Pedal Palooza, biking fun at Memorial UCC, Fitchburg

By Jill Carlson

Pedal Palooza, a fun event celebrating bicycles and people who enjoy biking occurred in the parking lot of Memorial UCC in Fitchburg on June 14.

Over 50 adults and kids attended the second annual Pedal Palooza and participated in the bike rodeo safety course, rode a blender bike to make a fruit smoothie, learned about the bike trails in Fitchburg and got a bike checkup by the Oregon Bike Company. Three lucky winners won one of the three donated bikes.

The event also raised over $1,000 in free-will donations for Cycling Without Age to help purchase a trishaw for Fitchburg which will be used at city events to promote bike riding for those who can longer ride independently. Mark Wilkerson from Bike Fitchburg demonstrated a trishaw, gave rides and talked about the importance of the three-wheeled bike that carries two people in front while the pilot operates the bike.

Cycling Without Age began in Denmark and advocates for trishaws to help older people get back on their bike. The cost of a trishaw is $15,000 and Fitchburg has set up a Go Fund Me page for donations to help bring this program to the community. 

Pedal Palooza was the idea of longtime Memorial members Bill and Kelly Jetzer, who are avid bicyclists and members of the Memorial UCC Green Team. The Jetzers were instrumental in helping Memorial UCC become a Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Congregation (Business) in April. Memorial UCC is the first church in Wisconsin to earn this designation from the League of American Bicyclists. Fitchburg ranks sixth in the nation for the number of Bicycle Friendly Businesses per municipality, surpassing Madison and Milwaukee.

“Kelly and I wanted to share our knowledge and enjoyment of biking not only as recreation and for wellness, but as an alternative to driving a car. Fitchburg has many bike trails and the event helped bring awareness of what our community offers for bike enthusiasts,” said Bill Jetzer.

Resources

Madison Christian Community (MCC) is an ecumenical partnership between Community of Hope UCC and Advent Lutheran ELCA. We are two congregations with one mission: "Living Faithfully and Lovingly with God, Neighbors and Creation." Seven acres of land were donated 50 years ago by two farmers who requested the faith community be good land stewards. In the late 1960s, a community garden was started on the property. Since then, MCC has added prairies, woods and gardens on 7 acres. About 1 acre is taken up by 52 community garden plots (serving 75 households) and a food pantry garden. Each year over 6,000 pounds of fruit and produce from the food pantry garden is donated to two local food pantries. The Old Sauk Community Garden website home page says who we are: “Connecting Creation Care with Community.” In addition, we acknowledge that we sit and pray on Ho Chunk land.

The culture of the gardeners has been to compost organic matter (garden waste/weeds) and food scraps, but we can do better. Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables (W & R) entered a partnership with Purple Cow Organics in 2024. County staff are working with businesses and gardens to coordinate collection services of food scraps and organic material for drop off at Purple Cow Inc. in Madison. Old Sauk Community Gardens and the MCC food pantry garden coordinators met with the manager of the county W&R program to see if pick up service could be provided at our site. County W&R would provide 6 collection bins, 2 for food scraps and 4 for organic material. The food scraps and organic matter would come from the community gardens, food pantry gardens, church members and neighbors. The county will collect the waste two times a month during the growing season and once during winter months. The collection would be taken to Purple Cow for composting, then returned to parks and gardens in the Madison area.

A Creation Care Grant from the Wisconsin Conference Creation Care Team has made this possible. 

Annual Environment and Spirituality Summit

September 29-30, 2025

All sessions will be available online.

About the Summit - This year’s Summit will explore the theme of 'Strong and Supported,' offering four sessions each diving into ways we can give and receive healing to the Earth around us and create a healthier and more just world.

About the Host - Faith in Place is dedicated to empowering people of diverse faiths and spiritualities to be leaders in advancing environmental and racial justice, providing resources to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities. Learn more here.

Meet Our Speakers - We are thrilled to feature a distinguished group of speakers from diverse faiths, identities, and professional backgrounds at this year’s Summit.

Register here. 

How much do you know about electric cars?

Try these questions to see:

1) Which is a bigger fire hazard, an EV or a gas car?

