About Nebraska IPL
The Nebraska Interfaith Power and Light (NeIPL) was officially established in January, 2008, as the 26th state affiliate of The Regeneration Project. (theregenerationproject.org) The Interfaith Power and Light campaign is the way The Regeneration Project mobilizes people of faith to deepen their connection between ecology and faith through the promotion of conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.
All Interfaith Power and Lights are faith-based and inclusive of multiple faith traditions. We advocate for clean energy, conservation and the responsible stewardship of Creation.
While the Nebraska Interfaith Power and Light is only six months old, we have six religious organizations who are currently members. Those faiths are the Nebraska Synod ELCA, the United Church of Christ-Nebraska Conference, the Homestead Presbytery, the Society of Friends, First Unitarian Church of Omaha and the United Methodist Conference but we are currently exploring membership with four additional faith groups. There is no cost of membership. The Nebraska Interfaith Power and Light is funded by donations only. All members are encouraged to have representatives of the clergy and the laity on the steering committee to represent their particular faith.
We have a simple agenda for 2008. "Walk the Talk" is a program to help houses of worship lower their energy costs by conserving energy, building energy efficiencies and developing policies that provide incentives for building renewable energy capacity, on or off-site. "Taking it to the Family" is about helping individuals learn how to lower their carbon footprint in simple, effective ways, about teaching children about stewardship of God's created Earth, to build a better community for young adults, young and old families where life is better here in a warmer, quieter and less expensive insulated home. And "Faith in the Public Square" where the Nebraska Interfaith Power and Light brings the religious perspective on the environment and global warming that all faiths share to the process of developing public policy on energy and the environment by offering opportunities for people of divergent views to work together on energy and environmental solutions for the benefit of all people.
There is a real need for good, old-fashioned knowledge, so we will be dedicating a good part of the website to Resources that connect you to information about how to estimate the cost of a building retrofit, residential or commercial, for instance. Or, how Nebraska citizens can reasonably judge how much it will cost in tax dollars to fund the energy proposals of the future. Coal? Natural Gas? Nuclear? Wind? Solar? Biofuels? We have to have the facts before we can decide on which energy future probably contains the most bang for the buck. Send us your links to good sites. We'll use them!
If your group has an interest in participating in the Nebraska Interfaith Power and Light, please contact us at anne@NebraskaIPL.org. For the rest of 2008, we will be reaching out to all faith organizations in Nebraska to join us in bringing the religious voice to global warming.
