By Y’Anad Burrell

On June 7, Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary, made a visit to Green the Church (GTC) in Oakland.

GTC is a Bay Area faith-based environmental advocacy organization.

Ambrose Carroll, Pastor of Renewal Worship Center in Oakland, led Granholm on a tour of one of GTC’s energy sustainability infrastructure sites at McGee Baptist Church in Berkeley. Granholm said she was interested in seeing firsthand and hearing directly from the GTC team about the community’s needs regarding energy efficiency that go beyond the funding GTC has received.

GTC was one of the recipients of the Clean Energy Coalition Prize, a national program that aims to develop partnerships with community-based organizations addressing energy and sustainability challenges.

The prize’s goal is to incentivize the creation of community coalitions — made up of nonprofits, city governments, school systems, and other community organizations — to develop strategies addressing inequities and leverage local clean energy opportunities. The Office of State and Community Energy Programs at the Department of Energy facilitates funding for these initiatives, which partners with state, local, and tribal governments and community organizations. The office manages $16 billion in formula grants, competitive grants, consumer rebate grants and technical assistance.

There is a need for churches and other houses of worship to become organized to take full advantage of these federal programs, say Department of Energy officials.  Green The Church is leading that effort on a national level.  Faith communities are morally obligated to reduce their carbon footprint and encourage climate justice toward marginalized communities. This process takes education, collaboration and engagement.

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GTC’s Climate Revival, Justice Symposium and Voter Registration Rally on July 20, 2024, will address all of these issues and provide resources on how the faith community can further steward their resources through an energy sustainability lens.

During Secretary Granholm’s visit, she stated, “I want to partner with Green The Church to advise on additional resources that may be available for this community and those nearby.”

For more information visit www.greenthechurch.org

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