About Us
The Hawaii chapter of the Interfaith Power and Light is a part of the national organization known as the Regeneration Project (www.theregenerationproject.org). Growing out of the Episcopal Church in 1996, the Regeneration Project has since become ecumenical and eventually, interfaith. The main focus of IPL is to raise awareness among various religious communities to the dire consequences of global warming by encouraging effective use of energy.
The Hawaii chapter of IPL is a mission of the Interfaith Alliance Hawaii (www.interfaithalliancehawaii.org). It is led by a board of advisors composed of the following members:
- Chuck Burrows, Hawaiian spiritual tradition
- Karen Calogeras, Judaism
- Maria Espinosa, interfaith
- Travis Idol, Christianity
- Josh Ishikawa, Christiantiy
- Rob Kinslow
- Jesica McDonough, Buddhism
The board helps set the direction of HIPL and works to carry out its mission. We have the unique opportunity to include religions from East and West and the indigenous spiritual traditions of Native Hawaiians. Rob Kinslow serves as the executive coordinator for HIPL and responds to messages sent to our email address: hipl@hipl.org.
Mission statement
As faithful stewards of aloha aina (the living earth community), Hawaii Interfaith Power and Light engages faith communities to raise awareness of global warming and create inspirational solutions.
Core values
HIPL’s core values are principles and spiritual ideals that serve as the foundation of the organization’s goals and plans. We draw from the rich lexicon and traditions of Native Hawaiian values and spirituality to give expression to the core values of HIPL.
Ohana: all of life is related as a family
Malama: mutual caring for each other and for future generations; awe/inspiration/reverence for all life; viewing the world as our neighborhood; recognizing our karmic footprint; realizing our spiritual and moral obligation to each other and the earth
Kuleana: taking responsibility and ownership to do what is needed; being empowered to determine one's own future; working toward personal transformation.
Aloha: Compassion and a welcoming spirit; recognizing the sacredness of life and our kinship with all beings; caring for elders and ancestors (kupuna); embracing creativity and hopefulness in all that we do.
The Regeneration Project
The national Interfaith Power & Light movement is a campaign of The Regeneration Project (www.theregenerationproject.org). A fact sheet about the organization can be found here (IPL Fact Sheet.pdf). The IPL campaign includes a national network of over 4,000 congregations with affiliated programs in 29 states. The IPL movement was founded by the Reverend Canon Sally Grover Bingham, who also serves as its current president. Rev. Bingham is a priest in the Diocese of California, chair of the Episcopal Diocesan Commission for the Environment and has been active in the environmental community for twenty-five years. She has brought widespread recognition to the link between faith and the environment and as one of the first faith leaders to fully recognize global warming as a moral issue, she has mobilized thousands of religious people to put their faith into action through energy stewardship and advocacy.
Sally serves on both the National Board of the Environmental Defense Fund and the Environmental Working Group as well as the national advisory board for the Union of Concerned Scientists. She recently joined the Forum on Children and Nature. The Interfaith Power and Light Campaign and the Rev. Bingham have received numerous awards including the 2007 U.S. EPA Climate Protection Award, the Purpose Prize, the Energy Globe Award and recognition as a “sacred gift to the planet” by the World Wildlife Fund. Rev. Bingham was recently named one of the top fifteen green religious leaders by Grist magazine and was installed as Canon for Environmental Ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of California.
Becoming a Member of Hawaii Interfaith Power & Light
The strength of the IPL network is in its member congregations. We are open to receiving members of any faith tradition, as long as the community is committed to our mission and core values. Interested congregations are invited to contact us at hipl@hipl.org. We will send one of our representatives to your community to give a presentation about our organization and engage in a conversation about becoming a member of HIPL. We do ask member congregations to sign a covenantal agreement, indicating your commitment to the mission and values of HIPL. A draft of the covenantal agreements can be found here (HIPLcovenant.pdf).