Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light

Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light The Light of Love. The Power to Change.

We are Massachusetts people of faith acting for climate justice: by prayer & worship, by conserving energy & using renewable sources, and by mobilizing to win the policy changes the crisis demands.

"In the mountains, worldly attachments are left behind, and in the absence of material distractions, we are opened up to...
08/28/2026

"In the mountains, worldly attachments are left behind, and in the absence of material distractions, we are opened up to spiritual thought. We should be attempting to carry the spiritual experience of the mountains with us everywhere." — Jamling Tenzing Norgay

There's a reason so many faith traditions find the sacred in wild places. This summer, our Youth Ambassadors felt it firsthand at Weir Hill Preserve, discovering the life in a single patch of land and even pausing to honor a fish they found along the way. Being somewhere that wasn't human made opened something in them.

The challenge Norgay names is ours too: to carry that reverence home, into how we live, worship, and care for our shared world every day.

Pray, Act, Mobilize for Climate Justice.

Our August Recap is here.This month reminded us what interfaith climate work really looks like: 17 young people in Lawre...
08/27/2026

Our August Recap is here.

This month reminded us what interfaith climate work really looks like: 17 young people in Lawrence caring for our shared world, congregations moving toward solar and geothermal, and a fresh new website to tie it all together.

One of our favorite moments? A Youth Ambassador who planted a whole packet of tomato seeds in one small pot and now proudly tends ten thriving plants. Small beginnings, real growth.

Read the full recap at the link in our comments, and join us this fall for our solar webinar.

Pray, Act, Mobilize for Climate Justice.

Sometimes caring for our shared world starts with the low-hanging fruit.That's exactly where Temple Beth Shalom in Needh...
08/24/2026

Sometimes caring for our shared world starts with the low-hanging fruit.

That's exactly where Temple Beth Shalom in Needham began. When it was time to replace an aging oil furnace, the congregation installed two high-efficiency gas boilers, then kept going. They swapped every incandescent bulb for efficient lighting, added insulation and thermopane windows, and gave each classroom its own programmable thermostat so no room gets heated unless it's actually in use.

Each step was manageable on its own. Together, they add up to thousands of dollars saved every year and tens of thousands of pounds of CO2 kept out of the air, the equivalent of planting roughly 2,100 trees.

What makes this story special is that the building is only half of it. Beth Shalom's Shomrei Adamah (Guardians of the Earth) committee brings environmental education and action to the whole community, and the congregation's young people have gotten in on it too, selling reusable grocery bags to raise awareness and fund the work.

It's a reminder that environmental stewardship doesn't have to happen all at once. Small, faithful steps, taken together, can carry a community a long way.

Read the full story at the link in comments.

"When the planet herself sings to us in our dreams, will we be able to wake ourselves, and act?"These words from poet Ga...
08/21/2026

"When the planet herself sings to us in our dreams, will we be able to wake ourselves, and act?"

These words from poet Gary Lawless ask the question at the heart of our work: not just whether we can hear the natural world, but whether we're willing to respond.

At MassIPL, waking up and acting looks like congregations weatherizing their buildings, going solar, and moving toward geothermal. It looks like people of many faiths coming together around our shared world. The animals, the plants, and the planet are speaking. Our calling is to answer.

Pray, Act, Mobilize for Climate Justice

Did you know your house of worship could qualify for a federal incentive that covers up to 40% of a solar project? The c...
08/20/2026

Did you know your house of worship could qualify for a federal incentive that covers up to 40% of a solar project?

The catch is timing: this "direct pay" benefit is set to end December 31, 2027, so now is the time to learn what's possible.

Join us Tuesday, September 22 at 7:00 PM ET for a free webinar. You'll learn how direct pay works, the key steps to developing a solar project, and how to keep it moving forward. Plus, everyone who registers gets a free, no-obligation evaluation of their building's solar potential from our newest partner, New England Clean Energy.

MassIPL has helped more than 60 houses of worship go solar. If your community has ever considered it, this is your moment.

Register now at the link in comments!

Every appliance has three price tags: what you pay at the store, the energy it uses, and the cost of repairs down the ro...
08/18/2026

Every appliance has three price tags: what you pay at the store, the energy it uses, and the cost of repairs down the road.