2) True or false: You can plug an EV into a normal household outlet

3) True or false: EV's lose some of their range in winter

4) True or false: EVs are only affordable by rich people

5) True or false: Some public chargers are free

6) Which needs more oil changes, an EV or a gas car?

7) True or false: Since EV batteries are heavy, they'll wreck the roads

8) True or false: Because of the "Big Beautiful Bill" you can no longer get a federal rebate for buying an EV

9) Which is cheaper to "fuel up," an EV or a gas car?

10) True or false: EVs are dangerous in the rain, because electricity and water don't do well together.

Check out the answers here. 

Christian Climate Training

Blessed Tomorrow is partnering with the UCC and 8 other denominations to offer a free live, virtual Christian climate training on September 27th from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm ET/8:30 am - 11:30 am PT. It will include breakouts by denomination. The training equips you with the knowledge and resources to speak and take action on climate change from a Christian perspective. 

Sign-up to join!

Register Your Church to Participate in National Day of Climate Action

On September 21st, faith communities across the country will be joining a grassroots climate action to celebrate Sun Day! This will be a day to celebrate the gift and power of clean energy while standing up to the profiteers, polluters, and potentates who threaten our health and future. Register your congregation to receive advocacy cards for members to write messages to congress members on Sun Day.

Federal Funding Resources for Nonprofits, Local Governments, and Schools

From the Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change

Important Note: The 2025 Federal budget bill made substantive changes to the clean energy credits available. Although Elective Pay will continue to exist, many tax credits will terminate at the end of this year. Changes are summarized below. These changes exist in tandem with existing guidelines for each credit or deduction, which can be referenced here.

• Energy Efficient Buildings (179D): To qualify an entity must begin construction before June 30, 2026. 
• Fleet Vehicles: The tax credit for electric vehicle purchases by commercial entities now expires on September 30, 2025. In addition, a qualifying charging station must now be placed in service by June 30, 2026.
• Geothermal heat pump credits remain available via Section 48. These credits are not subject to the new Foreign Entities of Concern restrictions.
• Geothermal and Other: Credits remain available for geothermal systems. There are, though, new Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) restrictions for projects that commence construction after December 31, 2025. 
• Solar and Wind: To qualify for wind or solar credits, systems must be placed in service by December 31, 2027 unless construction began by July 4, 2026 (in which case entities have four years to complete construction). Energy storage co-located with wind or solar can still claim the full credit through 2032. There are new Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) restrictions for projects that commence construction after December 31, 2025. 
• Residential New Construction: the credit now ends June 30, 2026.

How Can I Help? Saving Nature With Your Yard

By Douglas W. Tallamy

From a New York Times bestselling author, a wildlife ecology expert and environmental advocate provides readers with the next step in their ecological journey.

In How Can I Help?, Tallamy tackles the questions commonly asked at his popular lectures and shares compelling and actionable answers that will help gardeners and homeowners take the next step in their ecological journey. Topics range from ecology, evolution, biodiversity and conservation to restoration, native plants, invasive species, pest control, and supporting wildlife at home. Tallamy keenly understands that most people want to take part in conservation efforts but often feel powerless to do so as individuals. But one person can make a difference, and How Can I Help? details how.

Whether by reducing your lawn, planting a handful of native species, or allowing leaves to sit untouched, you will be inspired and empowered to join millions of other like-minded people to become the future of backyard conservation.

Week without Driving

China breaks more records with surge in solar and wind power

Between January and May, China added 198 GW of solar and 46 GW of wind, enough to generate as much electricity as Indonesia or Turkey.

China’s installations of wind and solar in May are enough to generate as much electricity as Poland, as the world’s second-biggest economy breaks further records with its rapid buildup of renewable energy infrastructure.

China installed 93 GW of solar capacity last month – almost 100 solar panels every second, according to an analysis by Lauri Myllyvirta, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute. Wind power installations reached 26 GW, the equivalent of about 5,300 turbines.

While estimates for the amount of power generated by solar panels and wind turbines vary depending on their location and weather conditions, Myllyvirta calculated that May’s installations alone could generate as much electricity as Poland, Sweden or the United Arab Emirates.

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