ENERGY ACTION TEAM
Of
Interfaith Environmental Network
Organizing for Congregational Energy Action Teams
Agenda
Monday, April 16, 1212
Central Presbyterian Church
200 East 8th Street, Austin, TX
Meeting Purpose:
 Furthering our journey to energize and tool congregations for becoming carbon
neutral
 Collaborating with colleges and universities in Austin.
 Supporting an Austin Community Services Utility of the Future.
Meeting Inputs:
 Bring completed leadership sheet (or plan to complete one at the meeting).
 Bring any power point slides / files that show the impact of climate change, global
(preferred) or local that can be used for Earth Day presentations.
 Any educational materials or curricula that can be used to education youth on
climate change.
Discussion Items:
Field Trip to Bulla’s Gardens- Native plants and wildlife habitat. They rain harvest.
It is a treasure (2 pages double column, single spaced)
$ For Congregations’ Conservation Measures - Lone Star Program- for
congregation to get funds for energy conservation. Improvements. Limited funds and
first come can get this resource. Go to SECO.state.tx.us. Max dollars is $25,000.
There isn’t much money so get out and apply! Richard and Beki will update next
meeting.
First Energy Action Congregation Demo_ St Andrew’s a volunteer from a coal
mine family shared impact of coal on our health: to clean up the environment…so
others don’t suffer what they her family suffered. She is willing to speak to anyone
who is interested about her experience. We can have her visit our churches to
inspire action.
One House at a Time- provides free assistance to low income families is energy and
money saving actions, including gardens with refurbished materials. Some
congregations like St Mark’s found this was an easier starting place. Now they are
interested on applying what they learned to their own House of Worship. Ask Scottie
for more info.
Resource: “Reinventing Fire” is a great book that is in laymen’s terms on energy
which is from the Rocky Mountain Institute. From Dale
Utility of the Future-Discussion of How do we create critical mass for identifying
what we want Austin Energy to become? Changes in awareness is happening:
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children
ENERGY ACTION TEAM
Of
Interfaith Environmental Network
Organizing for Congregational Energy Action Teams
Agenda
Monday, April 16, 1212
Central Presbyterian Church
200 East 8th Street, Austin, TX
Harvard students walked out on economics class, glorifying no responsibility
capitalism, saying that they didn’t want to walk another mile dealing with traditional
economics. See statesman editorial section, April 13th, recycling opportunities
David Hogan provided a gift, comprehensive list of what he has put together about
the church and the city about. The front is about the church and some programs.
On the back is a list of charitable organizations to which resources can be donated
for reuse.
Recycling Education: EPA says that if recycling significantly can reduce carbon
emissions. If recycle 15 lbs a week for a year that is the equivalent in CO2 to the
emissions emitted by driving 2400 miles in a gas vehicle or if have EPA standard
home (very specific def) it is the equivalent of 1 and a half months of energy use.
FYI, HDI Plastics at 5330 Fleming Court in South Austin takes Styrofoam. Cork can
be recycled at Specs and wholefoods or donated to Children’s Museum. Children’s
museum also reuses items that are listed on David’s sheet.
EAT Member Actions: Saint Georges Episcopal: They are going to preach on earth
day and create a garden. Focus is on local food and composting classes. They are
going to do indexes with projects and take them out one at time and start working on
them…so that they don’t feel so overwhelmed. Joep is monitoring of electric use to
determine how much they are doing. It is really easy to use. Is using 4,000 watts a
year and will be changing out clothes washer to front loader to reduce the electric
use by 200 watts. Discovered that using an electric kettle is much more efficient
than cooking on the stove.
Reenergize Texas- Trevor Lovell
This is a movement of students from 16 colleges and universities across the Lone
Star State, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and realizing the vision of a healthy
and sustainable society. The idea born in 2007, with vision by a student network to
promote climate solutions and implement solutions. They knew they couldn’t take on
powerful utilities because of principle OCOC, small organization makes small
campaigns, big organizations make big campaigns. How do we utilize to make
bigger changes? Campaign is about change that recruits more people.
