Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light (MNIPL)

Climate Justice is You, Me, Us

It takes courage to work towards the repair of our amazing and beautiful and sometimes broken world. 

We need big change, and sometimes the scale of that change can feel overwhelming. Here at MNIPL, when the work of transformation feels too big, we notice what's around us, and we remind ourselves that change starts with you, me, us. 

It's why over the past year, MNIPL has invested more deeply than ever in local communities and in the collective power we each hold to make climate justice a reality. Below is a summary of just some of our 2022 work in Bangladesh, at the Mississippi Headwaters, and in Duluth. 

Taken together, these campaigns and gatherings show how powerful we are when we come together—and how big our impact can be when we start with one action, one commitment, one contribution. 

None of MNIPL's work would be possible without the support of grassroots donors like you.

We need resources to meet the scale of the challenge and possibility in front of us. We ask that you give more generously, more ambitiously, and more meaningfully than ever. 

Every contribution matters. Every difference we make comes from all of us.

Thank you for your financial gift! We are grateful that you are a part of our work. We are grateful for all that you do to care for our world!

2022 Highlights

Rebuilding Homes in Rajanpur, Bangladesh

Ruhel Islam, a beloved MNIPL community member and small business owner in Minneapolis, is back in his home country of Bangladesh. He is helping to repair and rebuild a community in Rajanpur devasted by floods in June 2022 and the impacts of the climate crisis. Just last week, they started building the 1st of 10 initial homes out of bricks and other sturdy materials.

Annual Gathering at the Headwaters of the Mississippi River

We gathered once again at Itasca State Park and surrounding areas to nurture our connections with one another and the earth. We heard stories from Dawn Goodwin and other Indigenous elders and bore witness at the Line 3 Firelight Camp. We traveled with Winona LaDuke on the "green road" to a local "InRenewable" economy based on hemp, solar, and relationships with a changing land. We learned about the rights, and we offered our gratitude to life-giving waters. 

Bringing Solar to Low-Income Families in Duluth

Thanks to the generous donations of individuals and a matching gift from Veda Bellamkonda, the MNIPL community raised $15,000 in one month to directly subsidize the installation of roof-top solar arrays on the homes of three families. Lower-income households pay a disproportionate part of their income to utilities. Clean solar not only lowers air pollution for an entire community, it improves the quality of low-income housing. Together, we made this just transition to renewable energy happen!