If you can't stand the thought of doing yet another car wash or bake-sale, try selling compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)
and water conservation tools this year! Bright Ideas fundraising
makes it easy for you to sell energy efficient products, which allow
your youth group, mission team, or choir to raise money while
protecting God's creation.

Bright Ideas works in conjunction with Texas Interfaith Power and
Light (TXIPL) and ShopIPL.org, the online store of the
Interfaith Power and Light movement. They provide high-quality energy
efficient products at affordable prices for faith communities and their
members.

Bee Moorhead recently wrote a guest column for the Waco Triubne-Herald
about steps that faith communities in Texas are taking to respond to
global warming. She highlights the outstanding work of several Texas
Impact and Texas Interfaith Power and Light member congregations. To
read the full article, click here.

When Friends Meeting of Austin purchased the house of worship formerly occupied by St. James Episcopal Church in East Austin, they saw an opportunity to go green in a big way. For the sixty-year old congregation, becoming more energy efficient and environmentally conscious was simply an act of faith.

Since they moved to their new building in 2007, Friends Meeting of Austin (FMA) has taken numerous steps to ensure that they are a more energy efficient congregation. Most prominent is the 20 kilowatt solar system that was installed on the congregation's three buildings. FMA got help from the City of Austin's rebate program to cover the cost of installation, and believe that the solar panels will pay for themselves in less than 20 years. The Friends Meeting of Austin agrees that this step was a great investment and important step in becoming greener.

Join the
Gulf Coast Cool Cities Campaign!

Team Formation Meetings in Greater Houston Area

During a speech yesterday in Washington that commemorated the 20 years since his declaration to the Senate that global warming had already begun, Jim Hansen, Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, spoke out about cutting the level of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. Hansen argued that in order to stabilize the world's climate, the US must cut carbon dioxide emissions to 350 parts per million. This is 30 percent lower than a Senate bill that calls for a cap at 450 ppm, and lower than our current output of 385 ppm.

"I have greater than 99% confidence—99.9% confidence—that the dangerous level is no higher than 350 ppm, and that means we've already passed it," Hansen said.

What’s the big deal about faith and the environment?

The news these days is full of “congregations caring for God’s creation.” But with all the other issues facing our world, is the environment really a top priority? How does environmental concern flow from a religious life? Do faith communities have a role to play in environmental policy? How can we maintain hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable environmental problems?

Let’s talk about it over lunch!

Come to the 7th Annual Peace with Justice Luncheon of the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church for a conversation with Bee Moorhead, Executive Director of Texas Impact and Texas Interfaith Power & Light. Joining Bee will be former Texas Public Utility Commissioner Karl Rábago.

12 noon – 2pm
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
THE LOFT, THE WOODLANDS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
2200 LAKE WOODLANDS DRIVE,
THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS

This year marks the first year that Texans can save money through a sales tax holiday aimed at saving energy. The Texas Legislature established Texas' Energy Star sales tax holiday in 2007 as part of HB3693, a comprehensive energy efficiency bill which Texas religious communities helped to support. Texas is the fourth state to adopt an energy efficiency sales tax holiday.

The products qualifying for the exemption are:

On April 24-25, solar industry leaders and policymakers from around the nation and beyond met at the Texas Capitol to chart a course for Texas' solar future. The event, sponsored by a number of organizations including Texas Interfaith Power & Light, drew more than 400 attendees. Keynote speakers included former Texas Public Utility Commissioner Pat Wood, who is widely credited with spearheading the development of the Texas wind industry through Texas' unique renewable portfolio standard, and Alexander Karsner, Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Without exception, speakers at the event stressed the urgency of climate change and escalating prices for conventional power, and the need for Texas to move quickly to deploy significant solar projects at both the utility and consumer scales. "The technology, the economics, the opportunity are all on our side," said Karsner, "and time is not."

Download Andy Karsner's Address (mp3)

Watch a Three-Minute Video on Texas' Solar Potential!

Worried about the trace amounts of mercury in compact fluorescent light bulbs? The bulbs save energy and help the environment. It's unllikely yours will break--but if you do accidentally end up with a broken bulb, there are a few simple steps to cleaning it up properly.  

Watch KVUE's feature on how to clean up a broken CFL

What to do if a CFL breaks:

--Open a window, turn off the air conditioning and leave the room for at least 15 minutes.

--Scoop up the glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or
cardboard and place them in a glass jar with a metal lid or a sealed
plastic bag.

--Use sticky tape to pick up any remaining fragments or powder.