Home » Publications » Forum Newsletters » Here

August 2011

The Forum on Religion and Ecology Newsletter
5.8 (August 2011)

Contents:
 
1. Editorial, by Sam Mickey & Elizabeth McAnally
 
2. Journey of the Universe Film Screenings

3. Events

4. New Books

5. Rights and Humanity’s Global Leaders Congress 2011 (September 11 – 14, 2011 in Liverpool, UK)

6. “The Wisdom of Thomas Berry” (September 27 – November 22, 2011 in Calgary, AB, Canada)

7. World Council of Churches (WCC) Climate Change Update #52

8. New Issue of Eco Islam Magazine by Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES) 

9. Certificate in Yoga and Ecology at Loyola Marymount University

10. Interviews on Hinduism and Ecology with Pankaj Jain

11. Tar Sands Climate Protests 

12. Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology



1. Editorial, by Sam Mickey & Elizabeth McAnally

Greetings,

Welcome to the August issue of the newsletter for the Forum on Religion and Ecology. We have much to share with you this month with regards to developments in the field of Religion and Ecology, including film screenings, books, conferences, events, calls for papers, and more.

We are very excited to let you know that the Journey of the Universe film and book have both been released and are available to purchase.  For ordering information, visit: http://www.journeyoftheuniverse.org/buy/ 

A collaboration of Brian Thomas Swimme, Mary Evelyn Tucker, and John Grim, the Journey of the Universe project also includes an educational series (available October 12, 2011). Inspired by the New Story described by Thomas Berry, the Journey of the Universe draws on the latest scientific knowledge to tell the story of cosmic and Earth evolution. It aims to inspire a new and closer relationship with Earth in a period of growing environmental and social crisis. For more information about the project, including the most up-to-date list of film screenings, visit: http://www.journeyoftheuniverse.org

We are happy to share with you an invitation to participate in the Rights and Humanity’s Global Leaders Congress 2011.  Held September 11–14 in Liverpool, UK, the Congress will develop an urgent Call for Action for global cooperation to identity common strategies for health, peace and security and environmental sustainability. The deliberations at the Congress will be shaped by the legal framework and moral compass of human rights law and the values and responsibilities shared across faiths and cultures. For more information, visit: www.rightsandhumanityGLC.org

We also want to draw your attention to an open letter released by environmentalists and eco-justice leaders from North America (drafted by Bill McKibben, Wendell Berry, Gus Speth, and others), which calls for people to join in protest against the construction of an oil pipeline connecting the tar sands of Alberta to refineries in Texas.  The pipeline would have devastating effects for people and for the planet.  To view the open letter, visit: http://www.tarsandsaction.org/invitation/

We hope this newsletter supports your own work and helps you further your own engagements with the field of Religion and Ecology.

Warm wishes,
Sam Mickey & Elizabeth McAnally
California Institute of Integral Studies
Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale
Web Content Managers & Newsletter Editors
http://www.yale.edu/religionandecology  
news@religionandecology.org 


2. Journey of the Universe Film Screenings

Film Broadcasts: KQED (August 4-14, 2011)

KQED Pledge Drive with Journey of the Universe
Interview with Mary Evelyn Tucker
For the channels and airdates, visit:
http://www.kqed.org/tv/programs/index.jsp?pgmid=20036

+

Film Screening: Austin, TX (August 8, 2011)

Ecological Society of America (ESA) Annual Meeting
Austin Convention Center (Room 14)
500 E Cesar Chavez St.
Austin, TX
6:30-8pm
Mary Evelyn Tucker will introduce the film.
Contact: Ellen Freiler, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

+

Film Screening: Blairstown, NJ (August 20, 2011)

Genesis Farm
41A Silver Lake Avenue
Blairstown, NJ
Film and discussion with Mary Evelyn Tucker at 2 pm
Benefit Reception at 6 pm
$10 for Film
$30 for Benefit Reception
To RSVP by August 15, visit:
http://www.journeyoftheuni​verse.org/storage/JOTU_Gen​esis_Farm_RSVP.pdf
Contact: Genesis Farm, 908-362-6735
http://www.genesisfarm.org​/program.taf?_function=pde​tail&program_id=173&id=101​&type&chron=chron&_UserRef​erence=F411CE26D55F3E204E1​DE593

