This year’s Energy Oscars was a huge success!
Thanks to all those who sponsored the event, attended and celebrated with us.
Read about the finalists and winners and see photos here.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
5:30 pm Reception
7:00 pm Awards Ceremony
Music by
The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir
Master of Ceremonies Alexander Zwissler, CEO and Executive Director of
Chabot Space and Science Center
Sustainable fare from
Greens Restaurant
Grace Cathedral
1100 California Street, San Francisco
Directions and Public Transportation Info
$20 suggested donation
FINALISTS
Education
St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, San Francisco
St. Paul’s Cathedral, San Diego
Unitarian Universalist Church, Fresno
Advocacy
Holy Family Catholic Parish, San Jose
Metropolitan Community Church in the Valley, North Hollywood
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Aptos
Green Building
First Presbyterian Church, San Bernadino
First Unitarian Universalist Society, San Francisco
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hermosa Beach
Temple Sinai, Oakland
Energy Efficiency
First Lutheran Church, San Diego
Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, Muir Beach
Temple Judea, Tarzana
Trinity Church, Menlo Park
Sponsors of this year’s Energy Oscars:
Terawatt ($1000 and above)
New Resource Bank • Pacific Gas and Electric Company • San Francisco Zen Center
Gigawatt ($500)
Luminalt Solar Energy Solutions • Next Generation • Tom & JaMel Perkins
Megawatt ($250)
Rev. Earl Koteen, Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry • St. Ignatius Parish, San Francisco
Rabbi Marvin Goodman, Northern California Board of Rabbis • The Beatitudes Society
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Oakland • SunPower • St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Orinda
Environmental Defense Fund • Bank of the West
Kilowatt ($100)
Lutheran Office of Public Policy • Progressive Christians Uniting • Union of Concerned Scientists
Catholic Charities Stockton • Metropolitan Community Church in the Valley, North Hollywood
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Walnut Creek • St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley
St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Foster City • Niles Congregational Church, Fremont
The Vote Solar Initiative • Energy Upgrade California
Check out the great time we had in 2010!
The 4th Annual CIPL Energy Oscars, held on November 9th at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, was an especially exciting night, as we also celebrated the 10th anniversary of California Interfaith Power & Light. On that night we gathered to honor some of the most outstanding congregations that have led the fight against climate change. Ed Begley, Jr., did a fabulous job as M.C., sharing the personal story of his efforts to live more sustainably, and presenting beautiful trophies to the winners. We think you’ll be inspired to read about the accomplishments of the winners and finalists.
Pastor Elizabeth Griswold, Phyllis and Sean Larkin and Ed Begley Jr. - Irvine United Congregational Church
Youth Leadership Award
Youth Leadership was a new award introduced this year, and was presented to Irvine United Congregational Church. IUCC Youth have been active in the field of environmental education and action, oftentimes influencing the adults in their congregation to become active as well. In addition to walking to church and switching to non-disposable items in the Sunday School, the children, guided by Associate Pastor Elizabeth Griswold, built and tend an organic garden. In summer, the children engaged in a summer-long “ABC’s of Living Green: Caring for God’s Creation” in which each letter of the alphabet highlighted an item having to do with nature. For Earth Day they created a brochure educating parishioners about environmental issues. The congregation itself also started an initiative for high-school-age members to become climate ambassadors in their local high schools.
Clergy Leadership Award
Rev. David Ota - St. Ambrose Episcopal Church Foster City
Winner: The Rev. David Ota of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Foster City. Very often the motivation for a congregation to “go green” comes from the laity, but in some extraordinary circumstance the motivation comes from the clergy in charge. CIPL introduced this new award this year in hopes that more clergy will take the risk of introducing energy efficiency and conservation as a matter of faith. Getting to the installation of solar on the roof is the ultimate goal, which was accomplished by Rev. Ota and his hard-working team of lay leaders.
The Education and Advocacy Award
This award honors congregations that have worked to transform individuals and communities into informed and active leaders for a safer, cleaner and healthier planet for future generations.
Rev. Wallace Shepherd, Ed Begley Jr. and Onja Brown-Lawson - Second Baptist Church Santa Barbara wins Energy Oscar
Winner: Second Baptist Church of Santa Barbara. When Pastor Wallace Shepherd took part in a “Justice Delegation” to Washington, DC in 2008 with colleagues from the Santa Barbara area, he expected to work on general justice issues; instead, after hearing about environmental issues, he returned – transformed. Knowing that the most significant thing he could do for his members would be to lead by example, Second Baptist joined EcoFaith, a Santa Barbara-based organization devoted to Creation Stewardship. Next, Second Baptist had an energy audit on the building, energy-efficient lighting was installed, along with energy-efficient office equipment, resulting in a 50% reduction in utility bills.