1. They had a meeting of leaders and got involved in local campus activities in
Texas.
2. A core group of leaders was organized in Texas summit. Agenda was specific
with leadership training and how to develop organization and be successful.
2008 was focused on achieving local victories.
3. Legislation was passed in 2009. UT, A&M, and TX State went into Texas
Legislature with a bill to allow public school students to vote a fee to go into
sustainability to pay for projects.
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children
ENERGY ACTION TEAM
Of
Interfaith Environmental Network
Organizing for Congregational Energy Action Teams
Agenda
Monday, April 16, 1212
Central Presbyterian Church
200 East 8th Street, Austin, TX
4. Nationwide: 98 times have proposed and 94 have passed. 8 projects throughout
texas. To do this students at various locations contacted local legislators in their
districts to support the bill to allow students to pay for sustainability programs.
He coordinated calls from volunteers to get attention and got meeting that he was
seeking as a result.
5. Campuses have sustainability committees that have decision making authority
over funds raised and have a seat at the table. He used to work for Texas public
citizen.
Questions
 How do you see us collaborating with our group?
 Faith based speakers can talk to students and have churches on
campuses.
Recommend: Student interns by establishing relationship with leaders such as
at UT the campus environmental center. Student interns want Real world
projects in projects that they can take back to the Greenfund Program to propose
projects for their schools. Weakness of the Greenfund is that there is no real
world experience in project development and money that they can learn from a
church. Are their students that are learning skills that can help a church? Yes,
they are Jesse IEN intern could do time consuming work like auditing for
incandescent light bulbs. Can contact schools about internships, do half page
descriptions. How much money is that each year? At UT, approximate half
million. Projects include xeriscape, solar panels and bike programs, etc. Bob:
would be neat to do audits and really map churches…could maybe even just take
the amounts churches spend on energy and make database so churches can
see expenditures better. have to build up front a good explanation of what is
expected and needs to be done.
Upgrading EAT: How can we best collaborate and support each other’s work? We
need a specific common team activity? How do we solidify and unify group and get
more out of group. Suggestions included:
 Conduct an audit of each congregation where we hold a meeting. So we
become more aware of what we are doing, update cards, and energize
churches that we are visiting.
 Toward becoming a national model, we can use each church as case study
and provide service to churches that we are visiting. But maybe we need to
finish or review what we are doing before we move on. It is multifaceted so
we need to put on agenda.
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children
ENERGY ACTION TEAM
Of
Interfaith Environmental Network
Organizing for Congregational Energy Action Teams
Agenda
Monday, April 16, 1212
Central Presbyterian Church
200 East 8th Street, Austin, TX


Central Pres Green Team agreed to provide tour next week. EAT will provide
energy action tools. This may be a good incentive for churches to hold
meetings at their house of worship.
We could approach churches that aren’t members that would find that what
we have to offer of interest.
Agenda for April 23rdth
 Next month change to second and forth of each month and have special
events.
 Wants to look at timeline for activities to see where we are and see what we
are getting done and see what we need to do to get things done.
 Someone from the church will do presentation on what the church has done.
Maybe use energy action cards in walk through at next meeting. Not want a
written missive but a recipe.
 Everyone that has action cards need to try to finish cards that they are
working on so we can practice next meeting learn from the walkthrough.
Announcements, Appreciations and Closing Prayer
Earth Day Festival. (www.eartthdayAustin.comz) April 22, 12-6 event at the Mueller
Airport.( old hanger), Airport Blvd and Mueller Drive. IEN will provide info on Climate
Change and Energy Action. If you can help man the booth for 15 minutes, end message
to Rodney Macias <macias.rodney@att.net>
Next Meeting: Monday, April 23rd
Central Presbyterian Church
200 East 8th Street, Austin, TX
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children