Summertime Goals: Building Relationships and Developing a Vision
Stirring up a grassroots movement is hard work.
Dallas Interfaith Power & Light's steering committee has been working together for about two years now. We've held a number of workshops and dialogues on diverse topics, including: forming a green team, energy efficiency, solar, health impacts of climate change, the value of our park systems, the science of climate change, and more. Perhaps 100-150 people have attended, although our actual signed-in attendance count is 84 across all events.
"Learning to focus" © 2013, S. Fuqua / T. Homayoun. Ovenbird at Paradise Pond in Port Aransas, Texas.
Originally posted on the Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy's blog, which is no longer accessible (2025)
We have a Facebook page and a website, both of which have attracted a very small audience. We've supported others' efforts, in small ways, to encourage shark conservation, the new plastic bag ordinance in Dallas, and coal-free electricity. We do not know what kind of impact we've had on those with whom we've had some contact. No one feels satisfied that we are doing all that we can to address the overwhelming challenges of climate change.
As organizers, we must ask ourselves: how do we push through our mental and physical barriers, set aside our gnashing of teeth, and move forward into focused action? With more questions, naturally.
The purpose of Dallas Interfaith Power & Light is to promote love, justice, and care for creation through local action, education, and dialogue about climate stewardship. That is a nice rallying cry. Now what is our specific vision? How do we measure success? How do we reach a broader audience for that "action, education, and dialogue?"
This summer, the group's steering committee will engage in a series of conversations with diverse individuals and groups. This is all about building relationships. The initial agenda is the conversation* itself. Are you interested in a religious response to climate change? What are your practical concerns? How can we help each other?
Listening to the responses can help us refine our vision and agenda. And yet, we need a common sense of vision before a meaningful dialogue can take place. What is Dallas IPL's goal – what contributions do we expect to make in Dallas? Developing a common vision, one that transcends our individual goals and is easily communicable, is a second concern for the steering committee over the coming months.
From the welter of the listening and envisioning processes, we hope to foster the emergence of concrete goals and action plans. We will either emerge better focused, or we will recognize that our paths are too divergent to make this effort a success.
- Appropriate Freudian slip - initially I wrote "conservation" instead of "conversation" ;-)
