Resources
HIPL Library
We have a small but growing collection of DVDs and printed material to inform and inspire our members to develop their own response to global warming. Visit the library webpage to view our catalog of materials and suggest additional titles for us to include!
Living Planet 2010 Report
How big is the human footprint on the Earth? How much land, water, and other resources do we require per captia in the US vs China? The Global Footprint Network has released its 2010 report on just these topics. Check out the interactive chart below or download the full report here [pdf].
The Cost ($ and CO2) of Driving in America
Check out this web widget that calculates the cost in $ and CO2 of driving your car in the US, including the savings from improving your fuel efficiency. The accompanying text also highlights the overwhelming contribution of driving to a person's annual greenhouse gas emissions. Although sobering, it represents a great opportunity to reduce your C footprint by simply driving less!
How Cool is Your Congregation?
Introducing Cool Congregations. Calculate
your congregation's carbon footprint using our brand new online tool. Learn how you can improve your
congregation's level of CO2 emissions. You can even help your congregation win a $5,000 award.
10 Things Your Congregation Can Do
Don't like the size of your congregation's footprint? Want to get your faith community involved with
responding to the climate crisis? How do you get started? Well, besides encouraging your
congregation to join Hawaii Interfaith Power & Light, we've come up with 9 other things you can do
to make energy issues and the climate crisis a part of your congregation's mission and focus.
View the web page or print out
a pdf version to share with others.
20 Things YOU Can Do
Now that you've figured out what your congregation can do, it's time for you to do some things
yourself. Check out this web page or again, print
out a pdf version to carry with you and share with others! Thanks to
Life of the Land Hawaii for this list.
Kill-A-Watt Reminder
Print out and laminate this light switch cover as a friendly reminder that simple things like turning off lights as you leave a room can add up to big energy savings in the long run.
Financing a Photovoltaic System for Your Faith
Community
Recently, local solar companies are offering
power purchase
agreements to help non-profits switch to renewable energy. This is essentially
a lease agreement, so the faith community does not own the PV system but gets the
benefits of using renewable energy installed on its property and paying a discounted rate for it.
The California IPL has created a
finance guide that describes various ways that
faith communities have financed PV systems, including a PPA in which the community members
themselves finance the purchase of the system and lease it to the church. The guide contains several
case studies to help you make the best choice for your community.
Shop IPL
Believe it or not, sometimes shopping can be good for the environment, especially if you are
purchasing items to decrease your energy use. Find lots of
products that help you achieve your energy conservation and efficiency goals at
Shop IPL, an online energy efficiency store for
faith communities and their members sponsored by Interfaith Power & Light.
Through this online store, Interfaith Power & Light is partnering with
Energy Federation Incorporated (EFI) to offer high-quality, affordable
energy-efficient products. Many products are offered with quantity discounts,
allowing participating congregations to easily order products at competitive wholesale prices.
You'll find typical energy-saving products like compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and weather stripping,
as well as newer LED lights, indoor and outdoor motion sensors, electricity monitors,
programmable thermostats, and water-saving devices.
Check out the new, low-priced energy monitor that allows you to see at a glance the
If you can't find what you want at ShopIPL, let us know and we'll see if we can find a vendor to offer discounts for IPL members!
EPA Energy Star Guide for Congregations
The US Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star
program has published Putting Energy Into
Stewardship an energy conservation guide for faith communities to reduce the
energy use of their congregational buildings. The guide includes advice on how to learn
about what you need, finding a contractor, financing, technical issues
with specific upgrades or purchases, an energy efficiency checklist, and a shopping guide.
The Energy Star website also has related resources,
such as the latest list of Energy Star-rated appliances, office equipment, and other products.
Once you're ready to upgrade your congregation's facilities, look for Energy Star products
on the Shop IPL website.
Holiday Study and Action Guides
The holidays are a great time to reaffirm our faith and reassess our lives. At HIPL, we are encouraging faith communities to make the climate crisis and energy issues a part of their reflection and study during holiday seasons. Below are example study guides
for Christian and Jewish congregations during important holidays during the yar. We encourage you to provide examples from other faith traditions and holidays, as well.
- Lenten Carbon Fast
- 2011 HIPL Lenten calendar
- 2011 Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast. A great website with daily meditations and advice to help you with your carbon fast. Also on Facebook.
- 25 Simple Steps from Iowa IPL. Also check out our own HIPL 20 Things webpage for more tips and advice.
- Advent Study Guide. This is a study and action guide for children and adults for the advent season prior to Christmas, put together by Georgia Interfaith Power & Light. There is a short lesson for each week of Advent and Christmas Eve on the environmental impacts of fossil fuel energy use (mainly coal) and a call to change out incandescent bulbs to CFLs.
- The 12 Days of Low Carbon Christmas, 12 things we can
do as individuals and households to reduce our energy use during the
holidays!
- Hannukah Study Guide. This is a study and action guide for Jewish congregations celebrating the season of Hannukah, also put together by Georgia Interfaith Power & Light. Lessons focus on how conserving energy reduces air, land, and water pollution and secures a brighter future for everyone.
- "Powering Down" is a comprehensive program of worship and study for the Christian season of Lent, created by Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light. This program includes lessons for youth, sermons, suggestions on how to reduce electricity use, and suggested resources to nurture our connection to all of Creation.