Green Power Switch News
Issue No. 3, Fall 2001

Perspective

The leaves this fall are turning Green

Joyce Wilding and the other members of Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville believe that care of the environment is a vital component of stewardship and a life of faith. As a member of the Episcopal Environmental National Steering Committee and Ecology Group Leader at Christ Church, Joyce sees the Green Power Switch program as one way to support that stewardship.

During a 2001 Lenten series, Joyce made a “Greening with Life” exhibit using the TVA/Nashville Electric Service (NES) Green Power Switch portable display, which describes the benefits of green energy. Church members were asked to write their name on a green paper leaf and hang it on a small bare tree if they had purchased green power from NES. Those who had not yet signed up for green energy were invited to do so and add their leaf. Turning the tree green was a reminder for the members of the congregation to find more ways to promote clean energy.

The cathedral itself has subscribed to Green Power Switch and proudly displays its decal. Many cathedral members have asked their friends and neighbors to sign up for the program. Several of the church’s Ecology Group members have spoken with other faith groups about promoting green energy and energy efficiency. They would like leaders from all houses of faith to encourage their congregations to be good stewards of the earth’s resources.

Calendar of Events

Wind turbine tour
October 27: Oak Ridge
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy will host a tour of the Buffalo Mountain wind turbines. It will start at Oak Ridge Community Center at 9 a.m. For more information or to reserve a seat on the tour, contact the Alliance at 865-637-6055 or e-mail info@cleanenergy.org.

Concerned Oak Ridge Citizens
November 3: Oak Ridge
Concerned Oak Ridge citizens will meet at Hardee’s at 9 a.m. For more information contact Rick Carson at 423-751-7461.

Sally Bingham Talk
November 7: Knoxville
Sally Bingham of Episcopal Light and Power, based in San Francisco, will give a talk on the role faith communities can play in taking leadership to protect God’s creations. The meeting will take place at Church of the Good Samaritan Parish Hall, 425 North Cedar Bluff Road, at 7:30 p.m. Interfaith coalitions are being formed in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville to explore energy stewardship within faith communities. For more information, contact the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy at 865-637-6055 or send an e-mail to info@cleanenergy.org.

TVA Energy Technology Expo
November 28 - 29: Chattanooga
The expo will take place at the Chattanooga Convention Center. For more information, contact Paula Brown at 865-632-2974, e-mail her at tvainfo@tva.gov (attn.: Paula Brown), or go to the PPI Web site.