The annual conference of Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light (“RI IPL”) will take place from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday,October 19, 2016 at Temple Beth-El in Providence. Temple Beth-El extends its hospitality to all at Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light in announcing “As we celebrate Sukkot, a Hebrew word meaning ‘booths’ or ‘huts’, which refers to the Jewish festival of giving thanks for the fall harvest, it seems appropriate that we host the Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light annual conference where you can see and experience our beautiful Biblical garden.”
Conference participants are invited to enjoy the bounty of the Temple’s Biblical garden when they gather at 5:30 p.m. to enjoy a light dinner. At 6:00 p.m., participants will move to the meeting hall to hear a panel of speakers address the call to care for Creation from the perspectives of different faith traditions: Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser of Temple Sinai; Mufti Ikram Ul Haq, resident scholar and Imam at Masjid Al Islam; and Mr. Patrick Carolan, co-founder of the Global Catholic Climate Movement. The panel will engage the conference participants in shared learning and dialogue. “We are in an age where people want to broaden their understanding of the world,” Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser from Temple Sinai said in a recent interview. “We are more open than ever to learn from one another.”
Conference participants will also have the opportunity to learn from the solar installation experience of Westminster Unitarian Church, a RI IPL Member House of Worship. Westminster congregation member, Robert Tyce PhD, a retired Professor of Engineering at URI, will deliver brief remarks to highlight how Westminster’s solar energy program will pay for itself in six years.
People's Power & Light will "green" the event by matching the electricity used at the event with 100% wind power. Dinner will be compliant with Temple Beth-El’s kosher-style dining requirements. A $35 fee is requested of participants. Scholarships are available for those for whom the fee would be a burden; for more information, please send an e-mail to donna@ri-ipl.org.