Anchorage Daily News

The logic seems inescapable: If you love God and believe he created the Earth, then you should love the Earth and work to save it.

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"If you are a person of faith, you have a responsibility to be a steward of creation," said the Rev. Sally Bingham.

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That's the message of a growing number of Alaska churches that have joined a Christian movement to slow down global warming.

Interfaith Power and Light and its followers work to save energy, reduce trash, and otherwise fight climate change.

An Alaska chapter for the group was officially launched this past weekend, and about a dozen church leaders representing some 4,000 people have signed on. Churches around the state are switching to compact fluorescent lighting to save energy. In Wrangell, one church is selling reusable cloth grocery bags. At Saint Mary's Episcopal Church in Anchorage, they're unplugging appliances like coffee pots and lamps.

"If you are a person of faith, you have a responsibility to be a steward of creation," said the Rev. Sally Bingham, president of Interfaith Power and Light, based in San Francisco. She came to Alaska this past week for the kick-off of the Alaska group.

"People who profess a love for God and creation are the people who should be leading the environmental movement," Bingham said. "Whether they like the word 'environmentalist' or not, they are one. It doesn't have to mean you're part of a liberal conspiracy. It means you have a deep faith in God and you love your neighbor, you don't pollute their air or water."

Bingham got involved in global warming issues in the mid-1980s. People were starting to talk about it, but few pushed for lifestyle changes, she said.

"We'd pray for reverence of the Earth, and then drive away in our Hummers," Bingham said. "There's still a terrible disconnect in what we say we believe in and the way we behave."

Bingham drives a car that gets 50 miles to the gallon and walks to work. She grows vegetables, shops at the farmer's market and uses energy-saving light bulbs. During Lent, she gives up heat.

"This isn't about politics," she said. "This isn't trying to be a good Republican or a good Democrat. This is about being a ... responsible human being."

Locally, the Rev. Paul Klitzke headed the effort to start Alaska's own Interfaith Power and Light Mission. He was glad to see the religious community responding to climate change. Today, congregations in 23 states have joined the movement.

Klitzke wants churchgoers to see global warming as a moral issue and not get scared by the "environmentalist" label.

"Each of the major religions have in their scripture a God that has a covenant with people to care for creation," Klitzke said. "There are few things where all of us can say we relate. With this, we can all relate."

Deborah Williams, president of Alaska Conservation Solutions, said Alaskans are more savvy than the average American about global warming because they see it in play -- from recoiling glaciers to eroding coastlines to vanishing ponds.

Churches across the state are already changing behaviors in small ways -- both at the churches, and at the homes of those in the congregations. Some are lowering thermostats. Others are switching to motion-detection lighting.

"People here understand this," Bingham said. "That's why it's important for religious leaders to talk about it. The audience is there week after week."

Mayor Mark Begich spoke at one of the gatherings last week. Begich said he often visits Anchorage churches and finds politics and current events to be part of the sermons.

Crime prevention, for example, has been a big topic, he said. Begich expects global warming to pop up in sermons more often. It's a subject that fits with churches' attitudes and ideals, he said Sunday.

"We are here to ensure the next generation has the same quality we had, and better. This is really about Earth's long-term survival, and humanity. It crosses all boundaries."

Daily News reporter Katie Pesznecker can be reached at kpesznecker@adn.com.