2023 Cool Congregations Award

Author: Marvin Lindsay
February 28, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 February 28, 2023

First Presbyterian Church, Haddonfield, NJ is one of 18 National Runners Up in Interfaith Power and Light Cool Congregations Annual Award for Leadership and Sustainability
Interfaith Power and Light Announces ‘Cool Congregations Challenge’ Winners as
Faith Communities Prioritize Energy Efficiency, Renewables, and Sustainability

OAKLAND, Calif., February 28, 2023 — First Presbyterian Church, Haddonfield, NJ was awarded a $500 prize and designated one of 18 runners-up in the national Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) 2023 Cool Congregations Challenge. The annual contest accepts applications from religious congregations around the United States who are doing work to address global warming by reducing their carbon footprint as they create models of sustainability within their communities.

First Presbyterian Church won the Renewable Role Mode award for installing a 51,435-kW solar power system on its rooftop. The church advocated for the system with the local utility, the state Board of Public Utilities and the town's Historic Preservation Commission and Planning Board. It also educated the installer on local governance. The new solar panels are preventing 45 tons of carbon emissions annually. First Presbyterian’s advocacy paves the way for others to install solar in Haddonfield.

“First Presbyterian Church and the other national winning congregations are casting a vision for the kind of world in which they want to live, and then carrying out that vision with practical actions that make a real difference in creating lasting solutions to climate change,” said Rev. Susan Hendershot, President of Interfaith Power & Light.

The Cool Congregations Challenge shows that people of faith are united by concerns about climate change and are taking action. The winners provide strong moral role models for their communities, and their activities have a ripple effect with people in their own homes. 

Interfaith Power & Light is mobilizing a religious response to global warming in congregations through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. First Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Presbytery for Southern New Jersey.

www.interfaithpowerandlight.org

Twitter: #CoolCongregations @interfaithpower

Facebook: facebook.com/interfaithpowerandlight

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