Find a Coach for your Congregational Climate work!
Whether you are ready to consider going solar, becoming a climate resilience hub, or want to do more climate education or advocacy, CIPL coaches are here to help.
CIPL Congregational Coaches are volunteers with expertise and experience helping congregations implement clean energy and climate programs. They can work with you one-on-one, or help you present to your green team, vestry, or board. Coaches listed below by area of focus. If you need help in another area please contact CIPL staff.
Jerry Bernstein – Solar+Storage
Jerry is retired from City College in San Francisco, where he developed and taught financing portions of PV installation courses. He was previously an engineering consultant in the energy and transportation industries. Jerry is active with his synagogue’s Green Team and the Zen Center in SF. He has volunteered with IPL nationally as well as CIPL for many years assisting dozens of congregations assess their suitability for solar (and more recently storage). Jerry has been following the NEM 3.0 policy changes in California as well as the opportunities created by the federal Inflation Reduction Act; he is available to help determine whether rooftop solar is financially beneficial for you.
Contact Jerry at jerry@interfaithpower.org
Dr. Cynthia Cudaback– Congregational Education and Policy Advocacy
Cynthia is a scientist and educator with a PhD in geophysics. She’s also a longtime volunteer with CIPL and a leader of the green team at one of CIPL’s most active churches in Oakland. Her Presbyterian church has solarized, done many creative climate education programs, and engaged in policy action and voting. She can advise you on a variety of topics and provide you with sample materials. She’s even put together a start up guide for you, here: Getting Started
Contact Cynthia at cynthia.cudaback@gmail.com
Rabbi Marv Goodman – Congregational Resilience Hubs
Marv is a longtime member of CIPL’s leadership team (steering committee and now board of directors) and is a retired rabbi and former ED of the Northern California Board of Rabbis. He is active with Peninsula Sinai Congregation, a synagogue in Foster City and has helped his congregation get solar+storage and equip itself as a community resilience hub. Marv is also a Master Gardener and knowledgeable about growing healthy food. He can advise you on how to equip your house of worship to provide resilience services to your community.
Contact Marv at ravmarv@gmail.com
Ralph Purdy – Congregational Disaster Preparation and Resiliency Hubs
Ralph served on the faculty of the school of medicine at UC Irvine. After retirement, he moved to Marin County and joined First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael. He worked with the Green Team of his church to develop a plan for responding to disasters such as flood, fire, earthquake, etc. His congregation has also taken steps to decrease the carbon footprint of its facilities, such as changing all lights to high efficiency LED, and going to 100% renewable electricity with MCE. His church has replaced four very old electric wall heaters with two ductless electric heat pumps in its social hall. This large room can now be used as a ‘cooling center’ during extreme heat events. His church also has memoranda of understanding with the Red Cross/San Rafael and with St. Vincent de Paul for use of our building in emergencies. Ralph welcomes the opportunity to talk with people who want to develop disaster plans, and/or are seeking to become resiliency hubs.
Contact Ralph at rlpurdy869@gmail.com