Click here to take the 15-minute 2009 Annual Emissions Survey
Welcome to CIPL’s 4th Annual Emissions Survey! Your participation is crucial as we tally the amount of energy saved by our CIPL members throughout 2009. Our congregations are saving more energy with every passing year. In 2008, CIPL member congregations prevented over 25 million tons of carbon dioxide and equivalent greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. We anticipate further reductions in 2009. Why is this important? The data gathered will go into our 2009 Annual Report – a practical tool that we show to legislators and the general public, proving the commitment and action of the faith community. In fact, we will have our 2009 Annual Emissions Report ready to show our legislators on Capitol Hill at the Interfaith Power & Light Lobby Day in May, 2010.
You may want to have a person trained in Facilities to answer the questions about the buildings your congregation uses, while the head of your Green Team or Justice and Peace ministry will know the most about Education and Public Policy issues.
If there are any questions, just call Allis at (310) 752-3436. Thank you again for taking action to address climate change.
Read here for a summary of our 2008 Annual Emissions Survey, in which our member congregations prevented at least 25 million pounds of CO2/equivalent from entering the atmosphere!
Celebrating Success, Acting for the Future
(For full pdf report, click here.)
Many Faiths, One Cause: California Interfaith Power and Light represents many faiths, but we have all come together as one to take care of our world. And we have made an impact, not only in our own congregations, but in our communities, our state, and our region. Global warming represents an urgent call to action that people of faith are answering. Our members’ achievements show the impact we can have by being better stewards of Creation, and we’ll keep working to get more congregations involved. We celebrate our member congregations successes and will re-double our efforts in acting for the future!
One: Summary of Results
71 congregations responded to our 2008 survey. As a result of their cumulative actions, 25,023,158 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions were prevented from entering the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of:
• Annual greenhouse gas emisions from 2,079 passenger vehicles
• CO2 emissions from 26,397 barrels of oil consumed
• CO2 emissions from the electricity use of 1,574 homes for one year
And this is only from 71 respondents! CIPL works with 500 congregations in California, so this number is much higher. We look forward to starting our 2009 survey in early 2010 and having many more congregations participate. Keep tuned!
Did You Know? The average amount of energy used in just one of our California congregations would power an average of four faith communities in the developing world. To measure your congregation’s carbon footprint and to see how “cool” you are, visit: www.coolcongregations.org
Two: Energy Efficiency
CIPL energy efficiency measures saved 14,547,153 kilowatt hours in 2008 and over $2 million was saved on energy costs.
• A CFL uses only 25% of the energy of the common incandescent bulb.
• LEDs, often found in everyday items like exit signs, use only about 12% of the energy of incandescent bulbs, so installing them can yield a huge energy savings.
Energy Efficiency – Case in Point: St. Anselm’s, Lafayette: ** St. Anselm’s in Lafayette knows energy efficiency. Because of its solar roof, 78% of the church’s electrical requirements is powered by the sun, and their electric bill went from $3,100 in 2005 to zero in the last 12 months. CFL lighting with programmable thermostats and motion-activated lights were
also installed so that spaces are heated/cooled/lighted only when occupied and necessary.
Action Item: If you haven’t done so already, change out your old bulbs. It’s quick and easy. See the lighting section of www.shopipl.org for choices and discounts. It also has a myriad of energy-efficient items and appliances for your facility.
Three: Renewable Energy
In 2008, more member congregations put solar panels on their houses of worship and an increasing number is looking into the possibility. Northern and Southern California Outreach Directors Jennifer Toth and Allis Druffel are keeping pace by offering solar financing and information workshops. We also have a Solar Financing Guide that is being updated with latest information. Give us a call if you are interested in solar – we’re always happy to help!
Renewable Energy Case in Point: Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley:** After many years of discussing the possibility of installing solar panels, the UUCB made it a reality in November 2008. Its 37kw solar system results in an average savings of $1,500/month in energy costs. The price of the solar system, which was purchased through a combination of individual congregant contributions and the sale of stock from the church endowment, will be paid off in 14 years from the energy savings. This is good news for the church and the investors, but better news for the atmosphere with the reduction in greenhouse gases. In addition, through a persistent campaign of changing out incandescent lights to CFLs, T-8s, and LEDs, the UUCB and the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists have saved an estimated $90,000 in energy use since the mid-1980s.
Four: Water Conservation and Other Cool Ideas
Did You Know? WATER = ENERGY
An estimated 20% of California’s energy usage goes just into moving water around the state. So saving water also saves energy and reduces greenhouse gases.
As we all know, it’s heating up in the American Southwest. In Southern California in particular, Bill Patzert, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory climatologist and oceanograper states, “Summers as we now know them are likely to begin in May and continue into the fall. What we call ‘scorcher’ days today will be normal tomorrow. Our snow pack will be less, our fire seasons will be longer, and unhealthy air alerts will be a summer staple.” Patzert points to global warming due to increased greenhouse gases, and to a phenomenon called “urban heat island effect.”
Our member congregations have been responding to the heat. Instead of getting out of the kitchen, they are taking strong measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
Water Conservation Case in Point: Temple Beth El, Berkeley: ** Recognizing the inevitable link between increased heat and decreased water supply, some congregations, like Temple Beth El in Berkeley, are installing drought tolerant landscaping. This is just one of the features of their new eco-friendly building, which also includes a geothermal heating and cooling system.
Five: Education and Advocacy
CIPL member congregations recognize that every action taken –whether it is the installation of solar panels or changing to CFL lights – adds up in reducing their carbon footprint. Moreover, communities of faith aim not just for external action but for the transformation of hearts and minds to a conscience of respecting
all that is around us. And, in this respect our congregations are truly stars. Consider:
• 75% of survey respondents gave sermons on
environmental issues
• 66% offered educational programs with topics such as
simple living and the reduction of carbon footprints
• 33% sent letters to legislators and/or did other
types of advocacy on energy issues
Did You Know? 53 out of 71 congregations surveyed for 2008 delivered
at least one sermon on global warming. Sermons are one of the most effective tools of education and action –encourage those who give sermons at your congregation to keep it up!
Education and Advocacy: Examples Abound!** Through their ECOS (Ecology Cosmology and Spirituality) program, Unity in Marin offered programs called “A Sense of Place” in which reverence for all living things is. Their many-faceted ministry includes nature walks and support for organic gardening and Fair Trade products. The TREE (Trinity Respecting Earth and Environment) ministry at Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento, holds classes, shows movies,
holds alternative Christmas fairs and Earth Day fairs, and highlights “eco-tips” in
their weekly bulletins. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Riverside has a long and varied career in outreach to its own congregants and to the broader community through movies, sermons and courses such as the Low Carbon Diet. The UUCR has representation on the Environmental Council of the the City of Riverside, which has been designated an “Emerald City” for its leadership in
sustainability.
California Interfaith Power and Light celebrates the measures undertaken by these congregations and by ALL our member congregations that are working to reduce energy consumption and restore Creation! For the full report, click here.
