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September 1, 2024

Dear Joan,

"Belonging" by Rosemary Wahtola Trommer

And if it's true we are alone,

We are alone together,

the way blades of grass

are alone, but exist as a field....

Alone as we are, our small voices

weave into one big conversation.

Our actions are essential

to the one infinite story of what it is

to be alive...

Wonderful IPL community -- as we move into September and this time of softening light, sunflowers, transformation, equinox, and the deep hope of creation -- may these words touch and inspire us to remember the beauty and boundlessness of our belonging to the earth and to one another. May we remember that our actions are essential and hold a power far beyond what we can know or comprehend in this "infinite story of what it is to be alive." You can find the rest of this beautiful poem from Rosemary Wahstola Trommer here.

Please find below updates from our collective work and many offerings of resources and ways to engage with NM IPL and beyond that are upcoming this fall. If you are looking for Season of Creation (Sept 1st - Oct 4th) or Rosh Hashanah worship resources, please find those toward the end of the newsletter in "More Resources."

For timely updates, please see the "events" page of our website.

Blessings of courage and peace to all,

Your IPL Team, Sr. Joan Brown, Rev. Clara SIms, Carlos Navarro

You're Invited

Mining, Faith, and the Future of Green Technology

Monday, September 30th at 6pm MT (webinar registration link)

Amidst our collective energy transition away from fossil fuels, demand for transitional minerals is rapidly increasingly all over the world and in our backyards. Given widespread practices of mining, especially on Indigenous lands, how are people of faith and conscience called to respond? Join us for a webinar co-sponsored by the Western State Affiliates of Interfaith Power and Light to learn about the landscape of mining in the United States, past and present, as we hear from panelists who hold a wide range of expertise and wisdom on issues of extractivism.Panelists include: Marianne Comfort with the Intereligious Working Group on Extractive Industries; Pat Gonzales-Rogers with Yale Center for Environmental Justice, and Ileagh Maclvers who is the Clean Transportation Organizer with Interfaith Power and Light.

NM IPL was honored to be a part of a prayer service with Apache Stronghold as they continue to make their way to the United States Supreme Court. Thank you to First Congregational UCC, ABQ Mennonite, and Monte Vista Church for helping make Apache Stronghold welcome in Albuquerque.

We along with other organizations have signed "amicus briefs" (friends of the court), to help support Apache Stronghold's case to protect their sacred lands of Chi'chil Biłdagoteel (Oak Flat) and to stop the "shattering of human existance" that follows from our rampantly extractive economies and worldviews.

On the left, Sr. Joan, Rev. Ryan, and Rev. Clara using waters gathered from the Rio Grande and around the world to bless Apache Stronghold on their journey.

Please send your prayers on their continued journey, which you can follow HERE.

More Upcoming Events

Building Community Through Art and Eco-Journaling

Saturday, September 7th, 2:00-4:30 at Nahalat Shalom (3606 Rio Grande Blvd, NW ABQ)

You are invited to Building Community Through Art & Eco-Journaling: As We Live in Climate Changing Times, offered by Nell Burrus and NM & El Paso Interfaith Power and Light. For further details please click this link.

Forum on Nuclear Strategy: Disarmament & Deterrence in a Dangerous World

Saturday, September 7th at 1:45-5:00 pm MST

University of New Mexico will feature high-ranking public policy experts, influential spiritual leaders, and prominent academics exploring strategic and ethical responses to one of the most urgent issues facing humanity: the rising threat of nuclear war.The forum will be livestreamed on the IACS YouTube channel at YouTube.com/@iacsusc.

To register, visit dornsife.usc.edu/iacs/nuclearevent/

Neighborhood Pollinator Plant Giveways in September!

• San Pedro/International district, Sept. 14-15
• South Valley/Vecino Del Bosque and Crestview Bluff, Sept. 21-22
• Heights/Loma del Rey and Sandia School, Sept. 28-29

If you love plants and pollinators, and love to hobnob with people, please consider volunteering for Think Like a Bee's Pollinators in the Neighborhood native plant giveaways in September. We will be giving away plants in multiple neighborhoods, in conjunction with CABQ and need runners, greeters, plant ushers, educators and more! If interested, contact Project Manager Elizabeth Reed @ ereed_fr@yahoo.com or text/call 505 980 5941.

Navigating the Future: Faith, Climate, Science and Action - Dr. Lisa Graumlich

IPL National Virtual Conference Keynote Speaker

Wednesday, September 18th at 1pm MT (virtual)

Climate scientist and visionary thinker Dr. Lisa Graumlich. Dr. Graumlich, who was recently ordained a deacon in the Episcopal church, will discuss the latest news in climate science and unpack what we can do in our own faith and spiritual communities. Rev. Susan Hendershot will host this informative and inspiring discussion. The talk will be followed by a question and answer session. Zoom link: https://interfaithpowerandlight.zoom.us/j/88363486634

NM Water Advocates Monthly Educational Webinar: Agua es Vida!

What the Aridification of New Mexico Means

Thursday, September 19th at 6:30 pm MT (virtual)

David Gutzler and David DuBois will present how and why New Mexico is drying, what we can expect, and the certainty of the science. The science of global warming impacts on New Mexico's climate will guide us in how we manage and protect our scarce and life sustaining water supplies.

Register here.

Fall Equinox Seasonal Gathering with our Earth & Spirit Sharing

September 25 at 6pm MT on Zoom

Our NM IPL monthly gathering with Lisa Leahigh this month will focus on honoring this time of fall equinox. We hope you can join for this special event of grounding and renewal. Register here.

