Leap of Faith: Partnering for Conservation

In Birmingham, Alabama, an unusual combination of leaders has come together in collaborative conversations to advance water and energy conservation and efficiency and the water-energy connection. The Interfaith Environmental Initiative of Alabama (IEIA) is a community-based network connecting members of faith, science, education, environment, business, government, water and energy provider and the arts sectors to learn together and encourage and inspire informed choices for care of creation.

IEIA's focus is on shared values of education, collaboration and community action / stewardship of Creation. Within the IEIA Water Working Group, these shared values are building trust and understanding among its participants, including Alabama Environmental Council, Alabama Power Company, Alabama Rivers Alliance, Alabama Technology Network, Episcopal Task Force (www.stewardsforcreation.org ) Green Resource Center for Alabama, Nature's Tap, Beth Young Conservation Photography, Birmingham Water Works Board, Trussville Utilities, Shelby County Water Department, Cahaba River Society, McWane, Inc., Protective Life, Tri-Aqua LLC, and World Wildlife Fund.

While IEIA is not religiously affiliated, we include faith and science, actively encourage faith leaders to be involved in scientifically-sound environmental education and action within and through their faith communities, encourage participants to explore choices about our stewardship of creation in our jobs, homes, schools, and places of worship, and coordinate our educational networks in collaborative initiatives for water/energy.

The growing collaborative relationships of IEIA participants are as important as the joint projects we are accomplishing. Our IEIA Water Working Group aims to be a catalyst for projects that achieve substantial water and energy savings, to widen the constituency of community leaders who advocate for and advance water conservation and efficiency, and to engage in conversations about how to proactively pursue water efficiency and conservation to meet the region's future growth needs.

This workshop would present the IEIA case study, as recently submitted to River Network (Wendy Wilson). The IEIA Water/Energy in Business & Industry Working Group is using seed grants from WWF and River Network to develop an educational presentation and outreach strategy for area high-volume water consumers, primarily business, industry and institutions. This jointly delivered, peer-to-peer education effort outlines opportunities for water savings and efficiencies, highlights local success stories, and makes the connection between water conservation / efficiency / reuse, energy savings, and low impact development.