Eco-Justice Connection

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Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day March 25th

By nancy

You are invited to join NCIPL and Interfaith Power & Light founder and President Rev. Sally Bingham on March 25th at the NC General Assembly in Raleigh for the Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day. […]

Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day March 25th

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Faith-Voice-for-Clean-Energy-2You are invited to join NCIPL and Interfaith Power & Light founder and President Rev. Sally Bingham on March 25th at the NC General Assembly in Raleigh for the Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day. We will meet with members of the General Assembly to hear their vision for North Carolina and to express our support for new and existing clean energy policies.

We have created a pre-advocacy day webinar covering logistics for Advocacy Day, how to talk to elected officials, and a briefing on clean energy policies.  You can view the recorded webinar here.

Can’t join us in Raleigh? Join us virtually! Starting on the evening of March 24th, congregations from across the state will be logging on and participating by sending emails to NC General Assembly members!

Click this link for more information or to register for Advocacy Day in Raleigh.

 

Triangle Interfaith Alliance Public Statement

By chris

The history of humanity is stained by cycles of violence against other groups who differed from the prevailing cultural presence due to religion, complexion, sexual orientation, nationality, or political beliefs. […]

Triangle Interfaith Alliance Public Statement

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Screen Shot 2015-02-11 at 11.01.45 AMThe history of humanity is stained by cycles of violence against other groups who differed from the prevailing cultural presence due to religion, complexion, sexual orientation, nationality, or political beliefs. As a “nation of nations” our experience in the United States teaches us that wars among nations are frequently fueled by propaganda portraying the “enemy” as “less than” or “other” because of these differences. Over time, however, prejudice and hatred dissipates, for fear melts when warmed by familiarity and friendship. We look back and wonder how we could have ever acted in such a way, knowing what we know now. As renowned poet, educator and human rights advocate, Maya Angelou once stated, “now that we know better, we can do better.”

Recent events in the Triangle area have again brought us face to face with our underlying fears and unnamed prejudices. Once again, we have an opportunity to better understand the instruction we receive from The Qur’an: “How we respond as a community is up to us. Let us repel evil with something lovelier.” The Triangle Interfaith Alliance is dedicated to promoting harmony, trust and understanding among all faiths, races, groups and people. We are deeply saddened by the recent attacks on Islam and the Muslim community at Duke and Wake Forest Universities.

Duke University, in a demonstration of their support for students and families of all faith traditions on campus, planned to allow the weekly Muslim call to prayer broadcast to take place from the bell tower of Duke University Chapel. This was a very bold move on the part of Duke and we applaud the University for it. Facing the possible loss of financial support for the University and out of concern for the safety of the students due to possible threats of violence, Duke chose to withdraw the plan for the Bell Tower’s use.

In another recent example, the Imam of Wake Forest University suffered threats from an intolerant, fearful and prejudiced donor to the university, who launched an unremitting,

hate-filled campaign for the University to dismiss the Imam. To their credit, Wake Forest University has not given in to these threats and is supporting Imam Griggs.

We join with many people of different faith streams and backgrounds who have condemned these attacks and stand in solidarity with Muslim community members. We know that violence based on fear and prejudice has no place in the human landscape and are living proof that we can learn from our differences, celebrate our uniquenesses, and honor the Divine Presence which is the common thread we all share.

Sincerely,

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Lana Dial, Board President Triangle Interfaith Alliance

 

Download a PDF Copy

Preaching what we practice: Creation Care and Interfaith Climate Action in Charlotte, NC

By chris

Environmentalists and evangelists have more in common than one would think. Caring for our children and neighbors; expressing gratitude and appreciation for the blessings we have been given; ensuring that […]

Preaching what we practice: Creation Care and Interfaith Climate Action in Charlotte, NC

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Environmentalists and evangelists have more in common than one would think. Caring for our children and neighbors; expressing gratitude and appreciation for the blessings we have been given; ensuring that we are good stewards of the world–these are values that are held by people of faith and also environmental activists! How is it then that these groups so often find themselves at odds?

