Perry Klein asks a simple question. “How can you be faithful to your kids to conserve the environment?” He and his wife Ann made a big investment in answering that question. This spring they installed a solar array on their garage. The catalyst for the investment was their church.
Across Iowa, communities of faith are investing in clean energy. People are drawing on a multitude of forces to install renewable energy and energy efficiency. At Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, we’re helping to weave these forces together: gatherings, storytelling, investments, and advocating for smart public policy.
Plymouth Church in Des Moines is a great example of faith-based leadership grounded in their Christian calling to care for creation. A number of years ago the congregation invested in energy efficiency. This fall they plan to install a solar array, and their members have been actively involved in community and statewide efforts to support clean energy and environmental justice.
Amy Elbert, a member of Plymouth, has been working for a couple of years to promote climate action with the church membership. She said the investments in energy efficiency made a big impact but were not particularly visible.
In the spring of 2019, Iowa IPL and other congregations and groups partnered with Plymouth for a capacity crowd of over 200 people for the daylong conference Climate Revival. Amy was one of the key organizers.She says the Climate Revival conference was an important effort that communicated to church leadership that those wanting the church to invest in climate action and environmental justice were not a fringe group.
At the Climate Revival, people were asked to make a serious, concrete commitment to what they would do as a result of the conference. Amy says she made a covenant that said “I will personally become involved in getting us to install solar panels.”
The Climate Revival included a keynote from Rev. Jim Antal, a United Church of Christ minister and national leader.
“Bringing in Jim Antal showed this is an issue of faith. It’s part of our denominational identity,” says Amy.
The group of church volunteers working together were very deliberate in moving forward with this project. They built a coalition and used diplomacy to move the idea through all the channels of church leadership. By the time they got to the final stages of approval, they had hosted information sessions and answered a lot of questions from the church community.
They are working through city zoning and neighborhood hearings as they hope to start installation this fall. They are excited about the visibility of this project. The solar panels, which will be visible from multiple directions are a clear and dramatic way for the church to raise awareness of environmental justice.
Those benefits continue to multiply as the Kleins have invested in their own panels at their home. Thanks to net metering, the investment could pay off within 8 years according to Perry.
“If you have the right location, it’s a good investment. It’s also a feel good investment,” says Perry.
And just as Perry and Ann got interested in solar for their home because Plymouth was pursuing it, Perry says he’s now having conversations with his neighbors. “People are talking about it. Neighbors are intrigued.”
At Iowa IPL, we are in the business of telling the stories about faith-based climate action. We’re working to defend smart public policy like net-metering. And we’re partnering with communities around the state to help all Iowans take more bold and just actions to help solve the climate crisis.
We know more faith-based organizations are installing solar like Gloria Dei ELCA in Iowa City , Burlington Notre Dame Catholic School, Urbandale United Church of Christ, and Unitarian Universalist Society in Coralville. Let us know if your house of worship or religious organization has installed clean energy, is in the process of doing so, or is exploring the idea. We’d love to promote your efforts!