Recap of ICCT 2024 Action Traction Convention
The Goose Was Loose Again at the January 27th ICCT Action Traction Convention among 90 people meeting at beautiful Greystone Baptist Church in Raleigh. Here’s a bare-bones list of topics we heard about and discussed. Please access the links provided for more detailed information.
Keynote
Reverend Megan M. Pardue set the stage by reminding us that “hope is not a thing you feel, but a thing you do.” To keep from despair and maintain hope, use two guardrails: “Sow the seeds together” and “Sow the seeds even when you don’t feel like planting”. View her inspirational message on the ICCT YouTube channel.
Networking
Our online networking tool presents survey results of the earth-friendly practices of ICCT Faith Communities. Is your congregation contemplating an earth-friendly practice such as solar, composting, energy efficiency measures, or a community garden? Use this tool to find and request an introduction to someone with the experience to match. View it here.
ICCT Liaisons: A panel of ICCT Congregational Liaisons shared their experiences. View notes on the session here and an overview of the liaison role with related resources here.
Creation Care Solutions
We discussed quite a few environmental topics. Going forward look for more information on these in the ICCT Newsletter (subscribe here)
- Engaging youth in creation care
- Ways to inspire awe and wonder
- Rooftop solar
- Energy audits for congregations
- Weatherization
- Energy Efficient HVAC and other appliances
- Food Waste
- Gardens – community, rain, pollinator
Government Funding and Non-profit Resources
Access clean energy federal funding for congregations, your home and low-income residents using the Energy Funds for All Toolkit developed by ThriveNC and NC League of Conservation Voters.
RAFI-USA’s Farm & Faith Partnership Project pairs historically underserved farmers with faith communities wanting to purchase locally grown produce.
Citizens Climate Lobby Raleigh “empowers everyday people to work together on climate policy. Supporters are organized in 420+ chapters across the United States building support in Congress for a national bipartisan solution to climate change.”
Influencing Public Policy
- Kaitlin Metzguer from You Can Vote provided important election updates and described how YCV supports congregations with voter registration and education.
- Training on The Environmental Voter Project covered postcard writing and telephoning. ICCT will also continue our GOTV work by supporting congregations to hold postcard writing and telephoning events through the spring, summer & fall leading up to the General Election.
- We learned more about ICCT’s collaboration with ONE Wake to advance environmental justice for low-income residents with disproportionately high energy cost burdens. This includes efforts identify federal Inflation Reduction Act funding, coordinate current services, and provide a single point of contact and navigators for low-income residents to get weatherization, energy efficiency improvements and/or rooftop solar.
- Michelle Carter from the NC League of Conservation Voters and Sally Robertson from the Inflation Reduction Act Coordinating Group trained us on a great new tool to find funding for clean and efficient energy installations for congregations, your home and low income residents using the Energy Funds for All Toolkit developed by NCLCV and ThriveNC.
