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Join NCIPL in Striking for the Climate

By chris

On September 20, three days before the UN Climate Summit in NYC, NC Interfaith Power and Light is joining young climate leaders and adult allies striking all across the US […]

Join NCIPL in Striking for the Climate

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On September 20, three days before the UN Climate Summit in NYC, NC Interfaith Power and Light is joining young climate leaders and adult allies striking all across the US and world to demand transformative action addressing the climate crisis. Below is a compilation of resources for students, parents, and faith communities.

“FOR THE LOVE OF…” VIDEOS

NCIPL’s Youth Leaders Initiative has put together a short video sharing our “For the love of…” reasons for striking on Sep 20! We invite you to share your own video and tag us! Don’t forget to use hashtags to include everyone in the conversation! This is what youth climate leaders of faith look like:

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON FACEBOOK

#ForTheLoveOf #ClimateStrike #FaithsForTheFuture  #FaithsForFuture #StrikeWithUs
#GlobalClimateStrike #ActOnClimate #NCIPL

FIND AND/OR ORGANIZE A STRIKE NEAR YOU
strikewithus.org

Make sure to click on the title and register for your event if a link is provided.
To receive updates in preparation for the Raleigh, NC event: Register Here

SIGN THIS LETTER & LET YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS KNOW YOU SUPPORT THE STRIKES
strikewithus.org/faith

PROMOTE THE STRIKE

Click here to access the social media “For the love of” promotional graphics

Click here to access the Faith Climate Strike Resources

Click here to access the US Climate Strike Social Media Toolkit

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE BULLETIN INSERT FOR THIS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Printable Bulletin Insert for Climate Strike

To print half sheets:

  1. Click the download arrow.
  2. Beside format, select “All Types”
  3. Click on the download pop-up at the bottom left of the screen
  4. Click File > Print
  5. In the print pop-up, beside “copies per page”, select 2

RESOURCES FOR STUDENT AND ALLY ORGANIZING
Click the link to access step by step guides for students and adults and ways to get started!
globalclimatestrike.net/resources/

FAITH LEADERS ORGANIZING TOOLKIT
A user-friendly check list and resources that any faith leader can use to organize their faith community.
Click here to access the toolkit

PLEDGE TO CALL YOUR SENATOR/REPRESENTATIVE ON SEPTEMBER 20

Senator Tillis: (202) 224 – 6342
Senator Burr: (202) 224 – 3154
Look up your congress members and state representatives here: www.ncleg.gov/RnR/Representation

Consider using this script as a guideline for your conversation:

Hello. My name is _________ and I live in __________, North Carolina. Today, millions of youth and their allies are striking to demand bold legislative action on climate change. I want  _________ to know that I support our youth and join them in calling for climate action. This summer, there were 3,611 emergency department visits due to heat-related illnesses in North Carolina. Just this month, Hurricane Dorian ravaged Ocracoke Island.  Both of these events were greatly intensified by climate change. As a person of faith, I know that climate change is a moral issue impacting people and places in my community. I ask that  _________ courageously and immediately join the bi-partisan climate conversation. There is no time to waste. Thank you.

This is a moral movement that demands action from people of faith and conscience.

We all have a voice. How will you use yours?

 

NC Interfaith Power and Light is co-hosting the event in Raleigh, NC at Halifax Mall from 12:30-2:30pm.

If you have any questions or comments about any of the above resources or how to get involved, feel free to email our Program Coordinator, Sarah Ogletree, at programs@ncipl.org. If you are or know a youth climate leader of faith who would be interested in joining our network, email out Youth Leader Coordinator, Michelle Peedin, at michelle@ncipl.org.

2014 National Preach-In on Climate Change

By chris

Download your free kit for the 2014 National Preach-In on Climate Change over Valentine’s weekend. From the comfort of your own congregation, you can join in spirit with thousands of religious leaders from […]

2014 National Preach-In on Climate Change

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PreachIn_Heart

Download your free kit for the 2014 National Preach-In on Climate Change over Valentine’s weekend. From the comfort of your own congregation, you can join in spirit with thousands of religious leaders from across the country in preaching and teaching about climate change and love of Creation.

Each Preach-In Kit includes activity ideas, printable postcards to senators, bulletin inserts, a global warming fact sheet, and other helpful resources. You can also order a print version of this kit, which comes with 50 postcards, 50 bulletin inserts, and the exclusive Chasing Ice access code to view online during the Preach-In.

 Help spread the word! 

www.preachin.org

In the face of economic crisis, how to make the world a better place

By chris

Start with what you love. Susannah Tuttle said that to me on Saturday, and it was perfect for the moment. I loved the bluegrass festival in Raleigh and the way it lifted our spirits. I broke away from the festival in the afternoon and strode up to the state government mall for the iMatter rally. I loved that too. The iMatter Youth NC March for Our Planet was led by Hallie Turner, 11, who dates her activism on climate change to a dinnertime conversation with her parents—and a subsequent visit to the library where she read Al Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth—at age 9. [...]

