What We Do

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Green Up helps congregation and their members make the individual changes needed to tackle climate change.  Whether this is installing energy efficient lighting in their houses of worship or putting solar up on their roofs, every action that reduces climate pollution is an important step in the right direction!

There are simple, low-barrier, low-cost actions any building or house can take, from different light bulbs, new fixtures and new light switches to sealing the weak points and painting a flat roof with reflective aluminum paint. Every effort to seal a building reduces the use of watts.

Once the building is working at peak efficiency, the major sources of power usage can be examined. The kitchen appliances, heating and cooling, and general lighting are usually the biggest energy draws. There are a lot of solutions available that will pay for themselves quickly and then continue to help the budget with reduced energy bills.

Solar panels and installation prices have fallen throughout 2015 and 2016. Many business providers offer leases of solar panels that include installation. Look up the Sungevity page on this website for an example.

 

Go Solar with NYIPL and Sungevity

The NYIPL Board is excited to announce we’ve formed a new partnership with an innovative solar company, Sungevity, to reduce our own carbon footprint and raise funds for the vital work of NYIPL. Sungevity is a leader in residential solar and their solar fundraising program. Sungevity.org, works with non-profits to educate their members on going solar, as well as raise valuable funds for local non-governmental organizations. NYIPL has partnered with Sungevity to develop a simple way to raise funds for the organization, save money by lowering your electricity bill, and reduce the amount of GHGs reaching the atmosphere.

If you sign up with Sungevity through NYIPL for a residence, you will receive a personal credit of $750 towards your system, and NYIPL will receive a contribution of $750 too! Make the switch and request a free solar quote to see if your roof is right for solar panels. It’s a win for you, a win for us, and a win for the environment.

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North Presbyterian Church Installs Solar Panels

On May 5th, Climate Action Day, Dr. Pat Townsend gathered with friends and family at her North Presbyterian Church to showcase their newly-installed and dedicated solar panels. This was an event that was meant to show the people that there is hope and that climate change is a battle that we can conquer…one solar panel at a time!

NYIPL’s Position on Solar Jobs Legislation

POSITION STATEMENT
2011 Solar Jobs Bill
A.5713 (Englebright) / S.4178 (Maziarz)

Statement: New York Interfaith Power and Light strongly supports the New York Solar Industry Development and Jobs Act of 2011.  The bill will position New York as a renewable energy leader by establishing a sustainable market for solar energy development.  Increasing New York’s reliance on solar energy will provide a hedge against volatile fossil fuel prices, reduce peak demand, improve the quality of the air we breathe, and drive economic development across the state.

The legislation draws from and improves upon successful models in other states, and supports a broad diversity of business models, customer types and technologies in order to ensure market growth in all market sectors.  The bill creates the long-term certainty necessary for solar investment, while continuously driving lower-cost installations.  And since solar creates more jobs per MW than any other power source (on a capacity basis), it’s an excellent driver of local economic development.  Over the course of the program, the proposed policy will create jobs across a wide spectrum of professions, ranging from business managers and salespeople to engineers, installers and electricians.  With an established local market, New York will have the opportunity build a manufacturing base, and play a leadership role in this important energy resource of the future.
Solar is well matched to New York’s power needs, as its highest production comes in the summer when the state needs power the most.  This correlation to system peak means that an investment in solar reduces the need for the most expensive, and often most polluting, electricity generation supply.  In addition, solar energy’s modularity means that it can be sited within congested distribution networks, saving on electric line network upgrades and reducing the need for new transmission.
Jumpstarting the solar industry in New York will have a gross impact of less than 1 percent to total statewide spending on electricity—and that’s not counting the benefits of transitioning from volatile, polluting fossil fuels to fuel-free renewable resources.  It’s a small price to pay to start saving with the sun.
This bill will create new jobs, increase energy independence, reduce global warming pollution, and improve electricity system reliability.  It’s what New York needs, and we strongly urge its immediate passage.

NYIPL: New York Interfaith Power & Light is a faith-based non-profit organization that serves the state of New York.  Our mission is to support congregations of all faiths in their actions to curb global warming and protect the sacredness of the earth. We currently have 79 member congregations, and regularly communicate with 900 people via our email list.

We are part of a national network of congregations of all faiths concerned about the effects of global warming and power plant pollution.

Contact: Janna Stieg Watkins, NYIPL Executive Director (315) 256-0078

Solar Industry Development and Jobs Act

Solar power is clean, safe, and renewable and can provide jobs here in New York State.  The Solar Jobs Act would provide a blueprint to increase New York State’s production of solar power up to 5000 megawatts (MW) by 2025. According to the Citizens’ Campaign for the Environment, that is enough energy to power approximately:

  • 1 million NYS homes (at 5 kW system size); or
  • 100,000 (50 kW) grocery stores; or
  • 50,000 (100 kW) schools; or
  • 10,000 (500 kW) parking garages; or
  • 5,000 (1 MW) shopping malls.

That would create approximately 22,000 new jobs and $500 million in new wages, as well as investing in an energy source that does not produce greenhouse gases.

Read the Citizens’ Campaign for the Environment article here.

You can also find a summary of last year’s Act compiled by Vote Solar.