+

Film Screening: Pittsburgh, PA (August 23, 2011)

First United Methodist Church
5401 Centre Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
7:00 PM
This screening is part of Cosmology Movie Night.
Contact: Karen Bernard, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

+

For more events related to Journey of the Universe, visit: http://www.journeyoftheuniverse.org/upcoming-events/


3. Events

“The Future of Creation Order”
Christian Philosophy Conference
VU University Amsterdam
August 16-19, 2011
http://www.cpc2011.org

“Uncanny Homecomings: Narrative Structures, Existential Questions, Theological Visions”
2011 Religion, Literature and the Arts Conference
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
August 26-28, 2011
http://rla2011.blogspot.com/

"God's Earth: Too Big to Fail? A Conversation Among Faith, Science & Culture"
Presbyterians for Earth Care National Conference
Highlands Presbyterian Camp and Retreat Center, Allenspark, CO, USA
August 31-September 3, 2011
http://www.presbyearthcare.org/
http://toobigtoofail.wordpress.com/

“Green Perceptions: Ecology and Texts”
St. Paul's College, Kalakassery, Kerala, India
September 15-16, 2011
http://fore.research.yale.edu/calendar/item/green-perceptions-ecology-and-texts/

"Implications of the Journey of the Universe" 
Film Screening & Conference in Ottawa
Keynote Address: Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker
Saint Paul University, 223 Main Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 23-24, 2011
http://www.ustpaul.ca/index.php?page=852   

"Living the New Story: Cosmology, Justice, Poetry and the Planet”
With Drew Dellinger
Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA, USA
September 23-25, 2011
http://webapp.esalen.org/workshops/9770


4. New Books

University Reform in an Era of Global Warming
By C. A. Bowers
Eco-Justice Press and Aurora Books, 2011
http://www.ecojusticepress.com/bowers_univ_reform.html

This book is especially timely for reasons related to the current efforts on the part of several national organizations to promote sustainability reforms in courses in all academic disciplines. The chapters address a number of especially daunting challenges, with the main one being that many faculty who were graduate students in the last decades of the 20th Century continue to think within the same conceptual frameworks they acquired from their mentors.  Their mentors were unaware of environmental limits, as well as the metaphorical nature of language that reproduces the ecologically problematic cultural assumptions that, in turn, have become part of today’s students’ taken for granted world.

The book provides the conceptual framework that needs to be the focus of faculty discussions if these discussions are going to help faculty avoid the misconception that adding a couple of readings by environmental writers will enable students to make the transition to a post-industrial way of thinking and less consumer-driven lifestyle.

+

Listening to the Earth: Meditations on Experiencing and Belonging to Nature
By Katherine Murray
Lorian Press, 2011
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9780936878355

This book is a collection of engaging meditations and poetry intended to help the reader more fully connect with the Earth.  “This book offers a simple, mindful invitation.  We – you and me – are not separate from each other, from the air we breathe, the dogs we love, the gardens we tend, the trees we drive by on the way to work in the morning.  We are part and parcel of the earth, made of the substance, reflecting the beauty, swimming in the sacred, planted, tended, and celebrated as we grow” (pp. 1-2).    

Katherine Murray is a spiritual director, writer, mom, and nana who loves the earth and all beings living here. The author of many nonfiction books, Katherine mixes pastoral care with contemplative writing and feels that healing our relationship with the earth is integral to personal and societal healing.

+

Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet
By Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
Barrett-Koehler, 2010
http://www.greendeenbook.com/

Muslims are compelled by their religion to praise the Creator and to care for their community. But what is not widely known is that there are deep and long-standing connections between Islamic teachings and environmentalism. In this groundbreaking book, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin draws on research, scripture, and interviews with Muslim Americans to trace Islam’s preoccupation with humankind’s collective role as stewards of the Earth. Abdul-Matin points out that the Prophet Muhammad declared that “the Earth is a mosque.”

