By Andrew Hartley
Following Jesus means loving God and loving others, and protecting the earth is all about love: For God, who created Earth as a beautiful masterpiece; and for people, who depend on Earth being clean and healthy.
Knowing that, many people say they are frustrated that they can’t do more to care for this planet. They believe that most of the pollution that is messing up the planet, God’s planet, is caused by forces outside their control. And they are mostly right. Just 90 large companies have released about 60% of the greenhouse gas emissions that are now dangerously warming Earth.
It’s fair, then, to ask, what can you and I do, as individuals? Many of us want to buy an electric vehicle or put a solar array on our roof, for instance, but those steps have been expensive. Or we turn off the lights when we leave a room or walk to the store once in a while instead of driving the car, but it all feels so insignificant, right?
The good news is that some new federal government policies are putting you and me back in the driver’s seat when it comes to protecting Earth. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, ordinary citizens are suddenly more in control of America’s transition to clean energy. That law includes substantial incentives for individuals to shift their homes and cars away from fossil fuels.
These incentives can make a big difference, because Americans use a lot of dirty energy. Many houses are like mini fossil-fuel power plants. Across the nation, the numbers are staggering. United States households have many millions of gasoline-powered cars; propane, gas, and oil furnaces; gas water heaters and stoves; and gasoline lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws.
That list adds up to a lot of pollution making us sick and warming our climate, and curbing the harm is why the IRA was enacted. The act offers big savings for people improving their environmental impacts. Individuals can get up to $7,500 off an electric car, $2,000 off a heat pump, and more. Also available is a tax credit of 30% of the cost of a new solar, wind, or geothermal system. Many other incentives are available for energy efficiency—too many to mention here.
Besides these new financial incentives, another reason that now is a good time to “go green” is the new technology. A decade ago, heat pumps didn’t work so well in cold climates, but now they can function nicely down to about -20ºF. Electric cars can run longer on a charge. And have you seen the new electric induction stoves? They are amazing. They offer faster cook times, precise temperature control, easier clean up, and improved indoor air quality and safety.
So, I encourage you to check out how the new technology can help us as individuals care better for God’s creation, and how the IRA can help you save money. Information is available at
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/consumer-guide-inflation-reduction-act
https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator
https://www.rewiringamerica.org/ira-fact-sheets
Future newsletters will feature information about how churches can access Federal incentives for enhancing energy efficiency in buildings.
Andrew Hartley is part of the UMCJM Advocacy Working Group and facilitates the Creation Care Team at Elma UMC in Elma, NY.