Jay Vestal is a Global Ministries EarthKeeper (2018) who serves as the Local Church Engagement chair for the Rocky Mountain Conference’s Creation Justice Task Force. He recruited 57 churches in the conference to apply for grants through the Inflation Reduction Act’s “Renew America’s Nonprofits” program to fund energy efficiency projects in their church buildings. Seventeen of these churches have been awarded funding.

Jay serves as a member of the “Green Team” of his local congregation, Christ United Methodist, Salt Lake City, Utah. Jay led the fundraising effort to match a Rocky Mountain Power (local utility) “Blue Sky” Grant which funded installation of a 23-KW solar array for the church, the first church in Utah to install solar, in 2009. In 2021, he obtained a matching grant from the Utah Department of Air Quality to install the first Level II EV-charging system located at a church in the state. It’s available for public use, with donations encouraged to support the church’s Creation Justice efforts.

After retirement in 2014, Jay served six years on the board of Utah Clean Energy, a local nonprofit promoting the transition to renewable energy sources. Jay has an energy-efficient solar home with battery storage backup and has been an EV owner and promoter of the transition to electric vehicles since 2020.

Lou stands at the intersection of faith and sustainability as co-founder and Director of the Interfaith Solar Campaign. For the past four years, he has devoted himself to empowering faith communities to embrace solar energy, developing specialized expertise in navigating the complex journey from concept to completion. As a skilled facilitator, Lou orchestrates collaborations between solar contractors, finance companies, and government agencies, serving as the critical bridge that transforms vision into reality.

His expertise continues to develop through training received from the University of New Hampshire. His current efforts are to evolve from consultant to solar developer, deepening his technical capabilities while maintaining his people-centered approach.

Lou’s passion for solar extends beyond the environmental impact; he recognizes faith communities as powerful catalysts for broader societal change, inspiring individual congregants to undertake their own climate action. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in healthcare as a project manager, organizational development consultant, and change management professional, Lou brings a unique blend of strategic thinking and human-centered facilitation to the renewable energy landscape.

Driven by a vision of an economy powered predominantly by renewables, Lou has redirected his considerable talents and experience toward becoming a transformative leader in the clean energy movement—connecting people, purpose, and planet through practical, community-based solutions.