As a result of facility changes, an educational initiative was launched for the members, including an Energy Day; distribution of compact fluorescent bulbs; ride-sharing to church; and a series of classes focused on sustainability issues such as food, water and energy use. But Second Baptist efforts aren’t stopping at the church door. Current and future members are encouraged to sign a pledge to undertake efficiency measures in their homes. Right now, Second Baptist is in the process of getting a permit to build a six-unit senior housing complex, which will employ solar energy.
In speaking about the significance of Second Baptist’s efforts and being recognized by CIPL, Pastor Wallace Shepherd said, “God has woken us up to a higher understanding of what it means to be a good steward. This award is just one of many small steps that we must take in order to create a more spiritual and healthy environment. However, most importantly, this will help motivate those in the future to be more mindful of our creator and our purpose to take care of this garden of Eden for generations to come.”
Martha Gonzalez, Ed Begley Jr. and Araceli Alvarez - Mary Immaculate Pacoima
Finalist: Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Pacoima. Under the guidance of former Pastor John Lasseigne and now, Pastor Bill Antone, Mary Immaculate is recognized within the CIPLand Catholic community as a parish devoted to Creation Stewardship. Their activities include Lenten homilies on air, water, food and climate change; distribution of Spanish/English prayer cards with environmental messages; the showing of short videos during Mass on climate change; and an “Ecology Corner” in weekly bulletins.
Further educational initiatives include highlighting the waste and destructive potential of plastic water bottles and other environmental issues in their weekly Town Hall meetings. In fact, Mary Immaculate has banned the use of all water bottles on their campus — and designed and distributed their own stainless steel water bottles. In October 2010, Mary Immaculate was one of five host sites to launch the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocesan Creation Sustainability Ministry and strongly supported the U.S. Catholic Bishops St. Francis Pledge. By way of energy efficiency, the church has undergone a thorough Energy Audit and is in the process of performing energy efficient retrofits throughout its facilities.
Araceli Alvarez, a member of the Social Justice Team, nicely made the analogy of the Earth as a living organism and the faith community’s duty to be loving stewards: “The Earth is our home, providing us with the elements that our body needs to survive, and we must take care of our Earth if we want to live. Mary Immaculate Church encourages all people of faith to unite with their faith community and work towards maintaining the beauty and balance of our planet.”
John Tucker, Deacon Scott Johnson, Ed Begley Jr. and Gail Gulick-Tucker - Presentation Catholic Stockton
Finalist: Presentation Catholic Church in Stockton. In January, it conducted a workshop that included local environmental justice groups, local legislators, and Catholic leaders, such as Bishop Blaire, aimed at bringing attention to climate change and its affects on local agriculture and disadvantaged communities near Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
Air pollution is an important issue in the valley. The U.S. EPA downgraded the Valley’s air quality rating from “serious” to “extreme” in 2004, the worst rating possible. In 2010, the U.S. EPA continues to classify the San Joaquin Valley as “extreme non-attainment for ozone and smog,” causing thousands of premature deaths, hospitalizations, and lost workdays every year. Other environmental action includes celebrating Environmental Justice Day on the last Sunday in October; distributing 2,000 compact fluorescent lights, and holding an electronics recycling event for parishioners and the surrounding community. Presentation Church was featured in the April 2010 edition of U.S. Catholic as an exemplary congregation in the field of Creation stewardship. This is a great example of a congregation taking the lead and working with the broader community to build awareness of environmental challenges as well as solutions.
On being a finalist for the Education Oscar, Deacon Scott Johnson stated, “ We see this honor as an affirmation of our efforts to educate our parishioners and our community about our baptismal call to steward God’s Creation.”
Ed Begley Jr. with Nancy Busacca and Alyssa Bellew - UU Neighborhood Church Pasadena
Winner: Unitarian Universalist Neighborhood Church in Pasadena, which has engaged in a multitude of conservation measures in an effort to live out the mandate of the 7th principle of their religious teachings, which calls for respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part. Neighborhood Church has carried out this mandate, performing a variety of efficiency measures including replacing interior and exterior lights with CFLs and daylight-harvesting fluorescent light ballasts.
