In this month's interfaith environmental conference call, join religious leaders from around the state for information and tips on reducing your congregation's energy consumption.  On Thursday, August 19, 2010, at 11:30 a.m. representatives from Oncor's Worship Facility Matching Grant program will join our call to provide information about ways that congregations can make a real difference.

Interfaith Conference Call on Energy-Efficiency for Congregations

Thursday, August 19, 2010, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Dial-in number: (605) 475-4900

Access Code: 910688#

In this hour-long call, there will also be time for questions and we hope, for a few of your stories... Has your congregation cut its energy consumption or started a project to reduce its carbon footprint?  If you are interested in sharing your story, or if you have questions in advance of the call that you want to make sure get addressed, please e-mail Amanda.

For more information about ways to involve your congregation in energy-efficiency programs, visit our 10% Challenge by Ten-Ten-Ten page.

So your congregation has committed to reducing its energy use and wants to make a difference in the work of caring for creation.  Wonderful!  There are so many ways that your community can make a positive impact.

This page has links and resources that we hope will be helpful in your work.  If there is something you are looking for but can't find - or if you have a great resource to share that is not listed here - please send us an e-mail.  We wish you and your community joy as you engage in this holy work!

Practical How-To's: energy-efficiency and other work projects you can do

• Energy Star for Congregations - lots of great resources here.

• State Energy Conservation Office - "Energy Efficiency: Texas' Newest Energy Resource"

• U.S. Department of Energy - page on energy efficiency and renewable energy
  

• Deep in My Heart: a Photo Collection Project, What Texans Love about Texas.

Worship and Learning: resources you can use in your congregation

• The Clergy Corner at Interfaith Power and Light.

• National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Programs' Resource Page

• The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) - resource page for rabbis and congregational professionals.

• COEJL's resource page for adult education.

• Religious statements of different religious traditions, from Green Faith.

• Eco-Themed worship resources for different religious traditions from GreenFaith

• Texas Impact's Fueling our Future

Advocating for Policy Change: information and ways to involve your congregation

• About the state agency review of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).  Click here for information.  Click here for ways to involve your faith community and take action.

• Alliance for a Clean Texas

(Photo "Solar Panels Dutch Home" by User JT used under a Creative Commons-Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.)

Become a Lone Star Steward! Download the Brochure in PDF

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Join other Texas clergy and lay leaders in this unique program that combines spiritual reflection and interfaith discussion with up-to-the-minute scientific and policy information about Texas’ energy position—where we are, where we’re heading, and what the stakes are for our health and economy.  Billy Hamilton, former Chief Deputy Comptroller of Public Accounts of Texas and author of the new economic impact study titled, "The Texas Clean Energy Economy: Where we are.  Where we're going.  What we need to succeed," will be a featured speaker at all three events.

We all use energy in our personal lives, at work and in our religious communities. Energy from natural resources helps us grow food, heal the sick, teach our children and worship. However, our use of energy often comes at a cost to God’s entire creation, and our dependence on fossil fuel-based energy threatens our economy, public health, and security.

We can do better! God has provided more kinds of energy than we can imagine through every part of the creation: the sun, the wind, plants, and even the tides themselves. Texas has been an energy leader for more than a century. Now it’s time for us to lead the U.S. and the world into a clean, secure energy future.

State policy leaders have asked for a response from faith leaders.  Please join your colleagues for an expert discussion that can help shape our energy future.

Attend one, two, or all three Lone Star Stewards events:

McKinney Roughs, Bastrop
August 30, 2010

11:00 am-4:30 pm

Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth
September 27, 2010
12:00-5:00 pm

Indian Lodge, Fort Davis
October 25-27, 2010
(space limited)
*Includes Star Party at the McDonald Observatory

To register, complete this online form or call (512) 472-3903.  For more information, e-mail amanda@texasimpact.org.

*All Lone Star Steward events are hosted in partnership by Texas Impact and The Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, who serve as the faith-based organizational leadership for the Texas Clean Energy Coalition.

September 27, Brite Divinity School 12:00-5:00

11:30-12:00 Welcome and Introductions

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-2:30 Texas Energy State of the State: Where We Are and Where We're Headed. David Wogan, Dr. Michael Slattery and Billy Hamilton.

2:30-2:45 Break

2:45-3:30 Energy and Economy: "Economic Development and Economic Hardship."  Carlton Schwab and John Hall

3:30-5:00 Religious Dialogue: "Caring for Creation, Caring for Community." Moderated by Dr. Tim Hessel-Robinson. 

August 30, McKinney Roughs 11:00-4:30

11:00-11:30 Welcome and Introductions

11:30-12:15 Energy “State of the State." Melissa Lott and Doug Lewin

12:15-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:45 Religious Dialogue: "Creation, Energy and Faith." Rabbi Rick Brody, Reverend Jeremy Rutledge, and Patrice Schexnayder

1:45-2:30 Energy and Economy: "Economic Development and Economic Hardship."  Carlton Schwab and John Hall

2:30-2:45 Break

2:45-3:30 Religious Dialogue: "Caring for Creation, Caring for Community." Jennifer Carr Allmon, Reverend Dan De Leon, and Imam Islam Mossaad

3:30-4:30 Envisioning Texas’ Clean Energy Future.  Billy Hamilton

Amanda Quraishi, member of the Austin Muslim community and a Texas Impact member, recently highlighted the Texas faith community's work on chemical policy reform in her article, "Eco-Friendly Faith," on Tikkun.org.  She writes, "As Muslims, we understand that our submission to God is intrinsically tied to the way we treat His gift of life on this planet.  A peaceful, gentle reverence for plants, animals and landscapes are part of the fabric of our religion and translate beautifully through Islam’s strong foundation of social justice and activism.  Therefore, the environmental movement is one area where Muslims can make a huge contribution to society at large, and to productive interfaith dialogue."