Mining, Faith, and the Future of Green Technology (webinar)

Monday, September 30th at 6:00 pm MT

Join us for a webinar co-sponsored by the Western State Affiliates of Interfaith Power and Light to learn about the landscape of mining in the United States, past and present, as we hear from panelists who hold a wide range of expertise and wisdom on issues of extractivism. See above for registration link and further details.

Edible Histories of the Middle Rio Grande: How we are Impacted Today

November, 14 (save the date)

La Mesa Presbyertain Church will host a wonderful event uplifting the food histories of the middle Rio Grande. Tom Hughes, who has authored multiple Eating Histories, will be a main presenter. Stay tuned for more details!

Leadership Transitions at NM IPL

After more than a decade of serving as the founding Executive Director of New Mexico & El Paso Region Interfaith Power and Light, Sr. Joan Brown is transitioning out of this role and will remain a part of NM & El Paso IPL focusing on work of solidarity and advocacy with southeastern NM and the oil and gas reform needed in the Permian Basin Region and across the state. Amidst this transition, we know our NM & El Paso IPL community is immensely grateful for the inspiring, dedicated moral leadership that Sr. Joan has and continues to bring in caring for our NM communities of creation and our entire common home!

In this new chapter, we are excited to bring on a new Executive Director and hope you will share this opportunity with anyone who you think might want to join our NM IPL Team in working to honor and protect this sacred gift of creation.

Please find the job posting here.

Climate Justice in the News

"In This Tiny New Mexico Town, The Air Quality is Worse than Downtown LA"

A group of air quality scientists with decades of experience have found some of the worst air pollution they’ve encountered in years in the tiny town of Loving, New Mexico, where the ozone level is often worse than it is in downtown Los Angeles. 

Despite the elevated readings, the Environmental Protection Agency — the primary enforcer of the nation’s Clean Air Act — has not acted on the findings, or other existing data documenting years of pollution in the area — despite rules indicating that they could.

In April 2023, five scientists working with a grant from HEI Energy began monitoring the air quality in Loving, a mostly Latino town of 1,400 in the middle of the Permian Basin, the country’s most productive oilfield. Millions of samples later, the collected data consistently showed high levels of a broad range of air pollutants, including toxic volatile organic compounds and ozone levels that regularly exceeded federal Clean Air Act guidelines. But the EPA has not declared the area an ozone nonattainment zone, which would force corrective action. In the Permian Basin, that would mean a crackdown on the oil and gas industry, the area’s main polluter....full article HERE.

More Resources

Rosh Hashanah (Sept 22-24)

Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin explores the environmental underpinnings in Rosh Hashanah prayers that lead us to recognize our stewardship and role in protecting the world in which we live! Environmental Underpinnings in Rosh Hashanah Liturgy: We are Stewards of Our World...

Season of Creation (Sept 1 - Oct 4)

And with it, varrious worship resources from different Christian denominations and organizations -- including from Lutherans Restoring Creation and the Catholic Climate Covenant.

Our Land on PBS

Sister Joan Brown, Executive Director of NM & El Paso IPL was part of a featured story by journalist Laura Paskus on Our Land on NM PBS in July. Here is a link

https://sourcenm.com/2024/07/19/being-one-with-everything/

From Catholic Climate Covenant

“Let Us Sow Hope,” the 2024 Feast of St. Francis program is now available. This year’s program is designed to assist you to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis (October 4^th or another date that works for you and your community), become instruments of God’s peace and commit to climate actions as a way to avoid climate despair and sow climate hope.

The Covenant will be hosting a film discussion on August 13 from 7-8 P.M. ET to discuss Teilhard: Visionary Scientist. We strongly recommend you watch it ahead of the discussion here. Distinguished Teilhard de Chardin expert, Sr. Kathleen Duffy SSJ, will lead us in an online conversation exploring the life and theological and scientific contributions of the famous Jesuit. You can register for the webinar here.

From Creation Justice Ministries:

Faithful Resilience Collection, a six-part Story Map series that promotes place-based awareness for communities of faith. As climate change illuminates our interdependency with Creation, it compels us to prioritize the healing of our imbalanced relationships with Earth and one another. We are called to actions of resilient care for human and non-human communities, actions that recognize Creation for its inherent dignity and honor our own belonging in the web of life.

The Film "Common Ground" now available to non-profits for FREE

This phenomenal film from makers of "Kiss The Ground" brings to light the extraordinary power of the soil to heal our planetary systems and human health. If your faith community or non-profit organization would like to show the film, the screening rights are now free. IPL's faith climate action page takes you through the simple licensing steps.

2024 Faith Votes Campaign & Voter Reflection Guide

Interfaith Power & Light's national office has created a faithful voter reflection guide for their 2024 Faith Votes campaign. This reflection guide is intended to spur discussion and discernment and is on-line or printed in English and Spanish. Let us know if you want copies and we will order and get to you FREE.

Learn more about New Mexico Community Solar through these resources.

Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth Community Worship Resources

This group offers free monthly worship and small group ministry resources focused on Earth care and climate justice: and bonus materials: Spiritual Care for Climate Distress, Anxiety and Grief.

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Money For Your House of Worship or Your Own House

Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, you can get a 30% rebate on your house of worship's solar project, Ground Source Heat Pump, and EV charging station.

Here's how it works: Fact Sheet for Houses of Worship

Additional resources that might be helpful:

• Cool Congregations website
• Denominational sources for financing for energy work/solar are found in IPL’s Solar Financing Guide.