Six years ago, the Rev. Sally Bingham of San Francisco Grace Cathedral launched the Episcopal Power and Light ministry. The group persuaded 27 California churches to install solar panels and 61 churches to switch to a renewable power company called Green Mountain Energy. "We carry tremendous guilt knowing that we are polluting our neighbor's air every time we turn on the lights," said Bingham. "We have been forced into sinful behavior that frightens us." Her work launched a national Interfaith Power and Light movement.

In Michigan, Father Charles Morris, Pastor, St. Elizabeth Catholic Church of Wyandotte, has been leading an effort to organize an in-state Interfaith Power and Light Coalition (IPLC). Father Morris has received national recognition for his work in energy efficiency and renewable energy. In 2002, he received a small grant from the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) ENERGY STAR program to conduct a feasibility study for a Michigan IPLC. Founded in 1967, SBAM is a statewide trade association. Under grants from the State of Michigan, Department of Consumer and Industry Services, Energy Office, SBAM operates a statewide program that includes an ENERGY STAR for Congregations component.

The ENERGY STAR program was created by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help consumers become aware of the ENERGY STAR concept and to promote the availability of ENERGY STAR products.

Congregations offer opportunities for significant energy savings and a three-year simple payback. In Michigan, the average annual energy cost for a religious building is between $.48 per square foot and $.68 per square foot. A congregation with an annual energy expense of $25,000 can reduce energy use by 30%, saving $7,500 per year. Opportunities for energy savings exist in building lighting, envelope tune-ups (conservation) and office equipment. Opportunities also exist for better time-of-use charges and on-site electrical generation.

The 2002 MiIPLC feasibility study was successful and, beginning in 2003, SBAM ENERGY STAR is funding Father Morris to launch a Michigan Interfaith Power and Light Coalition (MiIPLC). The MiIPLC was officially founded in January 2003 when over 50 congregations met at the SBAM headquarters in Lansing for their founding meeting. MiIPLC will aggregate congregations, Mosques, Temples and others to purchase deregulated electricity, demand-side energy (ENERGY STAR) and Green Power. To join the MiIPLC or for more information, contact Father Charles Morris at saintlizzy@ameritech.net.