Deen means “path” or “way” in Arabic. Abdul-Matin offers dozens of examples of how Muslims can follow, and already are following, a Green Deen in four areas: “waste, watts (energy), water, and food.” At last, people of all beliefs can appreciate the gifts and contributions that Islam and Muslims bring to the environmental movement.

+

Creation, Environment and Ethics
Edited by Rebekah Humphreys and Sophie Vlacos
Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010
http://www.c-s-p.org/Flyers/Creation--Environment-and-Ethics1-4438-2508-5.htm

Creation, Environment and Ethics aims to contribute to a critical understanding of ethics, evolution and creation, and to provide a pluralistic response to some of the most pressing issues facing the global environment today. Following the example of Professor Robin Attfield, this volume aims to reflect the diverse responses with which theological, ethical and evolutionary discourses have contributed to the broad scope of environmental philosophy and also to ongoing debates about creation and evolution. Critiques of the work of Attfield are provided by prominent philosophers, and Attfield provides a clear and thorough response to each of these critiques in turn.
 
The broad ranging nature of this book will appeal to environmentalists, ethicists, theologians and students alike. Some of the contributions also offer more pragmatic approaches to environmental issues such as climate change, development and sustainability, which will be of interest to a general as well as to an academic readership.
 “Global Solutions to Global Challenges: Think, Unite, Act”
Rights and Humanity’s Global Leaders Congress 2011
Under the Patronage of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Mrs Cherie Blair
Liverpool, UK
September 11–14, 2011
www.rightsandhumanityGLC.org

The aim of the Global Leaders Congress is to identify solutions to critical existing and emerging concerns, share good practice and promising innovations and identify common strategies for health, peace and security and environmental sustainability. Participants at the Congress will develop an urgent Call For Action to promote global cooperation around solutions to the pressing global challenges of our time. The Congress will bring together a core group of thought leaders and innovators from all sectors, in recognition that new institutions and a reformed model critically depend on a strengthened relationship between government, business and civil society. The deliberations at the Congress will be shaped by the legal framework and moral compass of globally recognised human rights law and the values and responsibilities shared across faiths and cultures - our common humanity.

For more information and registration details, visit: www.rightsandhumanityGLC.org.


5. Rights and Humanity’s Global Leaders Congress 2011 (September 11 – 14, 2011 in Liverpool, UK)

“Global Solutions to Global Challenges: Think, Unite, Act”
Rights and Humanity’s Global Leaders Congress 2011
Under the Patronage of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Mrs Cherie Blair
Liverpool, UK
September 11–14, 2011
www.rightsandhumanityGLC.org

The aim of the Global Leaders Congress is to identify solutions to critical existing and emerging concerns, share good practice and promising innovations and identify common strategies for health, peace and security and environmental sustainability. Participants at the Congress will develop an urgent Call For Action to promote global cooperation around solutions to the pressing global challenges of our time. The Congress will bring together a core group of thought leaders and innovators from all sectors, in recognition that new institutions and a reformed model critically depend on a strengthened relationship between government, business and civil society. The deliberations at the Congress will be shaped by the legal framework and moral compass of globally recognised human rights law and the values and responsibilities shared across faiths and cultures - our common humanity.

For more information and registration details, visit: www.rightsandhumanityGLC.org.


6. “The Wisdom of Thomas Berry” (September 27 – November 22, 2011 in Calgary, AB, Canada)

“The Wisdom of Thomas Berry”
Nine Tuesday evenings 7:00-9:00PM
Starts September 27th 2011
October 4, 11, 18, and 25
November 1, 8, 15, and 22
Suggested Fee: $50 or $10 per session

Knox United Church
506 4th Street SW
Calgary, AB, Canada
T2P 1S7
www.knoxcentre.ca

Our Gatherings this Fall will focus on the writings and teachings of Thomas Berry (1913-2009), a cultural historian, a Passionist priest, a professor at Fordham University, and a self-described “geologian.”  His insights inspired an entire generation of teachers such as Brian Swimme and Matthew Fox.

