.png)
Dear Friends,
One of the quotes we love best comes from Van Jones: "It's in that convergence of spiritual people becoming active and active people becoming spiritual that the hope of humanity now rests."
Each month we gather links and resources for the many ways faith communities and people of good will across Massachusetts are praying, acting, and mobilizing for our climate and our common home.
We can't all do everything, but we can all do something: something that lives out the deep spiritual convictions that animate and sustain us, and that loves the world, our neighbors, and ourselves.
With hope and gratitude,
The MassIPL Team
Wednesday, August 12 / 5:00-6:00 PM ET / Online / Climate Action Now
It's tonight. Bill McKibben joins Climate Action Now's Sam Matey-Coste to talk about how we build collective power, how grassroots movements are making real gains, and what keeps them hopeful. Free, with a chance to support CAN. A midweek dose of encouragement for anyone feeling the weight of this work. Register here.
September 1-October 4 / Worldwide / Ecumenical
The Season of Creation is nearly upon us, the annual ecumenical season when people of faith around the world unite in prayer and action to care for the Earth and its inhabitants. This year's theme is Living Water, an invitation to reflect on the rivers, seas, and watersheds that sustain all life. The official celebration guide is ready for your congregation, with liturgies, sermons, and small-group materials. Download Season of Creation resources.
Weekly reflections from interfaith leaders / MassIPL
The Season of Creation begins in September. This year, MassIPL is publishing "Sustainable Faith," an interfaith series of reflections from local faith leaders on what their traditions teach about our climate and our common home. Contributors include the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Gopal Patel, John Bell, and more voices to come, spanning Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Islamic traditions. Watch your inbox and follow along on our social media and new website.
Register by August 28 / Online / The BTS Center & Creation Justice Ministries
Are you called to preach about ecology and our interconnection with the Earth? The 2026-2027 EcoPreacher Cohort is open for registration, a formation opportunity for clergy and lay leaders who want to bring faith and ecology into the pulpit with depth and confidence. Applications close August 28, so this is one to act on now rather than later. Learn more and register.
Thursday, August 20 / 2:00 PM ET / Online / MassIPL
Get to know MassIPL's Executive Director, Rev. Michael Reed, and bring your technical decarbonization questions for Board President Jim Nail. It is an open, friendly hour to connect, ask any questions you might have about clean energy and decarbonization, and find out how you and your congregation can get more involved in our work across the Commonwealth. Register here.
Ongoing / Boston / City of Boston
Your electricity bills may have just gone up: as of August 1, Eversource Basic Service rose to 17.3¢ per kWh. Boston Community Choice Energy offers a Basic Service rate of 13.6¢, locking in savings for two years, and roughly two-thirds of Bostonians are already enrolled. If your house of worship is in Boston, this is a simple switch with real savings for your building budget. Learn more and sign up.
Online Report / Center for Climate Integrity
The Center for Climate Integrity has released a major investigation into how oil and gas companies have promoted the myth that natural gas is a climate solution, despite knowing for decades that it is a significant source of pollution and a major driver of climate change. A sharp resource for congregational education and preaching. Read the report.
Case study by MassIPL
After more than a decade of planning that began with a 2014 capital campaign, Wellesley Village Church replaced two aging oil boilers and seven rooftop units with geothermal, drilling eighteen wells 850 feet deep and laying six miles of piping to meet all of its 55,000-square-foot building's heating and cooling needs.
MassIPL intern Aliza Cotton shares the story from the first conversations to the system's first New England winter. If your congregation is interested in ground-source heat pumps (aka geothermal heat) this case study is for you! Read the success story.
Multiple dates, August 15-26 / In person, across Massachusetts / Elders Climate Action
During the August Congressional recess, Elders Climate Action and partners including the Sierra Club, Third Act, and the Climate Action Campaign are holding a series of visible, joyful climate actions across Massachusetts, with five events right here in our state. On the calendar:
See the full event map and RSVP.
Friday, August 15 / 2:00 PM ET / Online / Points East / PLAN-NE
A new fossil fuel pipeline, the Constitution Pipeline, is being proposed for the New England region, and its potential impacts on our communities and climate deserve urgent attention. Join Cathy Kristofferson of the Pipe Line Awareness Network for the Northeast and Rosemary Wessel of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team for a presentation and community discussion. Registration required. RSVP here.
Through August / Online / MassIPL
Our Houses of Worship survey is still open, and for every congregation that participates, MassIPL's Executive Committee will donate $10 to your faith community. It takes only a few minutes and helps us understand where faith communities across the Commonwealth are on their climate journey, so we can do a better job advancing our mission for faith and climate. Take the Survey.
September 21-30 / Statewide / Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW)
CREW, a program of the Better Future Project in Somerville, is inviting community groups to host or join events during Climate Preparedness Week. This year's theme is CommunityMaxxing: Think Globally, Act Locally. Events can look like book clubs, emergency-kit workshops, pollinator-garden plantings, or heat-and-health discussions, and houses of worship are a natural fit. Fill out the interest form | Download the toolkit.
Comment by September 30 / Massachusetts / Charles River Watershed Association
The MWRA and the Cities of Somerville and Cambridge have submitted a draft plan that would continue dumping raw sewage into the Charles (Osebequin) River for decades to come. A public comment period is open. Edit the Charles River Watershed Association's template with your own thoughts and send it to our leaders by September 30; you can also sign up to host a yard sign. Send your comment.
Final Thoughts from MassIPL
In case you missed last week's announcement, MassIPL has a new home on the web. These emails also have an updated look and feel to match our new website. Come look around, and join us in the movement for a just and livable future. Visit massipl.org.
.png)
Take a look at our new digital home, built around Pray, Act, Mobilize.
Nearly 50 congregations surveyed, a new website coming soon, and August office hours — a look at what the MassIPL team accomplished this summer.