In the face of economic crisis, how to make the world a better place

iMatter Youth NC March for Our Planet – Photo courtesy of Facebook

imatter-web

IndyWeek Article – Written by Bob Geary

Start with what you love. Susannah Tuttle said that to me on Saturday, and it was perfect for the moment. I loved the bluegrass festival in Raleigh and the way it lifted our spirits. I loved the crowds and everyone smiling, even the guy with the T-shirt that seemed to say “Ban Guns,” though on closer inspection, with the small print visible, it said “Ban Government, Not Guns.”

Oh well, we both loved banjo music.

I broke away from the festival in the afternoon and strode up to the state government mall for the iMatter rally. I loved that too. The iMatter Youth NC March for Our Planet was led by Hallie Turner, 11, who dates her activism on climate change to a dinnertime conversation with her parents—and a subsequent visit to the library where she read Al Gore’s book An Inconvenient Truth—at age 9. Hallie’s on the leadership council of Kids vs. Global Warming, a campaign that started in Canada. Its purpose, she said: “Get the message out there that we have to take action now and not wait for our leaders to act.”

Ride a bicycle, Hallie said. Plant a tree. Live as if the future matters—”because if everybody starts making these small changes, it’s going to build up and build up, and that’s what the movement is about.”

If you fear for the Earth’s chances against a global economy running on fossil fuels, invite Hallie Turner to speak to your group. You’ll have new hope.

About 100,000 people were in downtown Raleigh, and only 100 of them participated in the march, but what they lacked in numbers they made up for in enthusiasm. After a brisk walk around the State Capitol, they spread out on the mall, young and old, and frolicked on the lawn to the beat of drums and music under a clear blue sky. What could be better?

That’s when Tuttle, who runs the Interfaith Power & Light program for the N.C. Council of Churches, talked about her efforts to forge ties between environmentally conscious faith leaders and the conservative Republicans legislators.

Read the complete article in www.IndyWeek.com

Congregations and Coal: Faith & the Riverbend Coal Plant

By chris

Facing the coal plant, smoke stacks and power lines looming over the sign of this church, I thought of the position of communities of faith as they face the energy realities of the future.

Congregations and Coal: Faith & the Riverbend Coal Plant

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Standing on the lawn of a small church facing Duke Energy’s recently decommissioned Riverbend Coal Power Plant, I reveled in the irony of an intern for North Carolina Interfaith Power and Light finding such a perfect image portrayal to remind me of the side-by-side presence of faith communities and big business in our state.

Jesus and Power PlantI travelled to the power plant just outside of Charlotte to attend a press conference for the release of “Closing the Floodgates: How the Coal Industry is Poisoning our Water and How we can Stop it”. This extensive report, written as a collaboration between the Sierra Club, Waterkeeper Alliance, Clean Water Action, the Beyond Coal campaign, the Environmental Integrity Project, and EarthJustice, reviewed hundreds of discharge permits for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The conclusions and findings of the study were striking, and reinforce the importance of committing to clean, renewable energy for the sake of the planet.

The two most shocking findings, to me, were that close to 70% of the plants monitored are allowed to dump unlimited amounts of arsenic, boron, cadmium, mercury and selenium into public waterways, and that nearly half of the plants studied are operating on an expired permit. The pollutants listed are highly poisonous for human health and aquatic ecosystems.

The report names coal-fired power plants as the number one point source for water pollution in the country and urges the EPA to select its most stringent option for new standards to be applied to the coal industry. Find the EPA’s five options in the “Closing the Floodgates” report, or this one-page summary on proposed legislation from the EPA itself.

RFKjrNC faith voices must come together to reject coal power plants and continued fossil fuel dependence. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who spoke at the press conference as the president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, reminded us that some of the worst offenders of water pollution are right here in NC. Both the Asheville plant and Riverbend plant are the subject of litigation brought by NC DENR in the past few months.

Facing the coal plant, smoke stacks and power lines looming over the sign of this church, I thought of the position of communities of faith as they face the energy realities of the future. The beauty of faithful commitment to climate work and care for creation, lies in the communities and social movements it fosters. United in interfaith Creation Care work, we stand against climate destroying energy production and for renewable, sustainable energy and lifestyle practices. Reports like “Closing the Floodgates” are a perfect opportunity for the faith community to join with advocacy and activist groups working for the same goals. Let us come together. Let us honor our faithful commitment while honoring the efforts and work of others, recognizing that our efforts are part and parcel with one another.

— Joey Shea, NCIPL Intern

Keep on the lookout for action alerts from NCIPL on writing a public comment for DENR on their settlement with Duke that is unsatisfactory and props up the coal industry in NC.