Neighborhood Church knows that water conservation goes hand in hand with energy conservation – in fact pumping water around the state is the largest single consumer of energy. They installed a new landscape irrigation system, low-flow toilets in all restrooms, and a rain garden water catchments. These efforts earned the church an award for Meritorious Achievement in Water Conservation from the Metropolitan Water District. Other changes include purchasing only recycled paper; hosting an annual eco-fair; supporting a local food co-op; using green cleaning products and paper goods; designing and selling hemp tote bags; and replacing plastic and paper cups with compostable items.
Neighborhood Church Administrator, Alyssa Bellew, confirmed her congregation’s underlying principle for reducing carbon emissions: “As one of our 7 guiding principles, Neighbhorhood Unitarian Universalist Church affirms and promotes respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Caring for the planet and reducing our carbon footprint is an important part of who we are as a spiritual community. On behalf of all of us, thank you to Interfaith Power and Light for your resources, guidance, and recognition.”
Vicky Ryan of Holy Family Parish Pasadena with Ed Begley Jr.
Finalist: Holy Family Catholic Church in South Pasadena. Holy Family’s relationship with CIPL began in 2003 when staff attended a CIPL Sustainability Workshop. Holy Family quickly became an active member congregation, hosting an Environmental Stewardship workshop; starting a Fair Trade Ministry in 2004; highlighting an “Eco-Tip of the Week” in the bulletins; and introducing an Environmental Ministry in 2009. Two of five of the Holy Family buildings underwent an energy-efficient lighting retrofit with R20 Dimmables, 15-watt Spiral, 14-watt A-19s, G25s and any other type of efficient lighting imaginable. This has resulted in a 30% reduction in electrical lighting costs.
Holy Family School has gotten into the act as well, with the creation of a Green Team, which includes waste reduction including composting and using compostable items for its weekly Hot Lunch program. Holy Family Church was one of five host sites to launch the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese’s Creation Sustainability Ministry.
Cambria Smith, Holy Family’s Pastoral Life Director, explained her congregation’s efforts in this area. “Holy Family is responding to the call of the church to become better stewards of God’s creation and by caring for the environment. This also means caring for the poor, for it is the poor who tend to be most heavily impacted by the effects of pollution and climate change. Holy Family is honored that they have been selected as one of the finalists for an Energy Oscar. This highlights our continued goal of educating our parish on the teachings of the church regarding environmental issues.”
Helen Holt of First Congregational Church accepts her certificate from Ed Begley, Jr.
Finalist: First Congregational Church in Stockton. In March 2010, First Congregational did something unusual. It purchased a former restaurant building and converted it into a church. The dining area is the sanctuary; the bar is the social hall; and the deck, which is on the waterfront, is used for fellowship activities. The church has undertaken a variety of energy-efficient measures including new fixtures, bulbs and motion timers; 2 new H-VAC systems; and numerous energy-efficient air conditioners and heaters; and energy-efficient appliances for the kitchen and restrooms. In fact, because of their effective cooling practices, on the day in which the new church was dedicated, despite being 95 degrees outside, the Social Hall was very comfortable. First Congregational has also been cognizant of water conservation, planting drought-resistant plants and installing a drip irrigation system on a timer. This is a great example of creative reuse.
Rev. Jeff Hopson expressed his enthusiasm at the church’s efforts. “We’re glad to help in stewardship of God’s light to the earth; we pray for more grace to shine among all!”
Green Building Award
Green Building, or sustainable building, is an outcome of a design philosophy that focuses on increasing the efficiency of resource use — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building’s lifecycle, through better siting, design, construction, operation and maintenance. This year there were four outstanding finalists, with congregations tying for the win.
Betsy Rosenberg of Congregation Kol Shofar Tiburon with Ed Begley Jr.
Winner: Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon. Two-years ago, this congregation embarked on a process to rebuild its sanctuary. After 18 months of attending services in a high school gymnasium, the project’s completion this year was call for celebration. Much of the old building was “reused and recycled” with 75% of the existing building walls, floors and roof being LEED materials. A variety of creative lighting measures was employed including solar-powered light fixtures; day-lighting of all interior spaces and adding skylights under the existing dome. They also installed fluorescent lighting with warm-color lamps and electronic ballasts for pleasant color rendering, quiet operation and no flickering. The use of low-flow toilets assist in water conservation. A high-efficiency condensing boiler, as well as an energy-efficient HVAC system provides comfortable temperatures and excellent indoor air quality by removing pollutants and odors.