For too long, the discussion around the environment and climate has been hijacked by politicians and special-interest groups. Instead of conflict, what if we were able to create synergy by taking climate change and environmental degradation to the community level and giving these issues a moral and ethical grounding? How much more impact could we have by partnering with the strength, commitment, and energy of people of faith?

Charlotte, NC seems like the perfect place to start bridging the gap between faith and climate action. Lush and green, with clean streets, Charlotte is a beautiful city and is known for being a great place to raise a family. Charlotte has a well-deserved reputation for being a city where faith groups flourish. According to Gallup, 50% of Charlotte’s residents belong to a religious congregation, 8th highest in the US, and according to American Bible Society, Charlotte is the 7th most “Bible-minded” American city. Charlotte also has a culturally and ethnically diverse population with strong representations from Jewish, Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain and other faiths from around the world.

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However, behind the appearance of green neighborhoods and churches covered by a canopy of trees, Charlotte faces some serious environmental issues. Charlotte received a score of “F” in Ozone in the 2014 air quality study conducted by American Lung Association. About 22,000 kids and 56,000 adults are already asthmatic. Asthma and other air related diseases are among the top reasons for children missing school.

Our water supply is also under threat from polluters, especially coal-burning power plants. Our major source of drinking water, Catawba-Wateree River, is surrounded by, as designated by EPA, 10% of all “High Hazard” coal ash ponds in the US. Ranked 5th most endangered river in the US by EPA, ours has been at the forefront of the national dialog on coal ash. Potential catastrophic release, daily untreated discharges, and continuous seepage into groundwater are of huge concern.

Furthermore, we are already seeing effects of climate change across NC and as a low-lying coastal state, NC is vulnerable to fluctuations in sea-level rise.

It is time that Charlotte’s faith community took on climate change and creation care. With this in mind, we have launched a new initiative in Charlotte called the Interfaith Climate Action Coalition. In November 2014 we hosted our first public forum. Panelists and community members from Hindu, Islamic, Baptist, and Unitarian faiths gathered to discuss the moral imperative to act on climate.

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This event was just the beginning of bridging the gap between faith and climate. In the coming months, we are looking forward to making concrete strides towards congregation-wide climate action and creation care. This is important to me because I grew up in New Delhi, India, a very faith-based community which also happens to be the world’s most polluted city and my family and friends suffer the consequences of living there every day. I now call Charlotte, NC my home and I am driven to leave a legacy of a clean and a beautiful city for our future generations. As an individual of Islamic faith, I see this as my call to fulfill my religious duties to care for God’s creations.

We hope to create a rallying cry of faith communities supporting renewable energy solutions that echoes from Charlotte, NC across the whole state and beyond!

Screen Shot 2015-02-10 at 3.24.22 PMWritten by Ahmer Inam – an economist, mathematician, and amateur photographer (photos in this blog are his!)

Charlotte’s Interfaith Climate Action Coalition
is a Regional Partner of NC Interfaith Power & Light.

PreachIn Map Test

By chris

North Carolina leads the nation in the number of congregations involved in the PreachIn which happens every spring. Click here to participate! [wpgeo_mashup post_type=”faith-community” engagement=”preachin”]

PreachIn Map Test

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North Carolina leads the nation in the number of congregations involved in the PreachIn which happens every spring. Click here to participate!

[wpgeo_mashup post_type=”faith-community” engagement=”preachin”]

Hurricane Resilience: America Acts on Climate Part 2

By chris

The 2014 Hurricane Season launched with North Carolina’s coast as a direct target. We made it through ‘Arthur’ but have a whole alphabet of potential storms which to prepare for this […]

Hurricane Resilience: America Acts on Climate Part 2

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The 2014 Hurricane Season launched with North Carolina’s coast as a direct target. We made it through ‘Arthur’ but have a whole alphabet of potential storms which to prepare for this summer. “Hurricane Resilience: America Acts on Climate” is a series of three educational events will take place at the Historic Train Depot in Morehead City, NC.  The first meeting in July was very well attended and participants left feeling that important connections had been made and the conversation well-begun.