Interfaith Power & Light

Interfaith Power & Light
Name	Interfaith Power & Light
Formation	2000
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	United States
Region served	United States

Interfaith Power & Light is an American nonprofit coalition of religious organizations and faith leaders advocating for climate action, energy conservation, and environmental stewardship. Founded at the turn of the 21st century, it mobilizes congregations across multiple denominations to reduce carbon footprints, promote renewable energy, and influence public policy. The coalition engages with religious communities, civic institutions, and environmental networks to integrate theological teaching with practical sustainability initiatives.

History

Interfaith Power & Light emerged in 2000 during a period of growing public attention to climate change and faith-based activism, following events such as the outcome of the Kyoto Protocol negotiations and the rise of environmental organizations like the Sierra Club and Greenpeace. Early founders drew inspiration from faith-based efforts tied to the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches, and campaigns associated with prominent religious leaders such as Pope John Paul II and Desmond Tutu. Initial state-level campaigns paralleled work by the Union of Concerned Scientists and aligned with climate advocacy seen in organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Defense Fund. As the organization expanded, it established networks comparable to those of the Faith in Public Life and the Evangelical Environmental Network, often intersecting with interdenominational initiatives linked to Presbyterian Church (USA), United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church (United States), United Church of Christ, and Jewish Reconstructionist Movement communities.

Mission and Activities

The stated mission centers on mobilizing religious communities to address global warming through education, advocacy, and action. Activities include installing solar arrays on houses of worship, retrofitting facilities inspired by programs run by the Rocky Mountain Institute and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, and producing liturgical resources comparable to those circulated by Laudato Si'-influenced Catholic networks and interfaith environmental curricula promoted by the Parliament of the World's Religions. The organization often frames environmental stewardship within theological conversations that reference leaders and institutions such as Pope Francis, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, and academic centers like the Yale School of the Environment and Harvard Divinity School. Public outreach has involved partnerships with civic actors like the Sierra Club's Ready for 100 campaigns and municipal initiatives in cities such as San Francisco, New York City, and Boston.

Organizational Structure and Affiliates

The coalition operates as a national umbrella with state and regional affiliates modeled on nonprofit governance structures used by groups like the Union of Concerned Scientists and Environmental Defense Fund. Leadership typically includes executive directors, advisory councils featuring clergy and scientists from institutions like Stanford University, Columbia University, and Princeton University, and local coordinators working within dioceses, synagogues, mosques, and temples. Affiliates have formed in states ranging from California to Texas and Massachusetts to North Carolina, often collaborating with statewide actors such as the Massachusetts Interfaith Coalition and Texas-based faith networks. Institutional partners have included seminaries like Union Theological Seminary and organizations such as the Faith & Ecology initiative at the Yale Divinity School.

Campaigns and Programs

Notable campaigns include solarize initiatives to place photovoltaic systems on houses of worship, energy audit and weatherization drives modeled on programs run by the Department of Energy and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, and voter-engagement projects timed with national elections similar to efforts by Faith in Public Life and Sojourners. Programs often use resources adapted from climate science communicated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and outreach strategies used by advocacy organizations such as 350.org and the Sunrise Movement. The coalition has organized thematic campaigns for creation care, interfaith climate marches inspired by global demonstrations like the Global Climate Strike, and educational series incorporating scholarship from scholars at institutions such as Oxford University, Cambridge, and the London School of Economics.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding has traditionally come from a mix of philanthropic foundations, congregational contributions, and grants from environmental funders similar to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Ford Foundation, and the Packard Foundation. Partnerships have included collaborations with environmental NGOs such as the Sierra Club, nonprofit clean-energy providers, and faith-based groups like Sojourners, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Catholic Relief Services. The organization has occasionally engaged with corporate solar developers and municipal utility programs modeled after partnerships seen in cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle.

Impact and Criticism

Supporters credit the coalition with mobilizing thousands of congregations, installing solar projects on houses of worship, and contributing to public policy debates at state legislatures and in municipal planning processes, paralleling influence seen in broader faith-based movements such as the Moral Monday protests and the Poor People's Campaign. Critics have questioned the scale and measurable emissions reductions of faith-based programs compared with corporate and governmental action, and some have raised concerns about fundraising transparency and the prioritization of local versus national strategies, similar to scrutiny leveled at large nonprofits and advocacy groups. Debates have also mirrored broader tensions between climate science communicators like Michael E. Mann and political actors in debates over climate policy in legislatures such as the United States Congress.

Category:Environmental organizations based in the United States