Links for November 2026

Dear Friends,

We enter a time of thanksgiving.

As the days grow shorter, many of our traditions turn toward gratitude and toward light. We hope that you'll work alongside other people of faith and conscience to find both, as we continue to pray, act, and mobilize for climate and environmental justice.

On November 9, nations gather in Antalya, Türkiye, for COP31, the UN climate talks. While negotiators work on the global stage, there is good work for us close to home. You can help protect Mass Save as the state energy bill takes shape, hear Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer’s farewell address, and listen to reports from people of faith attending the talks.

You’ll also find invitations to slow down and listen: a meditative walk in the Sudbury woods tomorrow, a conversation on plastics pollution, and two evenings of eco-poetry. And as winter settles in, we’ve gathered practical steps to help your congregation stay warm while using less energy.

As Thanksgiving approaches, we’re grateful for each of you and for the care you bring to your congregations and communities. We offer this list of upcoming events and resources as an invitation to renewal and action on behalf of our shared home.

With hope and gratitude,
The MassIPL Team

Pray: Worship, Devotion & Faith-Based Education

/MassIPL Featured Event/

Spirit in Nature: A Guided Meditation Walk at Wolbach Farm

Thursday, November 5, 11:00 AM–12:15 PM / Wolbach Farm, 18 Wolbach Road, Sudbury / MassIPL

Tomorrow: Join MassIPL and Rabbi Katy Allen for a free interfaith meditative walk along the accessible All Persons’ Trail, with poetry, quiet reflection, and room to reconnect with the natural world. This MassIPL event is co-sponsored by Sudbury Valley Trustees and JCAN-MA. Space is limited, so please register in advance.

Register Now

How a Super El Niño May Affect Our Common Home

Monday, November 9, 2:00 - 3:00 PM / Online / Catholic Climate Covenant

Join Catholic Climate Covenant and climate scientist Dr. Carlos Javier Martinez for a timely look at El Niño, climate change, and community resilience. The session gives special attention to the communities most vulnerable to its effects. Register here.

Canopy Calling: Tree Equity from the Roots Up

Thursday, November 12, 6:00–7:30 PM / Online / Pennsylvania IPL, MassIPL & partners

MassIPL is proud to partner with Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light for an evening of storytelling and learning about tree equity as an ongoing commitment, not a single act. People of every faith will explore how our traditions call us to care for the Earth and to honor the wisdom of the Indigenous people of this land. Speakers include Derrick Weston, Cassandra Carmichael, and Christina McLaughlin. Register here.

Two Evenings of Eco-Poetry with JCAN

Tuesday, November 24, 7:00 PM / Online / JCAN-MA

Monday, November 30, 7:00–8:30 PM / Online / JCAN-MA

On November 24, JCAN co-founder Rabbi Katy Allen celebrates her first poetry chapbook, My Sister and I, in conversation with ecopoet Sharon Roseman. The following Monday, she facilitates Two Eco-Poets: A Conversation About Climate, an online evening with poets Andy Oram and Deborah Leipziger, with time for discussion and your own written responses. My Sister and I | Two Eco-Poets

Preparing for the holiday season:

• (Christian) Climate Action Advent Calendar by Iowa Faith & Climate Network. Our friends at this IPL sibling organization offer a daily reflection and simple climate action for every day of Advent through Epiphany.
• (Christian) Advent Reflections and Resources by Creation Justice Ministries. These are weekly reflections on hope, peace, joy, and love, plus worship resources for preachers.
• (Catholic) Advent Prayer Journey by Laudato Si’ Movement. These daily prayers and reflections help you live the season in harmony with creation.
• (Multi-Faith) Sustainable Holidays Checklist by One Home One Future. This one-page guide covers greener gifts, decorations, meals, and travel for any tradition.
• (Jewish) Hanukkah Climate Resources by Dayenu. It includes a short ritual guide connecting the miracle of the oil to today’s need for renewables.
• (Jewish) Eight Days of Climate Torah by JTS Dayenu Circle. There is one short reflection for each night of Hanukkah, ready to read aloud at candle lighting.
• (Kwanzaa) Annual Founder’s Kwanzaa Message by Dr. Maulana Karenga. Kwanzaa’s founder reflects on how the Seven Principles bind environmental and social justice together.
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Act: Reduce Your Footprint & Build Resilience

Get Your Building Ready for Winter

Now / MassIPL

Winter is arriving in earnest, and the best time to seal and insulate is before the heating bills arrive. Weatherizing can cut heating and cooling costs by up to 20%, and some utilities are covering up to 100% of the cost for eligible houses of worship. Our new Environmental Stewardship Guides, in English and Spanish, can help you find a manageable next step. Get started with “24 Questions.” Thinking bigger? Explore our geothermal resources, including a case study from Wellesley Village Church. You can also email solar@massipl.org for a free solar evaluation while the federal direct-pay incentive is still available. 24 Questions | Weatherization | Stewardship Guides | Geothermal | Wellesley Village Church | Solar for Sacred Spaces

Plastic-Free Future: Protecting People and the Planet

Thursday, November 5, 7:00–10:00 PM / New England Aquarium, Simons Theatre, 1 Central Wharf, Boston / Just Zero & Plastic Free Mass

Plastic pollution is everywhere: in our oceans, our communities, and our own bodies. Join Just Zero and Plastic Free Mass at the New England Aquarium for a conversation about how plastic affects our health and our climate, and the solutions that can protect both. Learn more and register.