In Fall 2011 each week we will focus on excerpts from one of Thomas Berry’s books: The Dream of the Earth, The Universe Story, The Great Work, Evening Thoughts, The Christian Future and Fate of the Earth, and The Sacred Universe, as well as video clips of Thomas. There will be plenty of time for discussion and contemplation as well.

To see the flyer, visit:

http://fore.research.yale.edu/files/The_Wisdom_of_Thomas_Berry.pdf

7. World Council of Churches (WCC) Climate Change Update #52

WCC Climate Change Update #52
July 2011
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=8511

Topics in this update include:

- International Ecumenical Peace Convocation
- The meeting of the WCC Working Group on Climate Change
- Climate justice for sustainable peace in Africa
- UN climate change negotiating session in Bonn
- A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

 

 

8. New Issue of Eco Islam Magazine by Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES)

Please find the latest Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES) Eco Islam magazine (Issue 8) ready to download at this link:

www.ifees.org.uk/ecoislam/newsletter_EcoIslam_Issue8.pdf

Articles in this edition include:

- Genetic modification and Islam
- Water ethics in Islam
- Green Islam in Algeria
- IFEES' Schools4Trees programme
- The Green Mosque Initiative
- IFEES' outreach in: Indonesia, Nigeria & Ghana

 

 

9. Certificate in Yoga and Ecology at Loyola Marymount University


Loyola Marymount University's Center for Religion and Spirituality, in conjunction with the Green Yoga Association, will conduct its fourth certificate training in Yoga and Ecology.  The 50-hour certificate program begins September 12, 2011, at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center and will continue on weekends in Los Angeles and Santa Monica throughout the fall.  

Courses include:

- Foundations of Yoga and Ecology
- Yoga and Permaculture
- Earth Verses: The Prthivi Sukta
- Yoga as Personal and Planetary Healing
- Green Yoga Sadhana

For further information, visit:

http://www.lmu.edu/academics/extension/crs/certificates/yoga_green.htm


10. Interviews on Hinduism and Ecology with Pankaj Jain

“Ecology and the Spirituality of Hinduism with Pankaj Jain”
The Godspeed Institute for Spiritual Learning
http://www.godspeedinstitute.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=111

“Hindu Organization of Long Island (HOLI) and Earth Day Celebration”
By Hindu Organization of Long Island (HOLI) at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Manhasset 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2A1eaMNyKA


11. Tar Sands Climate Protests 

Together with North America's eminent environmentalists, agriculturalists, and other eco-justice leaders, people are invited to join the protest against the proposed construction of a tar sands oil pipeline from Alberta to various oil refineries in Texas. The Alberta tar sands project, which has been called "the most destructive project on Earth," has decimated local ecosystems and directly affects the land and livelihood of first nation peoples in Canada. Moreover, the construction of a pipeline to connect the tar sands to Texas has been called a "fifteen hundred mile fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the planet." From August 20th to September 3rd protests will be held in front of the White House lawn in order to demonstrate to the Obama administration and Congress that this pipeline is bad for the Earth, bad for all its people, and bad for America.

The "open letter" URL drafted by Bill McKibben, Wendell Berry, Gus Speth, et al can be found at:

http://www.tarsandsaction.org/invitation/

Further information about the Tar Sands, visit:

http://www.tarsandsaction.org/about/

 


12. Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology

Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology has as its focus the relationships between religion, culture and ecology world-wide. Articles discuss major world religious traditions, such as Islam, Buddhism or Christianity; the traditions of indigenous peoples; new religious movements; and philosophical belief systems, such as pantheism, nature spiritualities, and other religious and cultural worldviews in relation to the cultural and ecological systems. Focusing on a range of disciplinary areas including Anthropology, Environmental Studies, Geography, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Sociology and Theology, the journal also presents special issues that center around one theme. For more information, visit: http://www.brill.nl/wo  

For more information on other journals related to religion and ecology and to environmental ethics/philosophy, visit: http://fore.research.yale.edu/publications/journals/index.html.  If you know of a publication that needs to be added to this list, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  

+

For the archive of previous Forum newsletters, visit:

http://fore.research.yale.edu/publications/newsletters/index.html