Eco-Justice Connection

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Filmmaker Visits NCIPL

By nancy

    This month nationally renowned filmmaker, Rocky Kistner visited North Carolina to document features of NCIPL’s emPOWERed program. Film footage included an Energy Savings Analysis (energy audit) at College […]

Filmmaker Visits NCIPL

 

 

This month nationally renowned filmmaker, Rocky Kistner visited North Carolina to document features of NCIPL’s emPOWERed program. Film footage included an Energy Savings Analysis (energy audit) at College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro led by John Seymour, and an interview with NCIPL’s Director, Susannah Tuttle discussing the faith-energy-climate connection.  Interviews about NC congregations that have installed solar panels included:

You can read about all of the NC congregations that have installed solar panels on NCIPL’s success stories webpage. When the film is completed it will be featured on our website www.ncipl.org.

Reflection on Moral Monday

By nancy

Participating in Moral Mondays impressed me with a sense of fraternity and hope in the face of policies and legislation that seem increasingly unjust and discriminatory, besides being detrimental to […]

Reflection on Moral Monday

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NC_Legislature-1024x768Participating in Moral Mondays impressed me with a sense of fraternity and hope in the face of policies and legislation that seem increasingly unjust and discriminatory, besides being detrimental to social mobility and environmental stewardship. June 18th found a moral Monday focused on environmental justice, climate justice, and healthcare.

Protestors throughout the event displayed signs rejecting fracking, promoting alternative energy production systems, and exposing failures of the healthcare system. Petitions and listserv signups circulated through the crowd as activists from all over the state met one another and rallied together. With the well-organized series of speakers on stage and the various pieces of literature being passed around, the spirit of the event was clearly outraged. The positivity of solutions offered and the support and pride the crowd devoted to those individuals willing to enter the legislative building in protest and risk arrest gave the event a quality of hope and joy.

The NAACP, Reverend Barber himself, and the committed participants of Moral Mondays show a deeply troubled and willingly active population of North Carolinians that do not agree with the actions of our new state legislature. It should be noted, as it was by many speakers and participants at the rally, that this population is not a fringe group, not a group of outsiders. In fact, protesters adamantly displayed their home counties and the family lineage they can trace within the state. With many of the participants counting their age well over 40, it made their claims of multi-generational North Carolina heritage all the more poignant.

Though Moral Mondays will be ending its presence in Raleigh soon, I encourage all those who feel strongly about our state’s political atmosphere to get involved with local protests and petitions elsewhere. The movement hopes to branch out into individual communities from a platform of respectful dissent and support for positive change. Perhaps participating in these events can inspire hope in your hometown in the same way they did in Raleigh this past month.

Joey Shea
Intern
North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Hayesville

By nancy

Written by Brad Rouse. I have been a member of Good Shepherd since 2007, and the Green Team has been one of our ministries since before that time. Having a […]

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Hayesville

energy Good Shepherd HayesvilleWritten by Brad Rouse.

I have been a member of Good Shepherd since 2007, and the Green Team has been one of our ministries since before that time. Having a concern for the environment, I was attracted to become a part of that ministry under the leadership of Amy Nicolson, Meg Whitley and other members.  We meet regularly at the church and look for opportunities to be good stewards of God’s creation through our church community.

At a meeting earlier this year we adopted a mission for the Green Team as follows:

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Green Team’s mission is to follow God’s commandments that we be good stewards of what we have been given and that we love our neighbor as ourselves. We believe that God was pleased when he created this world and that He values nature as well as man. When God gave man dominion, it was so that we could care for and love His creation as much as He does. Further, when Jesus commanded that we love our neighbor as ourselves, he commanded that we go out of our way to do so and that we have a broad vision of who is our neighbor – not just our tribe, our race, our country, or even our time.  A major part of our mission is simply to make ourselves and others aware that these are God’s teachings and that by caring for the Earth, we are following His command.  Further, we must also make ourselves and others aware that as we have been more and more blessed by “be fruitful and multiply”, we have created the condition that our every action has an impact on God’s creation and on our neighbors who live here now and who will live here in the future. The way we act today is simply not sustainable and if we do not change there will be irreparable damage to His creation and irreparable harm to those who will follow us.  We must act and change.

