December 10, 2001
Sally Bingham, California Interfaith Power and Light
(aka Episcopal Power and Light)History of Episcopal Power and Light (EP&L)
In 1997, Sally Bingham and Steve MacAusland joined with other members of various religious communities at Temple Immanuel in San Francisco to discuss how Bay Area religious communities might respond to environmental issues, such as Global Warming. The group of religious leaders started out together as an interfaith effort to address these issues. After 6 months, Steve MacAusland and Sally Bingham, both Episcopalian, were the only ones left at the discussion table. So, they decided to start Episcopal Power and Light. They began to raise funds from secular environmental foundations interested in global warming. They were successful, largely due to the fact that these secular foundations were thrilled that the faith community was interested in these issues. It is Sally's belief that the faith communities of the United States, moreover of the world, must get involved in environmental issues if things are really going to change and this belief probably aided their efforts in garnering funds for EP&L.Since the time Steve and Sally founded EP&L, the goal has been to provide resources for "sustainable energy consumption" to religious communities of all faiths and denominations. Now, the National Religious Partnership for the Environment and the National Council of Churches are involved in global warming issues. Also, the Regeneration Project (in the Presidio in San Francisco) got interested in what EP&L was doing; so, with the help of the Regeneration Project, EP&L has now morphed into California Interfaith Power and Light (CAP&L).
The influence of CAP&L has moved beyond the borders of California and into other states. Sally and Steve have been instrumental in starting similar programs in such places as Tennessee and Texas.
Addressing issues of global warming in California and Beyond
Currently, 55% of the United States energy comes from coal and only 1% from renewable resources. In California our energy sources look like this: 11% Renewable, 15% Nuclear, 20% Large Hydro, 21% Coal, and 33% Natural Gas. The goal of CIP&L, is to see the percent of energy coming from coal reduced and the percent coming from renewable resources increased (at least to 20% in the short-run).Power Plants in the Bay Area and Effects Around the World
Traditional Power plants (based on coal, oil, and other fossil fuels) add to the problems of global warming, acid rain, smog, respiratory diseases, cancers, and the list goes on. Already we are beginning to see the effects of global warming. A press release a couple of weeks ago, by Lester Brown, Director of the Earth Watch Institute and the Earth Policy Institute-- reports that the people living on the island of Tuvalua tiny island country in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia are evacuating the whole island due to rising waters and harsh weather conditions.This raises an important eco-justice issue. Sally pointed out that there are no power plants in Marin County. Likewise, statistically speaking, the majority of power plants are located in poorer communities. These communities often are communities of ethnic minorities as well. Is this a case of environmental racism, or just a case of coincidence? Likewise, on a global scale it will be nations and locations, such as Tuvalo, that are in the "2/3" world that will be affected by global warming first, and most of these nations often don't have insurance companies or FEMA to bail them out of large-scale disasters, thus exacerbating the problem; yet, the US, part of the "1/3" world, represents 5% of the earths human population and is responsible for 25% of the earths green-house gas emissions. Both at home and abroad, energy production and the pollution associated with it is both an environmental problem AND an issue of social justice, what I will call an issue of eco-justice. Hence the even greater urgency for a response from religious communities.
What can you do to Respond in California?
A brief note about the history of energy in California is necessary here. Pre-1998, Californians had no choice in choosing an energy provider. After deregulation, Californians gained the choice to choose an energy provider (this does not change the grid; rather, it only changes the source from which your energy comes). At this time, Green Mountain Energy and other "green" energy providers entered the CA energy market. It was then possible for Californians to choose to get their energy from a sustainable energy source. Then, and I am not sure of the date, a cap was placed on the retail price of energy in CA. So, providers could only charge customers up to a certain price. What happened in the "energy crisis"or at least part of what happenedwas that the wholesale price of energy shot up above the retail price (in June of 2000). At this time, most of the smaller energy companies, like Green Mountain, could not afford to stay in California because they were losing money on each customer. So, at this point, we in the Bay Area have no "green" energy options.You might be asking, "What happened to the energy crisis?" Well, a large part of the crises was abated through conservation efforts on the part of Californians. Last summer, Californians conserved 15% of the energy previously used during the same time-periods of previous years. Conservation is not only the key to conserving energy, it is key in abating the amount of green-house gasses that are emitted every year.