Amanda Robinson, Coordinator of Texas Interfaith Power and Light, is quoted in the article as saying, "The world’s great religious traditions all speak of care for the earth and its creatures. In the Abrahamic traditions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – there is a call to guardianship and care of creation. In the Eastern traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, there is a profound sense of the interconnectedness of all life on earth. Although our traditions use different terms, the message on this subject is the same – it is a unified call for humans to care for the environment."  Click here to read the full post, "Eco-Friendly Faith."

Click here to read the full text of the "Interfaith Statement for Chemical Policy Reform."

Click here to endorse the statement.

To support and connect local faith-based environmental networks and creation care teams, we are hosting regular conference calls to discuss Texas environmental stewardship and policy in an interfaith context. This month's call will focus on the Gulf oil spill, natural gas drilling in North Texas, and the ongoing Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) sunset review process. To find out more, receive an agenda or RSVP for the call, e-mail Amanda Robinson at amanda@texasimpact.org.

Interfaith Environmental Call
Thursday, June 17, 2010
1:30-2:30pm Central
Phone Number: (605) 475-4900
Access Code: 910688

The trauma of the Gulf oil spill began with fiery images of an explosion at sea in which eleven people tragically lost their lives. Today the news images focus on oil-covered beaches and birds, frustrated families along the coast who see their way of life disappearing, and computer-generated animation that shows how the oil might spread out into the open waters of the Atlantic.

In the face of this human and environmental catastrophe, people can experience a range of emotional responses—from shock and disbelief to grief, frustration and anger. As people of faith, we turn to our religious traditions and communities seeking wisdom, solace and opportunities to serve.

To those ends, we have compiled some resources from different religious traditions below—resources that include information, reflection and prayer.

We hope that these will be helpful for you and your community of faith. If you have a prayer, resource or link to share, please e-mail Amanda. (Hint: we would love to be able to add a Texas sermons section to this page.)

Denominational Resources

• "Prayers for the Gulf" resource from the National Council of Churches.
• "Gulf Coast Resources for Prayer and Action," from the General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church.
• "A Prayer in the Aftermath of the Gulf Oil Spill," from Swords into Plowshares, reflections from the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.
• "Gulf Oil Spill," prayers and resources from Environmental Ministries of the United Church of Christ.
• "Oil Spill Update: One Month Later," from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
• "Bearing Responsibility," by Mary Minett, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Environmental Education and Advocacy.

Essays and Blogs

• "A Time for Moral Reckoning," by Rev. Jim Wallis.
• "From Eden to the Gulf: Abundance, Greed and Disaster," by Rabbi Arthur Waskow.
• "Beyond Petroleum," by Imam Zaid Shakir.
• "Letter to All World Religious and Spiritual Leaders," by Arvol Looking Horse, Nineteenth Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe.
• "A Lesson from the Gulf Oil Spill: We Are All Connected," by Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.
• "How the Oil Spill Is Hurting America's Soul," by Rev. Carol Howard Merritt.
• "Oil Spill Challenge," by Glenn Rutherford on AmericanCatholic.org
• "Texas Faith: What Should Washington Do about Oil Drilling?" Dallas Morning News Religion Blog.
• "Silence, God, and the Gulf Coast Oil Spill," by Rev. Fletcher Harper.

Texans expect our environmental agency--the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to protect our health. Right now, TCEQ often falls short of these expectations due to lax enforcement of existing clean air and water laws.  Recently, TCEQ has been in the news as being under scrutiny from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and as having given inaccurate air quality information to the city and public of Fort Worth.

Right now is a good time to get involved in the state agency review of TCEQ.  On Thursday, June 10th, the Alliance for a Clean Texas (ACT), of which Texas Impact is a founding member, is hosting a conference call to provide information about the review of TCEQ and ways to get involved.

When: June 10th, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Call-in number: 866-501-6174

Access code: 31794011892

You can get more information about the call, the issues, and links to current news on ACT's website.  You can also follow ACT on facebook.

Did you know that June 12th, 2010 is National Get Outdoors Day? Throughout June, events are being held around Texas and throughout the country to encourage us to get outside, explore, and enjoy the blessings and beauty of nature. What better way to celebrate God's creation and to care for the Earth and our health, than to get outdoors and take a child or two with you!

Also, when you're out and about in Texas, please be sure to take a picture and send it to our "Deep in My Heart" project.

Follow these links for more information about National Get Outdoors Day and Let's Move Outside!

Texas Catholic Conference Associate Director Jennifer Carr Allmon gives a Catholic perspective for Earth Month in the newest edition of Capitol Comments, TCC's online newsletter.

Protect Creation and Care for the Poor

"Going green” is all the rage these days. I have to admit that I feel a sense of accomplishment and purpose when I’m rinsing out my yogurt container to recycle it or when I discover a new item to recycle. More cities are offering streamlined recycling programs, celebrities are doing public service announcements, cloth diapering is making a comeback, and the Vatican has installed solar panels. Why is the Church getting into all this hype? Pope Benedict XVI’s answer is, "If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.” This is the theme of his 2010 message for the World Day of Peace.

Read the whole column