providing them with a clearer path for accomplishing each of the goals through speaker presentations."

  • Religious Groups Combatting Rising Sea Levels in Louisiana

    Donald and Theresa Dardar have made it their mission to save the the susceptible coasts of Louisiana from rising sea levels due to climate change. Joining forces with the local Presbyterian church, Donald and Theresa have preserved sacred mounds, refilled oil field canals, and have built elevated greenhouses. Numerous faith groups in Louisiana have prioritized saving the environment as impoverished people experience heightened effects of climate change. Preserving the community around these faith groups drives individuals to maintain the unique and celebrated environment of Louisiana.

  • United Church of Christ Environmental Justice Ministries

    "From the birth of the environmental justice movement in the 1980s to the local ministries of churches throughout the country today, the United Church of Christ has been making a profound difference in caring for God’s creation. Learn more about our history, the Creation Justice Church program, Earth Day resources, the Pollinator newsletter, Creation Justice Webinars, and the work of the UCC Council for Climate Justice."

  • International Indigenous Youth Council

    The International Indigenous Youth Council is a youth-led organization of 9 chapters across Turtle Island. They seek to protect Indigenous land and culture through spiritually-guided community organizing and nonviolent direct action. IIYC was founded after the Standing Rock Indigenous Uprising of 2016, and is credited with successfully defending protecting the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers from the Dakota Access Pipeline construction. Today, they spearhead actions against policy, pipeline construction, and climate finance contributing to the climate crisis directly effecting their communities.

  • The Essential Presence of Faith-Based Organizations in Sustainable Community Development

    This chapter from the student-written book “Emerging Perspectives on Religion and Environmental Values in America” explores the presence of religious organizations providing service to local communities. It discusses the broad range of faith-based organizations and their many projects, and how engaging with these organizations and programs can improve connections to one's environment and spirituality. Below is the first paragraph of the chapter to introduce the discussion.

    "The presence of faith-based organizations as social, human, and cultural capital within every community, regardless of demographic dimension, politics, race, and income demonstrate the resilience of religion as an asset essential to the cultivation of sustainable community development. Throughout history, religious groups have served as providers of essential services for the less fortunate, and advocates for social justice and equity in both rural and urban communities. Despite trying circumstances, this resolute effort over time and their relative success in providing support to those in need, has afforded faith based-organizations credibility, and in some cases their role is indispensable."

  • An Analysis on the Climate and Energy Provisions of the IRA

    "The purpose of this research report is to provide an advocacy tool to Indigenous Peoples and environmental justice communities to help develop strategies, as well as to foster inquiry and information gathering regarding many of the IRA programs and funding schemes. Indigenous Peoples have recognition in the colonial legal system of Tribal Sovereignty, inherent customary rights, and Treaty reserved rights. In addition, Indigenous Peoples also have their respective Traditional Indigenous Knowledge which serves as a foundation among other things of their legal systems, inherent responsibilities to land, air and water, and the inherent relationships embodied in all of this. If unchecked, and without Free, Prior and Informed Consent, or at the very least meaningful consultation standards that are legally enforceable, much of what is in the IRA will potentially have impacts on many Indigenous Tribal interests."

  • Don’t believe the “Hydrogen Hype” - Reject all applications for Department of Energy Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) funding (DE- FOA-0002779)

    "Dear Secretary Granholm and Director Crane,
    We urge you to reject all hydrogen hub applications, as has been repeatedly requested by environmental and environmental justice organizations nationwide. Here, we write in solidarity with the 2023 letter from the New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition (NMNFS), building on the points they have raised and the fights ongoing in communities from the Southwest to the Northeast. A large-scale buildout of hydrogen infrastructure will further exacerbate the climate crisis and disproportionately harm people of color, low-income communities, and Indigenous peoples..."