| In this Newsletter:
Holiday Guides for a Green Advent and Hanukkah
CIPL Energy Oscars December 11th in Berkeley- RSVP Today
Energy Efficient Gifts and LED Holiday Lights at ShopIPL.org
Action Reminder: Tell Congress you want a Clean Energy Bill
for Christmas
Focus the Nation: January 31st
*CIPL Wishes You A Happy Holiday
Season*
It's that time again! The holiday season, a time to be with
family and community, a time of generosity and reflection,
and hopefully a time to continue to express the values of
caring for the Earth. From planting a live Christmas tree
on the New Year, to using recycled gift wrap, to a gift donation
to your favorite interfaith environmental coalition, there
are many opportunities to make the holidays environmentally
responsible. Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah,
Eid al Adha, or Kwanzaa, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday
season.
Holiday Guides for a Green Advent
and Hanukkah
CIPL holiday resources for congregations include two holiday
packets, for use with your family or with your congregation.
The Advent Guide, "Preparing for a New Light,"contains
brief readings and information focused on changing one lightbulb
to an energy efficient one each night. The Hanukkah Guide
is called "One for Each Night,"which asks us to
change one CFL each night as we recall the Jewish holiday's
theme of energy efficiency- a small amount of oil lasted for
8 nights! The Holiday Guides are available for free to download
at the CIPL website. We hope to expand to more faith traditions
next holiday season, so please e-mail us your thoughts and
feedback.
Link to Advent
Guide or Hannukkah
Guide
*CIPL Energy Oscars December 11th
in Berkeley*
Reserve your tickets today!
We invite you to attend the CIPL Energy Oscars, an awards
ceremony and special evening recognizing the work of outstanding
CIPL member congregations in fulfilling the CIPL Congregational
Covenant to address global warming in the faith community.
Tuesday, December 11th at 7pm
First Congregational Church, Berkeley
2345 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA
Prize Categories include: Education - Energy Efficiency -
Renewable Energy - Non-polluting/Carbon Neutral - Public Policy
Event Sponsors include: PG&E, Luminalt Solar, Redefining
Progress, Cafe de la Paz, The Beatitudes Society, and The
Next Generation.
Suggested donation $25, $15 for CIPL members. No one turned
away for lack of funds.
*Energy Efficient Gifts and LED
Holiday Lights at ShopIPL.org*
LED Holiday Lights save 9.1 lbs of CO2 over 45 days of use.
Tis the season for energy saving LED Holiday lights. Available
at the IPL online store, ShopIPL.org, LED light strings are
safer and significantly more energy efficient than incandescent
light strings. The bulbs remain cool to the touch, are made
of plastic, which is less likely to break than glass, are
rated to last over 50,000 hours, and will use about 4.8 watts
(instead of the typical 35 watts) and save about 9.1 lbs of
CO2 over 45 days of use.
You can find a variety of energy efficient gift ideas at
ShopIPL.org, including the 2008 Energy Savers Calendar with
energy saving tips throughout the year, 50 Simple Things Can
Do to Save the Earth, a Kill a Watt Electricity Monitor that
shows how much each appliance uses, rechargable batteries,
and even a solar oven. Remember, ShopIPL.org provides a 10
percent discount to congregations and their members by entering
the discount code "shopipl" and a portion of your
purchase at ShopIPL.org is donated to CIPL! Happy shopping!
Go to ShopIPL.org
*Action Reminder: Tell Congress
you want a Clean Energy Bill for Christmas*
As you may know, Congress has been debating a new Energy
Bill for several months. In June the Senate passed a bill
that would increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)
standards for automobiles to 35 mpg by 2020. In August the
House passed a version of the Energy Bill that would require
electric utilities to obtain 15 per cent of their power from
clean, renewable sourcessuch as the wind and sun. Of course,
lobbyists for the fossil fuel industries are lobbying to remove
those important provisions from the final version of the Renewable
Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007.
Over 1,000 IPL members have sent letters supporting a 35-miles
per gallon fuel economy standard and a 15 per cent increase
in the renewable electricity standard. You can add your name
to the list, here.
Upcoming Events:
January 31, 2008: Focus the Nation: Following in the footsteps
of the Step It Up events of 2006, Focus the Nation is a national
teach-in and day of action on global warming scheduled for
January 31st, 2008. Mark your calendars, and think about how
your congregation can participate. The Focus the Nation organizers
are encouraging faith organizations to host a screening of
a national webcast, The 2% Solution. There will also be events
at college campuses around the country. For more information,
check www.focusthenation.org.
California wildfire update: Our prayers go out to those affected
by the wildfires. Camp Stevens, run by the Episcopal Church
and based in San Diego County, lost several buildings in the
Angel Fire in September. They have set up a fire restoration
fund for use in rebuilding with more energy efficient green
buildings, solar panels and more. More information is at www.campstevens.org.
Welcome to our new CIPL member congregations!
Chapel of Peace Lutheran Church
Peninsula Metropolitan Community Church
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