Old appliances are quiet budget-drainers. The average home spends about $1,866 a year on electricity, and more than a quarter of that comes from appliances. A refrigerator alone can eat up 20% of a building's electricity, and models made before 1999 often fall short of today's efficiency standards.

The good news: EnergyStar models use 15–75% less electricity than conventional ones, with equal performance. A few examples from the guide:
- Switching from a late-1990s fridge to a new model can save ~$840 over 5 years
- EnergyStar washers use ~20% less energy and 30% less water, saving ~$530 over their lifetime
- An EnergyStar dishwasher can cut utility bills ~$220/year, or $3,300 over its lifetime

Since 1992, the EnergyStar program has kept 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. And remember: the greenest choice is always to use less in the first place. Less Is More!

Full story linked in the comments.

Shelburne Falls sits beside the Deerfield River, where hurricanes and heavy rain have brought serious flooding. For Trin...
08/17/2026

Shelburne Falls sits beside the Deerfield River, where hurricanes and heavy rain have brought serious flooding. For Trinity Church, that reality turned climate resilience into a calling. This mission-oriented congregation is transforming its building into an emergency hub, a place that can offer neighbors shelter, energy, and food when disaster strikes.

Here's what they've done, and what's underway:
- Installed solar through a Solar Power Purchase Agreement, avoiding high upfront costs while locking in cleaner, lower-cost power
- Received $6,500 of free insulation in their bell tower, offices, and basement, all in a single day, through a Mass Save weatherization project
- Adding 2 EV chargers at no cost, thanks to a United Methodist Church grant
- Ready to serve, with a commercial-grade kitchen and community meals program built for emergencies
- Working with the town to install a commercial-grade generator so the doors stay open, and the heat and power stay on, when the grid goes down

In 2026 they launched "Building Joy," a $250,000 community-wide campaign to strengthen worship, expand digital ministry, and deepen their ability to serve neighbors in need.

Their biggest lesson? Just start the conversation. Trinity reached out to Mass Save about heat pumps and discovered weatherization support they never knew existed. As Rev. Benjiman Durfee puts it: "There is no reason not to do it, and every reason to go for it. There's always more that you can do and people waiting to support you in living out your faith."

Full story linked in the comments.

Meet Alan Sherman, the newest member of our Executive Committee! Alan brings deep solar expertise, from co-chairing the ...
08/14/2026

Meet Alan Sherman, the newest member of our Executive Committee! Alan brings deep solar expertise, from co-chairing the Solar Energy Committee at Temple Emunah in Lexington to advising congregations across the Commonwealth on bringing clean energy to their houses of worship. We sat down with him to hear his story, what drew him to this work, and what he hopes to help MassIPL accomplish in the year ahead. Swipe through to get to know Alan.

"In our understanding, the way we relate to nature as creation directly reflects the way we relate to God as Creator. Th...
08/14/2026

"In our understanding, the way we relate to nature as creation directly reflects the way we relate to God as Creator. There can be no distinction between concern for human welfare, protection of the environment, and care for our salvation." — Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the "Green Patriarch" of the Eastern Orthodox Church

At MassIPL, this is the conviction that unites us across traditions: caring for the Earth is not separate from our faith, it is an expression of it. Every congregation that weatherizes its building, goes solar, or starts a green team is living out that connection between faith and action. Across more than three thousand houses of worship in Massachusetts, that shared calling has the power to move mountains.

How is your congregation answering the call? Reach out to learn how MassIPL can help.

Our August link roundup is live on the blog: one place for the many ways faith communities across Massachusetts are pray...
08/13/2026

Our August link roundup is live on the blog: one place for the many ways faith communities across Massachusetts are praying, acting, and mobilizing for our climate this month.

Inside you'll find the Season of Creation and this year's Living Water theme, MassIPL's new interfaith "Sustainable Faith" reflection series, virtual office hours with Michael Reed and Jim Nail on August 20, Climate Summer actions happening across the state, and plenty more to pray on, act on, and mobilize around.

As Van Jones reminds us, hope rests in the convergence of spiritual people becoming active and active people becoming spiritual.

Read the full roundup at the link in the comments.

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