Stewardship of Creation
Since its inception, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light (VirginiaIPL), a program of the Interfaith Center focused on creation care, has worked in the field educating members and congregations on the moral obligation to be good stewards of creation. While many environmental groups focus on creation preservation, our focus is on making the right use of God’s creation. So, to us, that doesn’t mean not burning coal to make electricity – though we would like that, too. Instead, it means finding ways to use electricity smarter, so we can burn less coal and keep more of it in the mountaintops where it belongs while at the same time supporting efforts to find other sustainable sources for energy production.
We also are focused on efforts to lift the 1982 ban on uranium mining. Currently, a study is under way
to explore whether uranium mining can be done safely in Virginia. We are currently opposed to lifting the
ban but are monitoring the study process.
Increasingly, our work at the state level propels us into the national discussion on global climate change. We have testified before Congress on the subject and have worked in partnership with other groups such as Oxfam America, the National Council of Churches, and the Regeneration Project to help educate legislators about the impact of global climate change from the faith community perspective. VirginiaIPL also is part of the national Interfaith Power & Light movement, and we will continue to work in coalition with long-standing state and national environmental groups to advance measures that help protect and preserve creation for future generations of Virginians.
