Interfaith Power & Light DC MD NoVa

10/12/2026

For the latest episode of Maryland Delegate Lorig Charkoudian's podcast, she spoke to Tanushree from Action in Montgomery - AIM and Joelle from Interfaith Power & Light DC MD NoVa about our grassroots education on the harms of gas-burning, and about how the WARMTH Act network geothermal project coming to Silver Spring offers a collective solution.
"Faith communities know how to do this," Joelle says. "We know how to sing in a choir and have our different parts sound good together. We know how to have a really great potluck, where everyone brings their own dish ...
So much conversation about the climate crisis focuses us on what we might be losing. But we wear stickers that say 'We're pumped for neighborhood geothermal!' It's nice to feel like we're getting pumped for a future we can be excited about."

10/08/2026

This evening at 6 pm, with friends at PA IPL and Michigan Interfaith Power & Light and National Wildlife Federation, in conversation with one of our founding leaders, Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb. Come learn about the beauty and power of religious communities cultivating life-giving landscapes with native plants. 🌾 🐛 🌿 🦋 🌻 🐝 🌳 🐦

Join us THIS THURSDAY, October 8, 6-7:30 p.m. EDT for our Sacred Grounds Interfaith Panel! Register here: tinyurl.com/SacredGroundsPanel

Co-hosted by National Wildlife Federation - Mid-Atlantic Regional Center , National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center, PA IPL, Interfaith Power & Light DC MD NoVa, & Michigan Interfaith Power & Light

We are honored to host our three panelists, speaking from different faith traditions. Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, D.Min., is Rabbi Emeritus of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation, the Director of Climate Partnerships and Advocacy at Adamah, and was a part of the team that co-founded Sacred Grounds in 2012. RuthAnn Purchase James is a representative from the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware and is a current participant in the Delaware Watershed Sacred Grounds program. Myngju is the head monk and teacher at the Detroit Zen Center. With a blue-collar Zen approach – in the spirit of early Zen communities – she & fellow students cook, clean, garden, build, & do other manual work to support themselves & the Center.

10/02/2026

10/01/2026

We spent a beautiful evening with Mobilize Frederick in the Beth Sholom Congregation Frederick MD sukkah last night, talking about why climate change matters to each of us and how we can shift away from fuel burning at home and in our communities. We also sampled chocolate fondue prepared on an all-electric induction cooktop.
Because of a good fan, nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the synagogue kitchen stayed below unhealthy levels when the gas-burning stove was on. That said, it was sobering to realize that the stove's gas-burning pilot lights and even the sanctuary's gas-burning "ner tamid" (eternal flame) are producing low levels of NO2 -- a serious respiratory irritant -- all the time.

09/11/2026

Our Friends at Zion Hill Baptist Church Incorporated are officially producing their own energy from heaven as of today! The church's solar system, installed and owned by Flywheel Renewables, enables them to save on ever increasing BGE bills at no up front cost to the church.

Your congregation could go solar too! Email [email protected] to connect with IPL-DMV's Clean Energy Shepherd program.

08/18/2026

💚

🎉 The countdown to our 10-year anniversary celebration continues!

Year 6 was all about expanding access to clean energy and building new opportunities for communities in Montgomery County.

In 2021, MCGB:
- Launched the County’s first community solar project.
- Became the program administrator for the County’s C-PACE program.
- Received approval to offer the CEA homeowner program statewide under EmPOWER.
- Partnered with Interfaith Power & Light DC MD NoVa to educate faith-based organizations on Commercial Solar Power Purchase Agreements.

Stay tuned next week as we continue our journey through the years leading up to our 10-year anniversary celebration! 💚

07/29/2026

Join Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA) and faith communities across our region on August 11th at 7pm for Real Wisdom Decides - Our Faith Communities Facing Data Centers, Together to learn about the data center threat to our communities, reflect on how we are called to respond, and connect (in place-based breakout groups) with grassroots leaders in data center fights in your community. Register now: bit.ly/rw-aug11

07/17/2026

Please note: mimicking our extraordinary multi-faith movement speaking out against the harms of data centers in Maryland is actually harder than it sounds: First, you need to belong to a congregation you can name. Then, you need to have multi-faith allies who are proud to be your partners. And, we can't emphasize this enough: you need to be known beyond New Jersey. (Link in comments)
Do you actually live here, attend a faith community whose name you know, and care about what data centers threaten to do to our water, air, grid, and neighborhoods? Join us 8/11 at 7 pm online for Real Wisdom Decides - Our Faith Communities Facing Data Centers, Together: bit.ly/rw-aug11

07/09/2026

Our neighbors at Northwest Park Apartments and allies across Maryland are PUMPED for a neighborhood geothermal project that will make their homes healthier and show the way to an all-electric future. It's time for the Maryland Public Service Commission to move the WARMTH Act pilots forward. https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/over-100-tenants-submit-letter-urging-maryland-public-service-commission-to-advance-delayed-networked-geothermal-pilot

As MyBGE and Washington Gas share their WARMTH Act pilot projects with the Maryland Public Service Commission today, Action in Montgomery - AIM / Maryland Just Power Alliance
and IPL-DMV congregations are standing with our neighbors at Northwest Park Apartments who want to breathe clean air at home with all-electric induction stoves and heat pumps. We are PUMPED for neighborhood geothermal in Maryland!

07/03/2026

As Maryland experiences extreme heat, families are dealing with higher energy bills while the electric grid faces record demand. Programs like EmPOWER help our neighbors reduce energy use, lower bills, and ease pressure on the grid during peak demand.

“This week shows us that we’re under a lot of stress in Maryland between heat and energy prices and the grid. Investing in ... energy efficiency should be where Maryland starts,” say our friends at the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative.

Now is the time for the Maryland Public Service Commission to strengthen EmPower, not to cut it.

Read more: https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/07/01/heat-wave-strains-pjm-grid-as-maryland-considers-energy-program-cuts/