11/14/2017
Letter to Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council Summary: RI IPL opposes the LNG and fracking facility proposed in the already heavily impacted, low-income community of South Providence.
At RI IPL, we are always adding new films to our Film Lending Library. All of our films are available for member congregations to borrow. Many of them come with discussion notes as well. You can easily bring a movie to your congregation,just contact Kristen Ivy at
Scarred Lands and Wounded Lives: The Environmental Footprint of War is a compelling documentary exploring the under-reported environmental impacts of war and preparations for war. The film confronts the immensely broad ecological and human ramifications of everything from technological development and natural resource exhaustion to weapons testing and modern warfare itself.
Ecosystems around the world are in distress from forces of humanity's own making: increasing population, unsustainable demands on natural resources, habitat and species loss, and climate change. One of the most destructive of human behaviors - war - is not commonly included as a contributor to the growing global environmental crisis.
Yet, in all its stages, from the production of weapons through combat, military operations pollute land, air, and water, destroy entire ecosystems, and drain limited natural resources.
Using archival material from the Civil War through more recent wars, along with expert testimony and eyewitness accounts, the film clearly presents the environmental and human cost of combat, and argues for public scrutiny of the ecological and human impact of war as essential to a more sustainable - and secure - world.
A sustainable culture recognizes relationships. That is, it knows that everything is connected . . . Sustainability is not a state we reach but something we work toward forever.
In order to live sustainable lives, we must be constantly searching for the most eco-friendly choices. Whether this is a big decision like getting solar panels or buying an electric vehicle, or the small day to day choices we make like buying recycled aluminum foil or carrying home a plastic bottle for recycling, it is ongoing. During the holiday season in our consumerist society, it is more important than ever to bear this in mind. When choosing gifts, consider if the packaging is recyclable, how long will it be used for, and what will be done with it when it is no longer wanted. For tips on keeping your holiday season eco-friendly, clickhere.
Blessings,
Kristen Ivy Moses
Executive Director
Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light
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Science and Ethics Say No to the Proposed LNG facility
By David Helfer, RI IPL Board Member
We at RI Interfaith Power & Light clearly voice our view that the proposed LNG facility in Providence is in opposition to scientific insights, to common sense, and to any moral standard. There are many obvious reasons to oppose this project:
It is being sited in an already heavily impacted, low-income community, without sufficient community involvement;
The site is already heavily contaminated. The process of building the facility will expose many people to high levels of toxic and cancer-causing substances;
A potential LNG fire would wipe out most of that community. The site is not sufficiently distanced from or protective of, the surrounding community;
The Port of Providence is already now prone to flooding, but it will get much worse with accelerating sea level rise and stronger storms due to climate change. The proposed facility has not been sited with sufficiently taking into consideration the increased potential for dangerous weather and higher storm surges resulting from climate change. The construction plans only take into account a sea level rise of 1.5 ft, whereas scientific predictions are 9 ft or more by 2100 with business as usual emissions;
The transport of the material onsite, even absent an LNG fire, poses a grave danger in the form of methane emissions and smaller explosions;
There is no plan to ensure the safety of the surrounding communities;
There is no evidence that the planned LNG facility is even needed!
There is nothing about this project, other than a very limited number of construction jobs, which demonstrates any benefit to the community or the state!
As climate change progresses, and sea levels rise, and after years of careful guardianship of our coastal gifts, is now the time to reverse this guardianship stance and to replace it by a short-sighted profit-making mentality?
But the issue is much larger than our small state of RI. The Earth has warmed already by about 1°C (1.8°F) because of human activities, mainly because of the burning of fossil fuels. Reducing further warming is now a planetary emergency. At a time when we need to urgently reduce and eventually eliminate the burning of all fossil fuels, it does not make sense to invest in new gas infrastructure. With the proposed LNG facility, we would not be able to reach the goals of the Resilient RI Act 2014. This bill establishes targets for greenhouse gas emissions, with an 85% reduction by 2050 below 1990 levels. We cannot wait to begin reducing our impact on the climate, but must start now!
The impacts of global warming on our state will not only be devastating for our RI economy, but will bring great harm to people here and all over the world. Those readers who care most about the economy may like to consider the mere cost of clean-up and rebuilding after destructive storms.
RI Interfaith Power & Light speaks for people of many different faiths. We stand up for truth and science, and believe that climate change is also a deeply moral issue. We must change almost everything we are doing in order to minimize human suffering and to keep this planet livable for future generations - and the most urgent action is to reduce our use of fossil fuels.
Advocacy Action Opportunity
Clean Power Plan Repeal
The EPA is
extending the deadline for written comments on the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan until January 16, 2018.
EPA Administrator Pruitt signed a Proposed Rule to repeal the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan, officially titled the "Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units" The EPA published the repeal proposal in the Federal Register on October 16.
The EPA plans to hold a single public hearing on the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan in Charleston, West Virginia November 28-29. While the Proposed Rule is moving through the administrative process, the EPA will also begin discussions on new regulations to replace the Clean Power Plan.
RI IPL membership involves more than just reading our newsletter and attending our events. Here are 5 simple steps to being an active RI IPL member:
Give a portion of your financial resources to RI IPL for our vital work. You may give online here, or by check.
Annual Membership Dues
Student/limitedincome$30
RegularMembership $50
SustainingMembership $100
SponsoringMembership $150-249
CircleofFriends $250-$999
Lifetime Membership $1000+
Pledge Take the RI IPL Membership Pledge to increase your awareness of global climate change. You can download your pledge form here.
Be Aware Stay current with information about the science of climate change and the human role in such change, as it evolves.
Speak Out Support and advocate for public policies that further these goals and communicate with local, state, and national elected representatives
Take Action Follow through with one or more of the ideas from our pledge sheet. Challenge yourself!
Your support allows us to continue our crucial work. To learn more about the benefits you receive with RI IPL membership click here.
Cool Congregations Challenge
The Cool Congregations Challenge is a contest hosted by Interfaith Power & Light that awards prizes to congregations that are becoming energy efficient and sustainable role models in response to climate change. Projects of any size completed during the year December 31, 2016 to December 15, 2017 qualify.
Congregations are eligible if they finished an energy efficiency, renewable energy, or grounds and water conservation project this year, or have engaged with the community in response to global warming. There is also a planning category for those that have recently finished an energy audit and developed plans for improvements. Cash prizes of $1,000 will go to the winning contestants in each category. All winners will receive a frameable certificate.
Changes in Narragansett Bay: A Conversation Among Citizens and Scientists
Sea Grant Science Symposium
This free, one-day event will bring scientists and regulators together with people who work and spend time on Narragansett Bay to discuss the state of the bay and its water quality, biology, and ecological systems. The results from this event will inform Rhode Island Sea Grant's research agenda as well as the state's developing Narragansett Bay Special Area Management Plan (Bay SAMP). Lunch and refreshments will be provided by the URI Graduate School of Oceanography.
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Is your congregation or organization planning a climate change or environmental event? We want to know about it! Email us the details of your event and we'll share it on our webpage and in our newsletter. Please send newsletter submissions by the 15th of the month. Send RI IPL related events or announcements to Kristen Ivy Moses, executive director, at [email protected].
