GWIPL Newsletter: June 2007

IN THIS ISSUE
Upcoming Events
News

Upcoming Events
June 10 - You're Invited to DC's 2nd Green Tikkun
This exciting half-day workshop will focus on how to green your Shul/ Jewish community. Workshops will include Greening Simchas, Green Education and Youth Programming, and policy briefings. Because most workshops will be happening simultaneously, we encourage you to have 4 representatives present.
When: Sunday, June 10 from 2-5:30pm
Where: Tifereth Israel Congregation, 7701 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC
Please check http://www.gwipl.org/greenmenorahtikkun.asp for updates and more information on workshops.
For more information please contact Allison at Allison@gwipl.org or 202-885-8684.

June 13 - Cooling the Commonwealth: Making Virginia a Leader in Global Warming Solutions!
A "Town Hall" Interactive Forum with:
Chairman Gerry Connolly - Chair, Fairfax County (VA) Board of Supervisors
Dr. Jagadish Shukla - Professor & Chair, GMU Climate Dynamics Program
Mike Tidwell - Founder & Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Al Weed - Chair, Public Policy Virginia; Entrepreneur
When: Wednesday, June 13, 6:30 - 9 pm
Where: GMU Fairfax Campus, Johnson Center Cinema *
Sponsored by Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) and The Sierra Club
RSVP Appreciated to Paul Burman, paul@chesapeakeclimate.org and (301) 891-6833, or Bram Groen, gerbrandg@gmail.com and (703) 830-3735.
* Directions: Enter 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA. Park @ Mason Pond Parking Deck. Exit 3rd level. Johnson Center is diagonally to right past George Mason statue. Cinema is on lower level.

Go to the GWIPL Event Calendar

Update: Cool Capital Challenge
There are new resources available at http://www.gwipl.org/Coolcapitalchallenge.asp to help you engage your congregation in the Cool Capital Challenge. The goal of the Challenge is to reduce CO2 emissions by one billion pounds by Earth Day 2008. Congregations sign up in teams and the top reducing congregations will receive special recognition. The new resources include sign-up sheets, sample emails, a sample newsletter blurb, talking points, and suggestions on activities. The Challenge is a great way to involve all of the families of your congregation and see what difference you can make together. Join the Challenge today!

A Cool Congregation: Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring
Due to major concern about the state of the planet, Bob Geiger and other member of UU of Silver Spring formed a Global Warming Study/ Action group in August of 2006. Since that time, the nine regular members have galvanized their entire congregation. They received help from GWIPL with a free energy assessment and got to work increasing their congregation's energy efficiency. One of the top items of their list was to replace their exit signs with more energy efficient light emitting diode signs (LEDs). Using money from their property budget, they were able to acquire 16 signs, at a cost of $329.12 from the GWIPL online store. (To access the store visit http://www.gwipl.org/save_energy/buy.asp) An additional 12 signs were acquired for free from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. The installation of these signs will allow them to save 171,696 KWH, 235,567 pounds of CO2, and $17,170 over the life time of the products. Furthermore these signs will pay for themselves in one year.

The congregation did not stop there. With some of their money savings, they continued their commitment to stop global warming. By participating in Montgomery County's Clean Energy Rewards Program they were able to purchase offsets for 40,000 KWH (equivalent to 50 percent of their electricity usage) at a discounted rate, only costing them $200.00 for the entire year. To celebrate they held a public education session, with 30 people in attendance, to encourage members and the community to make energy saving changes and invest in clean energy in their own homes, thus helping to make a larger impact to cool the planet. Congratulations to UU of Silver Spring in all of their efforts to protect creation!

(If you would like to schedule a free energy assessment please contact Allison at Allison@gwipl.org or 202-885-8684.)

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Arlington Holds Cover-the-Carbon- Footprint Day! 
At UU of Arlington they are motivated about CFL light bulbs. These lights are 75% more efficient and last up to 10 times as long as standard incandescent bulbs. They have had two very successful programs, which are a true model to other congregations.

The Adopt-A-Bulb campaign set out to raise enough money to replace all the high-power incandescent bulbs in the Fellowship Hall and the Activity Room with new compact fluorescent bulbs. They met their goal and went beyond it, raising enough money to replace most of the track lights in the church halls as well. They estimate these bulb changes will save the church $1,440 and over 7,200 pounds of CO2 emissions each year.

Members are still working on their second goal: to have congregants buy enough compact fluorescent bulbs for their own homes to cover up the Big Bad Carbon Footprint with Earth stickers. Here's how it works:

Buy one or more compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) over the next two weeks. At church on Sunday, June 17, go to the Green Action table during coffee hour and get an Earth sticker for each CFL you bought.

Take the sticker and put it on the Big Bad Carbon Footprint. If you have a child at church, let him or her put it on. The Carbon Footprint is already two-thirds covered. Let's finish it off on June 17! Just by changing enough light bulbs to cover up the Footprint with Earth stickers, we can prevent up to 50,000 pounds of CO2 from going into the air every year.

Tired of using those toxic foam cups at events?
Thanks to our Unitarian Universalist friends, GWIPL congregations now have access to a special 5% discount to the Green Line Paper company. The Green Line Paper company offers 100% post consumer recycled office paper, non-toxic cleaning products, sugar cane waste fiber paper cups, and many other environmentally friendly paper products. Please contact Allison at Allison@gwipl.org or 202-885-8684 for more information and the special discount code. Visit Green Line's website at www.greenlinepaper.com.

Support GWIPL today
You can make a secure online donation at http://www.gwipl.org/support_us.asp. Every dollar helps us to protect creation.

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