Interfaith Forest of Bliss Offers Free Small Trees to Plant

/in , , /by

The Interfaith Forest of Bliss tree planting project (a program connected with Interfaith Power and Light) will be ordering small seedlings the beginning of July.  They will arrive for planting probably late September. We have chosen two very good varieties for our region for low water, beauty, and wildlife and pollinators. We are taking orders with a commitment to pick up the trees in Albuquerque when they arrive and that they will be cared for and loved.

If you want to order through your faith community or neighborhood please give us the order in one lot.

Please make order by June 30, 2022.

Information required:

Tree type

Number of trees

Name of person

Location

E-mail address

Faith community or neighborhood association

We are trying to keep a record of all trees and locations planted for our records and so far, the project has planted or assisted in planting more than 300 trees.  Please contact Ann McCartney asims98891@aol.com

Desert Willow

Growth Rate: Fast

Mature Height:  25 feet

Water Requirements:  Low

Alkalinity Tolerance:  high

 Elevation:  3000 – 6000

Cold Hardiness:  Fair-Good

Color:  It has showy white and pink flowers

Suggested Uses:  windbreaks, erosion control, screens, and wildlife plantings.

Pest Problems: no major pests

Tree Description: A native shrub or small tree found in washes and along roadsides. This species is tolerant of poor soils and considerable drought. This deciduous plant is classified as a phreatophyte, and is an indicator that water is not too far below the surface during part of the year. The wood is often used for fence posts. It has medium calcium carbonate tolerance and low salinity tolerance. The optimum soil pH is 6.6 to 10.0. It has intermediate shade tolerance. The crown width averages 20 feet.

Netleaf Hackberry

Growth: slow-moderate

Mature Height:  20 feet

Water:  Low-Moderate

Alkalinity: Moderate

Elevations:  2,500-6,600

Cold Hardiness:  Good-Excellent

Color:  Green

Suggested Uses: erosion control, wildlife, windbreaks

Pest Problems:  none

Tree Description: It is a deciduous shrub to small tree with a growth form that varies from single to multiple stems. It has gray, moderately thick bark. It provides cover and food for a variety of wildlife species. Its small orange/red fruits are an important food source for birds during the winter and its leaves and twigs are browsed by bighorn sheep, mule deer, and elk. It is drought tolerant and can be used to aid in soil stabilization on various types of disturbed sites. It commonly grows in washes, ravines, arroyos, rocky canyons and occurs in desert shrubland and semidesert grasslands. It is highly tolerant to calcium carbonate, but has low salt tolerance. The optimum soil pH is 5.9 to 8.3. It is shade intolerant. The crown width is between 20 and 30 feet.

Celebrate the Summer of Certification with the National IPL

/in , , , /by

If your congregation has taken steps to reduce your energy use and carbon emissions, apply to be a Certified Cool Congregation. Emissions reductions of 10% or more qualify.

Apply to be certified today!

If you’ve already been certified, and have made further energy saving changes to your facility, come back for a higher level.

Get certified here!

Achieving a national certification as a Cool Congregation demonstrates your leadership in your community by showing that it is possible to reduce emissions, care for our common home, and often save money in the process. It’s a way to re-energize your green team, and persuade your congregation to go even further in reducing their carbon footprint.

By getting certified, your congregation is building the movement of people of faith and conscience showing the world that we can take concrete and achievable steps to safeguard the climate for future generations.

People’s Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan is one of the latest congregations to be certified.

“It started in my first meeting with the Green Sanctuary Committee,” member Tom Hackley says. “‘I said, ‘Why don’t we pick something big like net zero by 2030?’ Thinking that everybody would say, ‘No we can’t do that,’ but everybody said, ‘Great, run with it!’”

People’s Church has reduced their emissions by 20% towards their goal of net zero with a detailed plan on how to finance and achieve net zero by 2030. Read their story here.

 

New Mexico Represented at National Interfaith Power & Light Gathering

/in , , , /by

By Arcelia Isais-Gastelum

(NMEPR-IPL board member)

In mid-May, Sr. Joan Brown and I traveled to Washington DC for the National Interfaith Power and Light Conference. This was the first in-person gathering since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were there representing the New Mexico and El Paso Region chapter of IPL. At the conference, we met with faith leaders from chapters in other states and learned about the great work being done across the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving with intention toward equity and inclusion

Sr, Joan was a panelist on board diversity

The gathering centered on equity and inclusion by intentionally bringing in diverse voices and uplifting historically disenfranchised communities. Several panels and discussions dug into what it means to encompass these important spaces. Sr. Joan was a member of a panel that addressed board diversity.  Other panelists were Faith Harris from Virginia IPL and Codi Nored from Georgia IPL The moderator was Rev. Susan Hendershot, president of national IPL.

Approaching community organizing stems from the intention to meet the existing needs. As one faith leader stated, if you serve the people who are hurting, you are addressing the same structures that are polluting and hurting our environment.

We in New Mexico have seen this firsthand from our work in the Permian Basin, where unregulated methane leaks exacerbating the worst impacts of climate change are also directly hurting the adjacent communities in the form of countless health impacts. As people of faith and conscience, we are called to address these same systems that harm our planet and our people.

Spiritual Foundations for Climate Action

One of the most important sessions of the conference was spiritual inquiry: How do we integrate our spiritual lives with our environmental activism? Panelists from Buddhist, Christian and Hindu traditions shared their own stories, challenges and questions yet to be explored as we maneuver into living an integrated life of action and witness rooted in deep spiritual paths.

with Sen. Martin Heinrich

On Capitol Hill

On the final day of the conference, the New Mexico team visited the House and Senate offices to speak with our congressional delegation about Interfaith Power and Light’s legislative priorities, including the budget reconciliation bill, a wildlife funding bill, and climate refuge bill. During these sessions we also delivered a letter signed by nearly 200 faith leaders across the state calling for stronger climate action.

“We need moral and ethical leadership at the civic level. We must move from reactive to proactive actions to shift from fossil fuels, transition into just energy systems, face the threat of an authoritarian world view that is preventing needed climate crisis actions and listen to creative ideas from young as well as old to slow climate pollution and increase adaptation and mitigation,” said the letter.

with Rep. Teresa Leger-Fernandez