About Us
Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA) is a grassroots organization working directly with religious communities of all faiths as we respond to the climate crisis.
Our Vision
Congregations of all faiths in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia living out the fullness of our faiths by responding to climate change.
As a result, the larger climate movement is elevated by moral framing, grounded in ritual and tradition, broadened by who is at the table, and given hope that a better world is possible.
We support congregations and congregants in:
Learning
People listen differently in their congregations — with their “moral ears.” When we talk about climate change in our congregations, we reach people who would not hear those messages anywhere else.
Going green
Our congregational buildings are beacons in our communities. When we change the way we use electricity, source our food, or manage the grounds of our congregational buildings, we not only steward our resources wisely but model gentler ways of living to all who enter.
Speaking out
And when religious communities speak out on environmental issues in the public square from a spiritually rooted place, we are heard differently. We don’t just join the chorus – we elevate and transform the environmental movements in which we participate.
Our Guiding Principles
Multi-faith
Our work affirms the sacred value of all religions and undermines religious bigotry by undertaking multi-faith collaboration.
Diversity
The climate movement is stronger when everyone is at the table, in the fullness of our diversity.
Moral framework
Everything we do demonstrates a fierce commitment to operating in a moral framework.
coalition-Based
Building and navigating work in broad coalitions is worth the hard work.
Focused
We focus on winnable campaigns that will have a real impact and in which faith voices can make a strategic difference.
IMAGINATIVE
We strive to bring a radical imagination and a prophetic voice to our work.
Relationship-based
We focus on relationship-based community organizing, knowing that climate change is a spiritual, emotional, and moral challenge to all people.
FULLY HUMAN
We bring our whole selves to the work and make space for others to do the same.
People already have the values they need to fight climate change. Our work invites people to be more fully themselves by living into those values.
Our Vision
Congregations of all faiths in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia living out the fullness of our faiths by responding to climate change.
As a result, the larger climate movement is elevated by moral framing, grounded in ritual and tradition, broadened by who is at the table, and given hope that a better world is possible.
Our Sponsor
Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVa) is a program of the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington (IFC), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Since 1978, IFC has been bringing together the diverse religious communities in the DC area to promote dialogue, understanding, and a sense of community. Eleven faith communities, from Baha’i to Zoroastrian, collaborate through IFC to deepen understanding and to build a just community in metropolitan Washington.
Our National Network
We are part of a network network of state Interfaith Power & Light groups across the country. Together, we are building a national religious response to the climate crisis.
Not from DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia? Find your closest IPL affiliate.