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Were you watching? This week President Obama gave his final State of the Union speech. He touted the success of the Paris conference in bringing 195 countries together to agree to curb global warming pollution. He rebuffed those who deny climate change and called for a spirit of collaboration, stating “a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids is within reach. But it will only happen if we work together.”

As a member of the NC Interfaith Power & Light / NC Council of Churches network you have laid the groundwork to make this happen. With your faithful advocacy, you showed that climate change is a moral issue and one that faith communities all over America are championing.

Our favorite climate reality quote of the night was when the President said:

Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. You’ll be pretty lonely, because you’ll be debating our military, most of America’s business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it’s a problem and intend to solve it. But even if the planet wasn’t at stake; even if 2014 wasn’t the warmest year on record – until 2015 turned out even hotter – why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future?

Great question Mr. President! This is one we will take to our leaders in North Carolina, as we together protect our climate for our children and future generations.

The president closed the State of the Union speech with part of the quote below from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one that is particularly relevant to our struggle for climate justice.

Let’s take heart in the fact that our love for Creation, for those on the front lines of climate impacts around the world, and for future generations is stronger than the forces of greed aligned against us!

For faith-based environmental activists, Pope Francis’s visit to the United States had a major effect even before he set foot on American soil. Now they hope his trip’s influence on their cause will reverberate long after he’s gone.

The Pope’s visit to America took place just months after issuing his encyclical on the environment, encourages Rev. Canon Sally Bingham, founder and president of Interfaith Power & Light. “To have Pope Francis come out and bring this message from such a powerful, moral foundation of the world has given us a tremendous boost.”

“This is really bringing communities together,” said Susannah Tuttle, director of NC Interfaith Power and Light, a program of the NC Council of Churches and state-affiliate to a national network leading the moral responsibility message to protect the environment. “It’s just so exciting. It’s like waking up and getting to talk about issues like a changing climate from a place of opportunity, hope and resilient response.”

The hope is that preachers in various faith traditions have openly received Pope Francis’ message and will begin speaking preaching about a moral duty to confront climate change. “Some faith leaders been afraid to get into the pulpit and talk about something that is seen as a political issue,” Rev. Bingham said. “But the pope has given them the opportunity and the responsibility to now speak about it from the pulpit. So I see it as a really big change-maker.”

On the governmental front, Rev. Bingham notes that Congress has 137 Catholics. She hopes many will hear the Holy Father and be moved to action. “Perhaps they need to look at this from a moral perspective rather than a political one, maybe they can step outside of the party line and do the right thing.”

Throughout the week of the Pope Francis’ U.S. visit, North Carolina faith communities united in support of clean energy and to heed the papal call to act on climate change. Vigils and activities organized through the network of NC Interfaith Power & Light were held in Raleigh, Greensboro, Morehead City, Asheville and Durham.

Organizers hope such events will build momentum for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which begins Nov. 30 in Paris. Delegations will discuss whether their nations can commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by certain amounts in years ahead.

This week the Muslim American Society (MAS) of Charlotte is launching a program to install solar panels on the homes of 40 congregants and their mosque in east Charlotte. The program is unique both for the amount of solar that is slated for installation, as well as the financing model, and will make the mosque at MAS of Charlotte the first in North Carolina, and among the first in the country, to get solar panels. This initiative, led by congregants at MAS of Charlotte, comes just weeks after the Islamic Declaration on Climate Change from prominent Islamic scholars in support of binding, international climate change mitigation policy and renewable energy solutions.

“We are thrilled to answer the moral call to care for creation by using resources more wisely,” said Amir Rahman, project manager and member of MAS Charlotte. “At the same time, we are able to save our community members funds typically spent on electricity.”

Once members of MAS CLT purchase an agreed amount of solar panels for installations on their own homes, PowerHome Solar, located in Moorseville, NC, will make an-kind donations of panels for the mosque. It is similar to a Solarize model in that the program relies on the aggregated purchasing power of congregants to drive down the cost of the panels. PowerHome Solar, located in Moorseville, NC, expects to donate 32.24Kw worth of solar panels, once 200Kw (roughly 40 homes) have been sold. The installation will cover roughly 25% of the Mosque’s energy needs and significantly offset the amount of money that the center spends on utilities.

“We are happy to partner with MAS to bring this solar vision to reality. As a local company, we pride ourselves on giving back to the community. This is a win-win for the mosque, its congregants and solar in North Carolina,” said Peter Larsen, of PowerHome Solar. This financing model is innovative in a state that presents many barriers for faith institutions to go solar. North Carolina is one of only four states in the country that forbids the third party sale of electricity-meaning that it is illegal to buy electricity from any entity besides the regulated monopoly utility. This ban makes it difficult for faith institutions and other non-profits without a tax appetite or upfront capital to access renewable energy.

This project launches as part of a growing movement of faith communities that are doing their part to shift demand away from energy sources that are wreaking havoc on the climate and future generations. In June, Pope Francis released his Encyclical on the environment and in a few weeks he will address US Congress, in preparation for the next round of UN climate negotiations in Paris this December.

“There are many verses in the Qur’an explaining how God has made us stewards of the earth. With this solar project, our intent is to create a way for our members to tread lightly on creation, conserve resources, and lead by example,” said Osama Idilbi, president of MAS Charlotte. “We want solar for MAS because we believe there are better ways to get energy-ways that don’t pollute our water or create conflict. We hope this project will serve as a model and create a ripple effect of peaceful solutions.”

As stated in the holy text, the Hadith, and reinforced by the recent Islamic Climate Declaration, the moral duty for creation care is deeply rooted in the Islamic faith tradition: Partake of it gladly, so long as you are a benefactor, not a despoiler; a cultivator, not a destroyer.

For more information contact:
Osama Idilbi 980-721-6623
Ahmer Inam 704-258-6719
Amir Rahman 515 422-3193