A number of churches and city governments in California and other spots around the U.S. are leading the push for clean energy by powering their houses of worship and city halls with solar, wind, and other renewable sources. Twenty-five Episcopal churches in California have switched to green power, as have Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Renewable energy company Greenmountain.com is trying to make deeper inroads into religious communities by offering $35 to church members in some areas who decide to buy the company’s green power for their homes. On the municipal level, Oakland, Calif., recently became the largest U.S. city to pledge to buy green power for its public facilities, following the lead of other cities in the state.
