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About the Forum

The Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology is an international multireligious project contributing to a new academic field and an engaged moral force of religious environmentalism. With its conferences, publications, monthly newsletter, and website, it explores religious worldviews, texts, and ethics in order to contribute to environmental solutions along with science, policy, law, economics, and appropriate technology.

The Forum was founded at the United Nations in 1998 by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim and has been based at Yale University since 2006. In 2023, the Forum became affiliated with, and now operates under the auspices of, the Yale Center for Environmental Justice. Please explore the About Us section for more information on the Mission, History, and Projects of the Forum. Download our Forum flyer and our brochure of all Yale Forum projects. 

Others have helped lead this work, such as the National Religious Partnership on the Environment, GreenFaith, Interfaith Power and Light, Earth Ministry, Faith in Place, and Blessed Tomorrow in the United States. In Britain, the Alliance of Religion and Conservation (ARC) was an early leader and the European Forum for the Study of Religion and the Environment has advanced scholarly research.

 

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Religions and Ecology: Restoring the Earth Community

The Forum has released a series of courses on Religion & Ecology through Yale University and the Coursera online learning platform. The courses are free to audit, available anywhere in the world, and can be pursued at your own pace. Join an online community of peers for further support and to deepen your engagement

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FORE SPOTLIGHTS Video/Podcast Series

Spotlights, 4.18, Sara Jolena Wolcott of Sequoia Samanvaya
This episode of Spotlights features Sara Jolena Wolcott, an ecotheologian, minister, healer, ceremonialist, consultant, singer, and founder of Sequoia Samanvaya—an organization dedicated to harmonizing with ancient wisdom. She is also the host of The ReMembering And ReEnchanting Podcast. We discuss some of the many facets of her interdisciplinary but also cross-sector work responding to the personal, social, and ecological challenges of our current historical moment. She addresses the crucial role that origin stories play in cosmovisions, and why it is so important for the climate leadership and religious leadership to take them seriously. She also focuses on decolonization as a critical and often-missing piece from ecospiritual and ecotheological discussions. She discusses her time at Union Theological Seminary, including her experience volunteering for a climate Justice conference hosted by the Center for Earth Ethics, led by Karenna Gore. Some other topics covered include interreligious dialogue, international perspectives, seasons and circular time, disenchantment and reenchantment, and more. She has ongoing courses and boutique offerings for academics, spiritual/religious leaders, environmentalists, investors, and others who are being called forth to live courageously in these times of interconnectivity. These include a ReMembering Course, an Origin Stories course, and Circular Calendar courses. Listeners might also enjoy reading Sara Jolena's published work, including articles about circular time - The Deer at the End of the World and the Goddess of the Dawn and Reckonings with Time(s); her M.Div. thesis ReMembering the Story of the Anthropocene Age; and the From the Darkness. You can find more information on her personal website and the website for Sequoia Samanvaya: https://www.sarajolena.com/ https://www.sequoiasamanvaya.com/

 

You can also access the SPOTLIGHTS series as audio podcasts by going here. 
Watch all episodes of Spotlights from our archive page. 

Check back here every other Monday for a new episode. 
 
Congratulations to FORE Spotlights for being named one of the 20 best podcasts of 2021 on environmental activism!

 

Partner Organizations

UNEP: Faith for Earth Coalition

The mission of Faith for Earth is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.  On May 4, 2020 UNEP Faith for Earth announced a partnership with the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. See our Faith for Earth page for further information.

Interfaith Rainforest Initiative

The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (IRI) is an international, multi-faith alliance that works to bring moral urgency and faith-based leadership to global efforts to end tropical deforestation. They provide a platform for religious leaders to work hand-in-hand with indigenous peoples, governments, civil society organizations and businesses on actions that protect rainforests and safeguard the indigenous peoples that serve as their guardians. Read more.

Parliament of the World's Religions Climate Action Task Force

The Parliament of the World’s Religions, acting with the leadership of its Climate Action Task Force, seeks to encourage and enable collective and individual action to reduce and counter the adverse impacts of human-caused climate change. Read more.

Religions for Peace

Religions for Peace is where the world’s religions join together to ensure that all people enjoy peace, harmony, and prosperity. We are more than an organisation. For 50 years, Religions for Peace has been a movement changing the world and challenging the status quo through our mutual conviction that religions are more powerful, inspiring, and impactful when they work together. Read more.

Greenfaith

GreenFaith inspires, educates, organizes, and mobilizes people of diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds globally for environmental action. Our work is based on beliefs shared by the world’s religious and spiritual traditions. We believe that protecting the Earth is a sacred act, and that environmental stewardship is a moral responsibility. Read more.

Center for Earth Ethics

The Center for Earth Ethics envisions a world where value is measured according to the sustained well-being of all people and our planet. They work to cultivate the public consciousness needed to make changes in policy and culture that will establish a new value system based on this vision. Their four core programs are: Eco-ministry; Environmental Justice & Civic Engagement; Original Caretakers; and Sustainability & Global Affairs. Read more

Rotating Header photos: Faith leaders process to the Ise shrine,©Alexander Mercer, courtesy of ARC; Newspaper Rock, Utah; Maukib procession Kano, Nigeria, ©Darul Qadiriyyah, Courtesy of ARC; Cambodian monks ordaining trees, ©Chantal Elkin, Courtesy of ARC