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Bishop Weisenburger says climate change is an issue of 'life and death'
… and what not, but I'm kind of excited about it. And one of our parishes, years ago, put solar up for their parking lot panels. It was a 10-year lease to own and now they own it all and they say it's doing great. Two of our parishes with big schools recently put in solar with a company where they lock in your electricity rate for 10 years. They put in covered … the cathedral. We're hoping within 2 to 3 months to start having new covered parking with the solar. And there are a couple of parishes that have pretty active care for creation committees. …
Sep 28, 2023
New American Climate Corps aims to boost clean energy, jobs for young people
… The top three states were California, Texas and West Virginia, and included clean vehicle, solar, wind and geothermal industries. The American Climate Corps announcement was greeted with …
Sep 26, 2023
How some US Catholic dioceses are heeding the papal call for a 'green revolution'
… corporation worked with a variety of different partners to assess the viability of installing solar panels on the rooftops of 30 Catholic Charities-owned residential buildings in Brooklyn and … such as those nearing the end of their life spans or restricted by local covenants. But solar-equipped buildings can generate income to invest in other projects. Some of the energy …
Sep 6, 2023
Letters to the editor on global warming
… in destroying our planet. Reese doesn't discuss nuclear energy, except to claim that wind and solar are cheaper. Everyone who takes anthropogenic climate change seriously must take a serious … religion. Texas gets more than 25% of its electricity from renewables — mostly wind with some solar. Catholic Texas Gov. Abbott is the linchpin thwarting renewables that have proven …
Aug 25, 2023
Faith leaders call for repentance and spiritual reformation to address climate change
… … Dealing with the climate crisis will require developing renewable forms of energy such as solar and wind power, decreasing greenhouse gases and creating more sustainable lifestyles. It …
Aug 21, 2023
On global warming, yes, there is hope
… cost of alternative energy more dramatically than the experts expected. The cost of wind and solar energy is now cheaper than oil, gas or nuclear. "The world has produced nearly three billion solar panels at this point, and every one of those has been an opportunity for people to try to improve the process," Gregory Nemet, a solar power expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told The New York Times. "And all of …
Aug 18, 2023
One congregation offers case study as Episcopal Church works toward 2030 carbon neutral goal
… 2.6-acre campus to renewable energy sources. In 2004, it installed its first 40-panel solar array on its office building's roof. Nine years later, a larger carport solar array was installed over the parking lot, the cost offset by a power-purchasing agreement. …
Aug 14, 2023
'Motels4Now' project near Notre Dame offers housing for South Bend homeless people
… Some have dealt with — or are still grappling with — long-term addictions to drugs or alcohol. Solar-powered security cameras now constantly monitor activity in and around the three buildings …
Aug 11, 2023
Faith leaders urge EPA to protect communities from fossil fuel-fired power plants
… we should rapidly shift toward 100% renewable energy with proven technologies, such as solar and wind, that create good green jobs for our communities," said Peggy Shepard, executive …
Aug 9, 2023
Swim expedition shows we might better 'clothe the naked' by buying fewer clothes
… waste on the Volta River. The expedition crew collected water and air samples in an aluminum, solar-powered catamaran called The Woman Who Does Not Fear, which came equipped with a science … 16, broke numerous milestones as the longest swim in Ghanaian history and employed the first solar-powered research vessel in Ghana. This expedition also broke ground in advancing research …
Aug 8, 2023
Politics, conspiracies and peace: Pope Francis' visit to Fátima is complicated
… children over the course of six months in 1917, culminating with the Miracle of the Sun, a solar phenomenon reportedly witnessed by an estimated 70,000 people. From those reported …
Aug 3, 2023
Creative ways your church can save energy and reduce emissions
… considering local partnerships with electricity companies. Archer mentioned Community Solar, a San Antonio company that leases parking lots and builds solar-panel shade coverings; the coverings provide a triple benefit in that they create shade, …
Aug 2, 2023
Catholic climate conference spotlights 'Laudato Si' Champions' of US church
… stewardship" and its commitment to sustainability. Sixty-two parishes have installed solar power and the diocese has formulated an action plan for Catholic schools, churches and … general council, said, "This award reassures us that we are on the right path." An 880-panel solar installation generates half the energy needed at the motherhouse, and its St. Agnes Convent campus is fully powered by a separate 538-panel offsite community solar project with Alliant Energy. In January 2022, the sisters preserved 237 acres through a …
Aug 1, 2023
Billions of federal dollars available for churches and nonprofits to go green
… SCEP, if any nonprofit, including houses of worship, invests $600,000 in tax-credit-eligible solar, battery storage and EV chargers, it may qualify for a $200,000 cash payment from the IRS. …
Jul 26, 2023
'Game changer': Energy secretary touts tax incentives to power faith communities with renewables
… of worship, did not qualify for tax credits tied to clean energy projects, such as installing solar panels or electric vehicle charging stations. With the majority of dollars for clean energy … incentives — including a minimum 30% credit for eligible clean energy investments, such as solar arrays, with additional credits available for projects in low-income communities or that … churches, synagogues, mosques and other prayer sites across the country that have installed solar panels. "It's clear to me, as I know that it is to all of you, that faith organizations are …
Jul 25, 2023
To advance climate action, enter political fray and center working-class people
… old units, such as lead and rayon, as well as subsidizing energy efficiency upgrades, such as solar panels and insulation. As a Catholic organization, we were proud to advocate for state … 2023 Berkeley Labs report found that houses of worship host a disproportionately high rate of solar panels when compared to other nonresidential buildings. But even this study's findings … capture the limitations of a personal or institutional morality model: Houses of worship with solar arrays were disproportionately located in relatively wealthy, white and educated census …
Jul 17, 2023
Despite pope's pleas, survey finds US Catholics support fossil fuel expansion more than rest of country
… adults surveyed said they support prioritizing development of alternative energy sources, like solar, wind and hydrogen, over continuing to increase production of coal, oil and gas. While a … overall. Large majorities of both U.S. adults (82%) and U.S. Catholics (79%) favor expanding solar energy and wind power (75%, 74%), with nearly six in 10 of each agreeable to more nuclear … tax incentives to spur wider adoption of electric vehicles and home energy upgrades like solar panels, heat pumps and efficiency improvements, the Pew survey found Americans are not yet …
Jun 28, 2023
Can churches spread the gospel of solar in coal country?
… … In 2014, Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church in West Virginia installed an array of 60 solar panels with a scrappy financial model, hoping to lead by example and inspire other communities in Appalachia to transition to solar energy as well. Five years later, across the West Virginia border, the congregation at St. …
Jun 20, 2023
Can money-making microgrids empower Black churches to close the clean energy gap?
… Nature Sustainability found that Black communities are significantly absent from the rush to solar, even when factors like homeownership and income are accounted for. The racial disparity … is a money-making microgrid. This June, Glad Tidings is expected to break ground on a solar-powered microgrid estimated to generate millions in the years to come. The revenue will … do its part to fight climate change. Glad Tidings will become a clean energy hub by installing solar panels on its buildings and solar carports at its parking structures. The solar array will …
Jun 2, 2023
Laudato Trees planting program enlists Catholic properties to help increase DC's canopy
… enough trees, large lawns, huge parking lots used once a week, stormwater runoff issues, no solar panels." He wondered, "Is there anything we can do here that would essentially motivate … can open conversations about other ways their properties can be used — whether through solar power, energy efficiency or permeable parking lots — to benefit the environment. "It's a …
May 24, 2023