We also recognize that our awareness as individuals is not enough. We must advocate our point of view in our church, in our families, in our businesses, in our communities, and in our state and national politics.

Finally, awareness and advocacy are not enough. Our mission is also to take action as individuals and as a group to make changes that will reduce the risk and heal the damage.

[Read more…] about Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Hayesville

Invitation to next week’s Moral Monday on the Environment, Justice, & Health

By chris

Dear Faithful Friends, This coming Monday, June 17th – “NC Moral Mondays” will be focused on Environmental, Justice, and Health issues as the central themes in a principled protest calling for […]

Invitation to next week’s Moral Monday on the Environment, Justice, & Health

by

Dear Faithful Friends,

Raleigh-map-Halifax_mall1
Click on the image above for a downloadable map of downtown Raleigh and Halifax Mall.

This coming Monday, June 17th – “NC Moral Mondays” will be focused on Environmental, Justice, and Health issues as the central themes in a principled protest calling for an end to the unprecedented legislative attack against the people and environment of our state.

Over 200+ ordinary North Carolinians have been arrested so far, and many more have been present as supporters each Monday for the past 6 weeks.  It is not necessary to risk arrest; a large group of supporters is critical, ensuring the safety of participants and clarifying the message for the public through signs, statements and media contacts.

For more information about participating as a supporter or risking arrest at Moral Mondays please contact info@naacpnc.org or visit http://www.naacpnc.org/.

MORAL MONDAY RALLY on the Environment, Justice, & Health:

JUNE 17, 2013  at 5:00 pm*

Bring raincoats and umbrellas in case of inclement weather. 

 

Halifax Mall – Located between the Legislative Office Building (300 N. Salisbury Street) and the General Assembly (16 W. Jones Street). See Map (Click to Download Parking Map for General Assembly and Halifax Mall). There will be volunteers there to direct people from Bicentennial Mall to Halifax Mall.

Power to the Peaceful!

 

The Good News on Hurricanes

By chris

Last weekend was the official start of our 2013 Hurricane Season. As we make preparations for the season- both logistical, physical, and spiritual- I think that The Southern Alliance for […]

The Good News on Hurricanes

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file0001947631045Last weekend was the official start of our 2013 Hurricane Season. As we make preparations for the season- both logistical, physical, and spiritual- I think that The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy really captured the positive side of hurricanes, and all natural disasters for that matter, in one of their recent blogs, Building Community Resiliency for Hurricane Season:
The good news is that in spite of their destructive nature, hurricanes have a propensity to also bring out the best in communities.  In their aftermath, some of the greatest catastrophes to hit our country have helped write some of our greatest stories of hope, rebuilding, resilience, and community.  These elements of humanity are what we need to put to work to protect ourselves and others from similar catastrophes in the future. Research has shown that the communities best equipped to deal with disasters, such as hurricanes, are the communities in which people know each other, have established working relationships with each other, and know how to communicate and collaborate with one another.  These factors make a community more resilient than other factors that may seem more logical, such as wealth and education.  This underscores the critical fact that people helping people is a profound and powerful experience.
-Chris Carnevale, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
When you consider the potential dangers that accompany our changing climate, what gives you hope? What can you do ensure that your faith community is among “the best equipped to deal with disasters”? What can you do make your congregation more resilient? Let us know your ideas on facebook and may there be hope and light throughout this unpredictable, at times frightening, season.