Betsy Rosenberg, who was closely involved in the eight-year process, repeated her justification for a sustainable temple to the Building Committee in the form of, “If not us, whom? If not here, where? If not now, when?”
Christ Church Portola Valley - Robb Most, Rev. Mitch Lindeman, Daniel Hill and Timi Most
Winner: Christ Church in Portola Valley. In September of this year, Christ Church celebrated the installation of its solar system with an inter-generational service and celebration. The system was paid for through a member-owned corporation, which named itself “Powered by the Son – S-O-N.” Capable of providing 20 kilowatt hours of electricity, this system is expected to produce more power than the church uses during the afternoon hours of summer – the period of peak energy usage. During those hours, Christ Church will actually be delivering clean energy into the grid, which PG&E will purchase. The system is expected to offset 100% of the Christ Church’s annual electricity bill.
But Christ Church didn’t stop at solar – they have also replaced 60% of lighting in the church, library and preschool; installed low-drip irrigation on its grounds; and replaced its ground cover with native, drought-resistant plants. Christ Church also participated successfully in Interfaith Power and Light’s 2010 10% Challenge to Save Energy.
Linda Cutts, Ed Begley Jr. and Simon Moyes - Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
Finalist: Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, which is located deep in the Santa Lucia mountain range, inland from Big Sur. Tassajara is the winter monastery, retreat center, and hot springs resort of the San Francisco Zen Center. The natural hot springs supply not only water for the baths, but all the hot water and heating for the facility, which hosts thousands of visitors a year. Being off the grid, electricity production and use has been a major focus for the past four years, as Tassajara has endeavored to shrink its carbon footprint. Initially dependent on diesel and propane generator combined with a small PV array, the monastery spent the last several years educating its community in conservation, taking measures like turning of the ice machine and investing in ultra efficient lighting. Soon, they were able to reduce consumption by 22 percent.
Then, last year, Tassajara was ready to invest in a significant expansion of the solar array. 51 panels were mounted 300 feet off the valley floor to maximize sun exposure, with only 6 footings in order to minimize the impact on the ecosystem. Because of the center’s remote location, engineers and Sun Light and Power had to carry and install 5000 pounds of steel, 340 bags of concrete, and 2000 pounds of cabling by hand up the winding mountain steps to the site. Now, with its 21 kilowatt-strong system, Tassajara is 100% fossil fuel free – and a visible inspiration for the people who live, practice, and pass through the center throughout the year.
Linda Ruth Cutts, Senior Dharma Teacher, and CIPL Steering Committee member succinctly stated, “San Francisco Zen Center is honored to be a participating congregation of CIPL and finalist for an Energy Oscar. As individuals and as a community of Buddhists, we intend that our activities in the world reflect a generous, wholehearted commitment to honoring the conscious, engaged life of inter-connectedness that is our remarkable inheritance.”
Brian Johnson, Ed Begley Jr. and Rev. Jim Friedrich - Prince of Peace Lutheran Saratoga
Finalist: Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Saratoga. Prince of Peace’s awakening to the environmental situation began back in 1993, when it adopted a yearlong emphasis on “Caring for God’s Creation.” Activities included trips to San Jose’s recyclery at Newby Island, San Francisco Bay and local state parks aimed at educating parishioners on local conservation efforts, as well as restoration projects such as tree plantings and educational projects with children.
Prince of Peace was really a pioneer in those days, and their educational programs laid the groundwork for congregational support to invest in a solar energy array this year. In August, a 21 kilowatt solar system was installed, designed to cover 95% of Prince of Peace’s current electrical expenses. Additional Green Building principles have been employed such as replacing lighting with compact fluorescents and LEDs , and installing low-flow toilets throughout the campus. Prince of Peace employs recycling and composting throughout the facility, and has redesigned its grounds to reduce water consumption.
For all of the photos from this year’s Energy Oscars click here.
Remember to nominate your congregation next summer for next year’s 5th Annual Energy Oscars – see you there!
Acknowledgements: CIPL thanks Grace Cathedral for use of the space; San Francisco Zen Center, for providing food from Green’s Restaurant in SF and Jax vineyards
The following sponsors have been generous in supporting this event:
Bank of the West
New Resource Bank
PG&E
Next Generation
Flack + Kurtz Consulting Engineers
SunPower
Sun Light & Power
Luminalt Solar
The Beatitudes Society
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Stockton
Campbell United Church of Christ
Camp Stevens
Lutheran Public Policy Office
Progressive Christians Uniting
St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Oakland
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Orinda
St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Danville
New Light Energy Design