More Ways to Act:

• New England Heat Pump Accelerator: Year One and What Comes Next (Tuesday, November 10, 1:00–2:00 PM, online, NEEP). Hear what the regional heat pump effort has learned and where it’s headed. Register.
• Boston Building Decarbonization Advisor Program (applications due Monday, November 16, City of Boston). Congregations with a BERDO-covered building in Boston can be paired with vetted experts to plan a cost-conscious path to lower emissions. Apply.
• Community Charge (ongoing, Green Energy Consumers Alliance, PowerOptions & LISC Massachusetts). This program, funded by MassCEC, helps nonprofits, including houses of worship, install EV chargers for their neighbors through pre-vetted vendors and pricing. Learn more or email CommunityCharge@PowerOptions.org.
• Drought-Resilient Landscape Designs (ongoing, online, Charles River Watershed Association). These designs help congregations and neighbors plant grounds that hold up through dry spells. Explore the guide.

/MassIPL Featured Event/

Light the Way: Energy Justice and the One Billion People Left Behind

Tuesday, November 17, 7:00 PM / Online / MassIPL, JCAN-MA & SolarBuddy

Picture finishing your homework by the light of a kerosene lamp. Around the world, a billion of our neighbors live without electricity or with power too unreliable to count on. Join MassIPL, JCAN-MA, and SolarBuddy to learn how your congregation can host a solar light assembly, where people of all ages build lights and write notes to the children who will receive them. It’s a project that fits Earth Month or any season of your year.

Register Now

Mobilize: Advocate for Clean Energy & Climate-Forward Policies

Protect Mass Save in the Final Energy Bill

Now / Statewide / MassIPL Mobilize Working Group & Massachusetts Coalition for Affordable Energy

The energy bill isn’t finished yet. A conference committee is still reconciling the House and Senate versions, and lawmakers have through January to reach a deal. Please ask your state legislators to protect Mass Save and the programs funded by Alternative Compliance Payments, which keep energy affordable and fair for families and houses of worship. Find your legislator | Read the action guide

Farewell Address to the Advocates: Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer

Monday, November 9, 12:00 PM / Online / MCAN, co-sponsored by MassIPL

Melissa Hoffer, the country’s first Climate Chief, reflects on what Massachusetts has accomplished and what comes next as climate policy and action continue to evolve. The first hour is a program with Q&A, followed by open discussion. MassIPL is proud to co-sponsor. Register here.

Rally to Stop Private Jet Expansion

Thursday, November 12, 12:00–1:00 PM / Financial District, Boston / Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere (SPJE)

The developers of the proposed private jet expansion at Hanscom Field are delaying the environmental review, but the coalition opposing it keeps growing. (MassIPL is proud to be their newest member!) Join this peaceful, one-hour rally to show Governor Healey that, after three years, we still value a livable climate more than private jet profits. The location will be shared with registrants a week before the rally. RSVP here | Send a letter to Governor Healey

November Movement Café: Reports from COP31

Wednesday, November 18, 1:00 PM / Online / United Methodist Creation Justice Movement

The UN climate talks run November 9–20 in Antalya, Türkiye. United Methodists attending COP31 will report back while negotiations are still underway and help us bring that global conversation home to our local communities and advocacy. You can also add your voice on climate finance, so that wealthier nations help communities with fewer resources adapt to a changing climate. Register here | Take action on climate finance

More Ways to Mobilize:

• Social Media for Climate Advocacy (Tuesday, November 10, 12:00–12:45 PM, online, Mothers Out Front). Learn how the Cambridge chapter uses Instagram to make an impact, then join a 15-minute action urging legislators to support clean energy priorities. Register.
• Have a Say in Energy Decisions (Thursday, November 12, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM, and Thursday, December 3, 12:00–1:30 PM, online, Department of Public Utilities). The first webinar covers pre-filing requirements for large clean energy projects; the second explains how to become an intervenor, including how to apply for the Intervenor Support Grant. Pre-filing webinar | Intervenor webinar
• Support Fair-Chance Hiring in Clean Energy (ongoing, LISC Massachusetts & the Coalition for CORI Climate Inclusion). Add your organization’s name and send a public comment to the state’s Energy Efficiency Advisory Council, so that people with a criminal record can access good green jobs through Mass Save. Sign on | Comment.