By Ryan Singleton, DisciplesWorld contributing writer
OLATHE, Kan. (06/20/09) — Last month, St. Andrew Christian Church in Olathe, Kan., hosted a “Cool Congregations” workshop to equip people of faith to become more ecologically responsible.
The May 3 event attracted 32 participants from 14 congregations, according to Yvonne Huff, an organizer for the St. Andrew Group for Ecology (SAGE) and member of the congregation.
Cool Congregations is an initiative of Kansas Interfaith Power and Light — a statewide affiliate of Interfaith Power and Light, which operates in 28 states — that mobilizes people of faith to addresses problems of climate change.
During the workshop, participants learned how to calculate their carbon footprint — the amount of global warming pollution emitted by their household. They also made a pledge to implement energy efficiency measures at home.
The pledge centers on the notion of a “10 percent tithe,” which is a commitment from individuals, households and communities to reduce their carbon emissions by 10 percent, according to Kansas Interfaith Power and Light’s website.
“Stewardship is not just about giving material resources toward the mission of the church,” said Brandon Gilvin, associate minister at St. Andrew. “It’s also about providing care for the very earth that gives us life.
By presenting carbon reduction as a gift rather than a sacrifice of comfort, Interfaith Power and Light “does a great job in teaching religious leaders a thing or two about living out our faith,” Gilvin said.
Eileen Horn, statewide coordinator of Kansas Interfaith Power and Light, believes that people of faith have a unique responsibility to address issues of climate change.
“All the world’s faiths and texts call us to care for creation and to be good stewards of our environment. We are also called to love our neighbors, and to care for the poor among us,” Horn said.
“Climate change threatens the rich diversity of species on this planet, and its impact will be borne by those least able to adapt — namely the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society.”
During the workshop at St. Andrew, Sarah Webb, director of Cool Congregations in Iowa, talked about the initiative and the effect it can have on global warming.
Other topics included “How to Organize a Cool Congregation Program in Your Congregation,” and “the Other Side of the Meter,” which Horn presented.
Since organizing six months ago, congregations across Kansas have been joining the Interfaith Power and Light movement, Horn said. The initiative has helped 15 congregations complete audits of their facilities, in order to examine their monthly energy expenditures. Several other Kansas Interfaith Power and Light members have installed solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling systems, as well as compact fluorescent lighting.