Though there are not green energy wholesale options available in California at the moment, there are several things that you can do as an individual and that communities and institutions can do. Once such thing is conservation. Through the use of compact-florescent bulbs, you can save an enormous amount of energy. Compact fluorescents use only º of the energy used by regular, incandescent light bulbs. Also, caulking windowsills, placing a blanket around your water heater, and other, easy tips such as these will help conserve energy and save you money.
Another thing to do is to get involved politically. There is a Bill going to the CA legislation session in February that will urge CA lawmakers to make a commitment to move California's Renewable energy sources from 11% to 20% of overall energy used. By going to the CAP&L web-site (found below), you can print out a form that will allow you to show your support for "green energy" in the Bay Area. Likewise, you can sign up as an individual, or as a group (ie, your religious community, or your SCHOOL could sign up in support of "green energy"). All of these forms will be taken to the capital in Sacramento in February.
It is also important to note all of the rebates that are offered by PG&E and the state of California for installing solar panels on your home, business, or institution. Through all of these rebates you can get up to 50% of the initial costs of installation paid for. And, in just a matter of years, the solar panels will pay for themselves! You can find more information out about these programs by following the links in the resource section below.
Another way to get involved, perhaps directly with CAP&L is to encourage the youth-groups at your churches, synagogues, mosques, or temples to sell compact-florescent bulbs instead of candy. CAP&L is setting up these types of programs with girl scouts, boy scouts, public schools groups, and other groups. So, the youth group can raise money and help conserve energy at the same time.
Just a couple of success stories. As many of you probably know, the county and city of San Francisco voted to install solar panels on all of the municipal buildings a couple of weeks ago. This not only shows our support of the global Kyoto efforts, despite what the US government decides to do, it shows that change can happen. Likewise, in Sacramento, there are a number of churches who took advantage of SMUDs offer to help pay for solar panels on their roofs. Now, these churches not only have NO electricity bill, but they generate more energy than they need and this energy is sent back into the grid for others to use.
Finally, a good way to get involved is to be an advocate for those who live in places where coal and other harmful power plants are built. I have no direct ideas here, but perhaps some of you do. It is important to end these types of injustices. The best I can offer is to let your senators and representatives know how you feel about this issue. To be informed about when and where power plants are going to be built. To be informed about the communities in which power plants exist, and to begin moving toward sustainable energy practices via conservation and via utilizing "green" energy resources.
Sustainable Energy Consumption Resources
Energy Efficient Builders Association
www.eeba.orgwww.regenerationproject.org
Contacts: Sally Bingham (ecosal@aol.com) and Steve (regen@igc.org)Free Compact Florescent Bulbs
www.utilityrefunds.comRoof Requirements for Solar Energy
www.energy.ca.gov/reports/500-99-008.PDFRebates for Reduction in Consumption of Energy in the State of CA
www.consumerenergycenter.comwww.energy.ca.gov/greengrid/index.html
California Energy Commission Energy Buy-down Program (1-800-555-7794); this provides $4.50 buydown for each watt of solar installed up to 50% of the renewable system purchase price. Cash Grants for up to 75% of a total energy project: 1-800-555-7794, www.energy.ca.gov/peakload.
PG&E Energy Center: 415-973-7268
Energy Audits and Assessment Tools
Lawrence Berkeley Lab: www.savepower.lbl.govFree on-line audit software: http://wakeup.to/conservation
The Center for Environmental Citizenship: www.envirocitizen.org
General Information
www.flexyourpower.ca.gov
www.energystar.gov
Green E: www.green-e.org (1-888-63-Green)
Renewable Northwest Project: www.rnp.org
Environmental Defense Fund: www.edf.org
Information on Climate Change
Redefining Progress: www.rprogress.org
Union of Concerned Scientists: www.ucsusa.org, 617-547-5552
Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov/globalwarming
National Climate Data Center: www.ncdc.noaa.gov
US Department of Energys "Biological and Environmental Research Program: www.er.doe.gov/production/ober/ober_top.html.
US Global Change Research Program 2001: www.usgcrp.govAlso, in the declaration of the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Environmental Racism is recognized as:
28. Recognizing environmental racism as a form of racial discrimination which refers to exploitation and depletion of natural resources and any environmental policy, practice, action or inaction that intentionally or unintentionally, disproportionately harms the health, eco systems, and livelihood of nations, communities, groups, or individuals, and in particular the poor. (Click here to view the whole document)
For more information aboutt environmental racism:
http://egj.lib.uidaho.edu/egj01/weint01.htmlI hope you find this informative and I look forward to our Spring forums (schedule TBA).
Sincerely,
Whitney A. Bauman
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