Local Churches Going Green

Many Georgians can cast their minds back to the late 1970s, when native son Jimmy Carter tried to lead the United States away from energy dependency by instilling a conservation ethic. Carter told Americans that “our nation’s independence of economic and political action is being increasingly constrained,” and he believed that “the most wasteful nation on earth” had to clean up its act.

Some progress was subsequently made, but when Ronald Reagan arrived in Washington, D. C., in 1981, he quickly removed the solar panels Carter had installed on the White House roof and revised most of his predecessor’s conservation and energy policies. Accomplishments in the three decades since have been few and far between.

But today a statewide nonprofit faith-based organization is doing something that’s not been achieved in this country through forty years of trying:getting a lot of people excited about cutting back on energy use and being more conservation-minded.

Two local churches are among scores of congregations across the state to already see their energy bills go down, and more are lining up to work with Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL). Established in 2003, GIPL conducts low-cost energy audits of religious facilities, prepares energy efficiency plans, and in 2009 began providing “Power Wise” grants for improvements that cut energy usage and save congregations money. Most recipients work to spread the conservation ethic among their membership and to larger communities, enabling the grant funds to effectively stretch much farther.   

“It’s a no-brainer,” said Alexis Chase, GIPL’s Executive Director. She believes in talking about caring for the environment and her organization’s goals and programming. “We all live downstream from somebody – the things we do affect our brothers and sisters. But it’s not only a moral obligation to care for God’s creation; a lot of the money going for gas and energy bills could be put to other, better uses.

“We are not an environmental group,” Chase added. “We are a faith organization that helps all communities of faith be responsible stewards for our shared natural resources.”

The national Interfaith Power and Light effort has origins in California, where in 1998 a coalition of Episcopal churches began working to purchase renewable energy. Other faith organizations soon joined in, and California Interfaith Power and Light (CIPL) was established in 2000.

CIPL advocated that all people of faith have a moral and ethical responsibility to address global warming and care for the environment. The group helped pass California’s landmark climate and clean energy laws and eventually became a model for the present national program active in 38 states. Georgia’s effort is one of the most successful nation-wide.

GIPL optimistically aims to eventually assist all 15,000 of Georgia’s places of worship improve energy efficiency. The primary result will be to see these congregations accomplish much more than at present, because funds won’t be draining away heating and cooling buildings. The organization was awarded $400,000 from the federal stimulus program as well as a $200,000 match from the Kendeda Fund.

Athens’ received a small Power Wise grant last year. It has taken a variety of steps, including installing motion-sensor lights that run on solar power and implementing of recycling and composting programs. The congregation’s “Creation Keeper” is David Stooksbury, a professor in UGA’s Department of Agricultural Engineering and also the State Climatologist. Next month St. Gregory and Stooksbury will host the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta’s Commission on Environmental Stewardship as it puts on a “Greening the Parish” workshop.

Athenian Dick Field, who retired last year from his position as Athens-Clarke County, has long worked toward effective environmental stewardship. Last fall he helped his church, (PUMC), get involved with GIPL and complete an energy audit of the church’s facilities. It came as no surprise that Princeton’s audit highlighted numerous areas needing improvement. But what the congregation did not expect was the ease with which Princeton secured a $24,025 Power Wise matching grant – so far the largest made by GIPL -- to make a number of energy efficiency improvements.

“The whole process went very smoothly,” said Field, chair of Princeton’s Creation Care Committee. The experience he gained conducting energy audits of ACC buildings no doubt helped Field prepare a winning grant application. Two weeks after last fall’s November 15th deadline word came that PUMC’s full grant request had been approved.

The work carried out at PUMC this past spring and early summer includes substantial polyurethane insulation in the attic spaces, indirect digital energy management controls, ungraded HVAC systems and various lighting improvements and retrofits. It’s too early to know exactly what the savings will amount to, but Field predicts the church might see a 20% to 25% reduction in its monthly bills.

The PUMC Creation Care Committee is also working to help congregation members achieve better energy efficiency in their homes. The group participates in local and regional programs, all in the name of environmental stewardship.