12,000+ Clean Energy/Clean Transportation Jobs Announced in 1st Quarter & Governor McCrory Declares June “Solar Energy Month”

By chris

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress contact: Bob Keefe, 202-289-2373 or bkeefe@e2.org, or Jeff Benzak, 202-513-6248 or jbenzak@e2.org. North Carolina remains among top states for clean energy job announcements despite attempts to repeal state renewable […]

12,000+ Clean Energy/Clean Transportation Jobs Announced in 1st Quarter & Governor McCrory Declares June “Solar Energy Month”

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church01FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress contact: Bob Keefe, 202-289-2373 or bkeefe@e2.org, or Jeff Benzak, 202-513-6248 or jbenzak@e2.org.

North Carolina remains among top states for clean energy job announcements despite attempts to repeal state renewable energy standard

WASHINGTON (June 4, 2013) – Companies and communities across the United States announced more than 50 clean energy and clean transportation projects in the first quarter of 2013 that could create as many as 12,000 jobs, according to a report released today by Environmental Entrepreneurs, a nationwide network of business leaders who advocate for policies that benefit both the economy and the environment.

In North Carolina, four major solar projects were announced in the first quarter that together could create more than 700 new jobs in the Tar Heel state. They included a major solar farm in Duplin County expected to create an estimated 400 jobs and a solar power inverter factory in Charlotte expected to create more than 40 jobs.

The full report and a searchable database of clean energy job announcements are available at www.e2.org/cleanjobs.

“The continued growth of clean energy in the face of wrongful efforts to repeal North Carolina’s renewable energy portfolio standard is both noteworthy and impressive,” said E2 member John Robbins, president of Greathorn Development Corp. in Concord, N.C.

“We have the potential to keep creating these good-paying jobs and attracting clean energy investments – as long as we don’t let our state legislature derail the favorable business environment we have in North Carolina.”

North Carolina ranked in the top 10 in quarterly state rankings for the fourth time. The only other states to do this are Texas and California.

The first-quarter job growth came despite attempts to repeal clean energy standards in numerous states.

In North Carolina, for instance, clean energy opponents tried unsuccessfully to repeal the state’s renewable energy standard, despite the fact that the state has attracted more than 1,100 clean energy companies that have created more than 21,000 jobs over the past five years. Threats to repeal renewable energy standards continue in North Carolina and other states, however.

In an effort to recognize the contributions of solar energy to North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory just declared June 2013 Solar Energy Month. Ironically, some of the governor’s Republican colleagues in Raleigh are still threatening to repeal the renewable energy standard, which is helping solar businesses in North Carolina create badly needed jobs.

If these repeal efforts are successful, they could slow job growth, E2’s report suggests. In the first quarter of the year, nine of the top 10 states for clean energy and clean transportation job announcements tracked by E2 have renewable energy standards on the books.

“The fact that nine out of the top 10 states in the report have renewable portfolio standards is no accident,” said Judith Albert, executive director of Environmental Entrepreneurs. “These policies are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do: Create jobs and create clean, renewable energy that helps both our economy and our environment.”

Massachusetts led the nation in the first quarter, after the state announced a $400 million program to make 700 state buildings more energy efficient, creating an estimated 4,100 jobs along the way. These building improvements also are expected to save the state between $43 million to $250 million in annual energy costs.

California was No. 2 with 12 announcements that could potentially create 2,808 jobs, followed by Indiana’s three announcements that could create 1,690 jobs.

In addition to identifying the top 10 states, E2’s report found:

  • The wind energy industry is showing resilience. After a steep drop off in job announcements attributed to uncertainty over the extension of the wind energy production tax credit late in 2012, the industry is bouncing back, with more than 1,400 wind energy jobs announced in early 2013.
  • Solar leads power generation job announcements. More than 3,800 jobs were announced in the solar power generation sector, higher than all other power generation sectors combined (wind, biogas, and geothermal).
  • Advanced vehicle manufacturing is creating job opportunities. With a $374 million investment from Chrysler, factories in Indiana are expected to ramp up manufacturing for 8- and 9-speed, fuel-efficient transmissions.

The report also highlights clean energy case studies from businesses located in California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.

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Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) is a national community of individual business leaders who advocate for good environmental policy while building economic prosperity. Learn more at www.e2.org.