Dear Friends,
The Season of Creation came to a close on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis. Our Sustainable Faith series ends with a final coda reflection in your inbox this Sunday. Thank you to everyone who has read along, and to the authors who have shared of themselves and their traditions.
Now our attention turns to the midterms on November 3. We've been thinking of Wendell Berry, the Kentucky poet and farmer we lost this year, who wrote:
"Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do."
Below you'll find plenty of ways to help the climate majority be heard, along with invitations to study, to grieve and heal together, and an opportunity to return to nature for another interfaith walk in the woods.
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
Monday, October 12, 7:00 PM / Online / JCAN-MA
We are living through many interlocking crises at once, and these catastrophes are also manifesting in our climate patterns. This evening offers Jewish frameworks for making meaning and taking faithful action in hard times, with Rabbis Nina Cardin, Natan Margalit, and Ashira Stevens. Learn more and register.
Begins Sunday, October 18 / Online / Plum Village Community
Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village community offers an online course on engaged Buddhist practice in a time of ecological crisis. Rooted in the Zen tradition and open to all, it is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and let our practice sustain our action. Learn more.
Mondays, October 19, 26 & November 2, 5:30–7:00 PM; plant-based potluck November 9, 7:00 PM / Our Lady Help of Christians, 573 Washington St., Newton / SHOL Creation Care Team
What does it mean to care for creation in an age of artificial intelligence? The Sacred Heart/Our Lady Help of Christians Creation Care Team invites neighbors of all faiths to read and discuss Laudato Si' and Magnifica Humanitas over four Monday evenings. Stay for the potluck! Register here.
Tuesday, October 20, 12:00–1:00 PM / Online / The BTS Center, Chaplaincy Innovation Lab & Dayenu
When floods, fires, and storms devastate a community, who shows up to offer spiritual care? Rabbi Laura Bellows, one of our Sustainable Faith authors, introduces Dayenu's new Jewish spiritual care resources for the aftermath of extreme weather. It's a rich session for rabbis, chaplains, and lay leaders of every tradition. Register here. You can also read Laura's co-authored essay, “We Don't Grieve Alone.”
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Thursday, November 5, 11:00 AM–12:15 PM / Wolbach Farm, 18 Wolbach Road, Sudbury / MassIPL
Whatever the November 3 election brings, the woods will be waiting two days later. Join Rabbi Katy Allen for a free interfaith meditative walk along the new All Persons' Trail at Wolbach Farm, with readings of poetry and moments of quiet reflection along the way. The walk is open to all abilities and spiritualities, and you're welcome to bring a lunch and stay for a shared meal at the picnic tables afterward. This MassIPL event is co-sponsored by Sudbury Valley Trustees and JCAN-MA. Space is limited, so please register in advance.
Now through December 31, 2027 / MassIPL
Your house of worship may qualify for a federal “direct pay” incentive covering up to 40% of the cost of a solar installation. That incentive ends at the close of 2027, and solar projects take time. MassIPL has already helped more than 70 congregations go solar. Watch our September webinar, or email solar@massipl.org for a free evaluation of your building.
Sunday, October 18, 6:00–8:00 PM / First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton, 1326 Washington St., West Newton / UU Plant-Based Eating Club
Curious about plant-based eating, or just looking for a good meal with friendly people? FUUSN's Plant-Based Eating Club opens its potluck to the public and welcomes newcomers wherever they are on their food journey. You don't need to be vegan to participate, but every dish at the potluck must be free of meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and honey. Please bring a list of your dish's ingredients. RSVP here.
Wednesday, October 28, 12:00–1:00 PM / Online / Green Energy Consumers Alliance
Planning to electrify your building but unsure how electricity rates work with a heat pump? Or do you use heat pumps in your home or congregation and want to get more out of them? This free webinar explains time-varying rates and how to make them work for you. Register here.
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Tuesday, November 17, 7:00 PM / Online / MassIPL, JCAN-MA & SolarBuddy
Picture finishing your homework by the light of a kerosene lamp. More than 660 million of our neighbors around the world have no electricity at all, and hundreds of millions more can't count on the connection they have.
MassIPL is joining our friends at JCAN-MA and SolarBuddy for an evening online about energy justice. We invite you to learn more about a hands-on climate justice project your congregation can actually do together, right in your own fellowship hall, social hall, or classroom — perhaps with the youth group and the green team working side by side. If you have ever wondered where climate justice meets plain human dignity, this is one of those places.
Thursday, October 8, 6:00 PM / Online / JCAN-MA
We have the chutzpah to protect the people and places we love. This fall it's all hands on deck to build people power for our climate, our democracy, and a livable future. JCAN-MA is partnering with the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action and others in this phone banking event. Open to all people of faith. Learn more and register.
Monday, November 9, 12:00 PM / Online / MCAN
Melissa Hoffer, the country's first Climate Chief, reflects on what Massachusetts has accomplished and what comes next. Register here.
Now / Statewide / MCAN & Coalition for Affordable Energy
A conference committee is reconciling the House and Senate energy bills. Please contact your state legislators and ask them to protect Mass Save and the programs funded by Alternative Compliance Payments, which keep energy affordable and fair. The Coalition for Affordable Energy's guide includes a fact sheet for every district. Use the action guide.
Now through Election Day, November 3 / Postcards & Phone Banking / GreenFaith USA
GreenFaith USA is organizing people of all faiths to get out the vote this November, with a nonpartisan call for ambitious climate action. Postcards and phone calls encouraging people to vote measurably raise turnout. Sign up for postcards or phone banking.
Now through Election Day, November 3 / Online / Environmental Voter Project
Millions of people who care deeply about the environment rarely vote. The Environmental Voter Project has helped two million of them become regular voters, with nine million still to reach. Sign up for a two-hour shift calling environmentalists in battleground states. No experience is needed, and shifts are still open. Sign up here.
Two new stewardship briefs, a case study, and a webinar recording to help your house of worship explore geothermal heating and cooling.
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Buddhist teacher John Bell invites us to hold the Earth's beauty and its suffering together, and offers three questions and practical, hopeful ways to act.
