Good Shepherd Lutheran Church receives 2nd national award for it’s Carbon Neutral/Net Zero project

Posted: February 26, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 23, 2024

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Decorah, IA is one of  6 National Winners in Interfaith Power and Light’s Cool Congregations Annual Award for Leadership and Sustainability

Interfaith Power and Light Announces ‘Cool Congregations Challenge’ Winners as

Faith Communities Prioritize Energy Efficiency, Renewables, and Sustainability

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 24, 2024

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Decorah, IA is one of the six national Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) 2024 Cool Congregations Challenge winners awarded a $1000 prize. The annual contest accepts applications from religious congregations around the United States who are doing work to address climate change by reducing their carbon footprint as they create models of sustainability within their communities.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church won the Energy Saver Award for entirely eliminating the use of fossil fuels in heating, cooling, lighting, and powering their buildings. They have converted their building to all-electric, with heat pumps to heat and cool their buildings, powered entirely by solar on their property, preventing 25 tons of carbon emissions annually.

“Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and the other national winning congregations are casting a vision for the kind of world in which they want to live, and then carrying out that vision with practical actions that make a real difference in creating lasting solutions to climate change,” said Rev. Susan Hendershot, President of Interfaith Power & Light.

The Cool Congregations Challenge shows that people of faith are united by concerns about climate change and are taking action. The winners provide strong moral role models for their communities, and their activities have a ripple effect on people in their own homes, demonstrating that acting on climate is a moral issue.

“Iowa IPL congratulates Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on their well-deserved recognition for their work and commitment on prioritizing sustainability. Good Shepherd shows us all what is possible when people of faith come together and live into bold and just action on the climate crisis. They are a leader and will inspire other houses of worship to see what they can do,” says Deaconess Irene DeMaris, Executive Director, Iowa Interfaith Power & Light.

Interfaith Power & Light is mobilizing a religious response to global warming in congregations by promoting energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. www.interfaithpowerandlight.org Twitter: #CoolCongregations @interfaithpower   Facebook: facebook.com/interfaithpowerandlight