First Multifaith Green Conference in Hamilton County September 26
NOBLESVILLE, IN – Members of diverse local congregations, Carmel Green Initiative (CGI), and Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light (H-IPL) have come together to present How to Green Your Congregation: A Multifaith Conference. This is Hamilton County’s first interdenominational conference on earth stewardship.
Saturday, September 26
9:00 a.m.
Student Ministries East Wing
Grace Church
5504 East 146th Street
Noblesville, Indiana
“We’re very excited to connect with H-IPL and local faith communities on this critical and urgent issue,” said Leslie Webb, President of CGI. “We’re also very proud to showcase and share what many Hamilton County congregations are already doing to care for God’s creation. It’s a great opportunity for people of all faiths to learn from local experienced leaders in order to ‘green’ their own place of worship.”
People of all faiths are invited to come, learn, and network at the Saturday morning conference. This free conference will offer sessions on the following topics:
- Building a Green Team
- Living Faith and Creation Care
- Rethinking Energy Use and Cost
- Landscaping Green and Creating Community Gardens
- Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling
- Public Issues and Policy Challenges
Break-out sessions will be led by members of Hamilton County faith communities, teaming up with H-IPL Indiana staff and volunteers. Guest speakers include congregational green team leaders, energy conservation and renewable energy experts, experienced recyclers, accomplished gardeners, clergy, and public policy professionals from local Greek Orthodox, Independent Christian, Catholic, Unitarian Universalist, United Church of Christ, United Methodist, and Presbyterian congregations.
Rev. Dennis Shock of Carmel sums up the importance of this truly collaborative conference: “As a member of both Hoosier IPL and Carmel Green Initiative, I am very pleased that these two diverse organizations can partner together to support a creation care movement in our area. Both bring expertise and a shared vision to help people of faith become better stewards of our planet.” Rev. Keith Carlson of Grace Church adds, “Grace Church is committed to bringing healing to the decay of our planet and is thrilled to host this significant event of multiple churches and faiths coming together.”
The free conference, which begins at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, September 26 in the Student Ministries East Wing of Grace Church, is open to all. It concludes with an optional free lunch at 12:15 for further conversation. Participants may pre-register at www.carmelgreen.org. Pre-registration is requested for planning purposes, but walk-ins will be welcomed. Grace Church is located at 5504 East 146th Street in Noblesville.
For more information, contact Leslie Webb (317-440-4017; lwebb@indy.rr.com) or Mike Oles (317-281-0568; mikeoles@hoosieripl.org).
# # #
About Carmel Green Initiative
Carmel Green Initiative (CGI) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization formed in 2008 and dedicated to building a more sustainable community through partnerships and collaboration with the City of Carmel, as well as Carmel schools, congregations, businesses, community groups and homeowners. To learn more, visit carmelgreen.org
About Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light
Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light (H-IPL) brings Indiana faith communities together to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency, as a faith response to climate change. H-IPL assists congregations to form green teams, invites congregations to work together regionally, provides educational programming and tools to help reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, and offers ways to advocate for better public policy. To learn more, visit hoosieripl.org.