The Forum on Religion and Ecology Newsletter
4.3 (March 2010)
1. Editorial, by Sam Mickey & Elizabeth McAnally
2. Panel Discussion: “Our Toxic Environment: Its Effects and What We Can Do about It” (March 26, 2010, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA)
3. “Environmental (Dis)Locations: A Conference with Religious Imagination Exploring Environmental Justice and Climate Change” (April 8-10, 2010, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA)
4. Videos from World 2.0 and the United Nations University
5. RENEWAL Web Festival
6. Faculty Colloquium: “Teaching Toward Eco-Justice: Where Sustainability and Social Justice Meet in Theological Education” (July 26-28, 2010, Seattle University, Seattle, WA, USA)
7. GreenFaith Fellowship Program Seeks Applications
8. Apprenticeship at the Center for Nature and Christian Spirituality (September 2010 through August 2011, Occidental, CA, USA)
9. Teva Seminar on Jewish Environmental Education (June 7-10, 2010, Cold Spring, NY, USA)
10. New Resources on Climate Change, Hunger, and Poverty from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
11. Call for Papers for the Fifth Annual Vine Deloria, Jr. Indigenous Studies Symposium (July 8-10, 2010, Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, WA, USA)
12. Events
13. Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology
1. Editorial, by Sam Mickey & Elizabeth McAnally
Greetings!
Welcome to the March issue of the newsletter for the Forum on Religion and Ecology. This month, we have a lot of exciting news to share with you about recent and upcoming developments in the field of religion and ecology, including conferences, professional development opportunities, calls for papers, videos, and more.
There are many excellent conferences and other events that are happening in the near future. Two upcoming events will be held at Yale University. On March 26, there will be a panel discussion on the topic of the toxicity of the environment. This event is sponsored by the Forum on Religion and Ecology, the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, and the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. More information can be found here: http://www.yale.edu/bioethics/toxins. Another conference at Yale will be held on April 8-10, “Environmental (Dis)Locations: A Conference with Religious Imagination Exploring Environmental Justice and Climate Change.” For more information, see below, or visit: http://www.yale.edu/divinity/dislocations.
We would also like to direct your attention to some upcoming events focusing on the work of Thomas Berry. On April 24, Iona College in New Rochelle, New York will host an Earth Day Convocation, “The Berry Forum: Opening to Work of Our Time” (http://www.iona.edu/). Two events will happen at Holy Names University in Oakland, California: 1) a conference, “Thomas Berry and the Great Work of Our Time,” July 15-18, and 2) a retreat, “The Great Work: Making It Personal,” July 18-20, 2010. For more information on the conference and the retreat, visit: http://www.hnu.edu/sophia/.
There are many opportunities for teachers, students, and religious leaders to deepen their involvement with environmental education. We are happy to inform you of the GreenFaith Fellowship Program, which is currently seeking applications. It is a comprehensive education and training program in the US, designed to prepare lay and ordained leaders from diverse traditions for religious-environmental leadership. Interested applicants should visit www.greenfaith.org for more information.
We would also like to let you know about an environmental education opportunity that can be found through an apprenticeship at the Center for Nature and Christian Spirituality in Occidental, California. The Center is designed to develop capacities in young adults who long for practical skills in nature and wilderness experiences connected to their Christian faith. For more information on the Center, visit: www.westminsterwoods.org/cncs.
Another environmental education opportunity is the Teva Seminar on Jewish Environmental Education, June 7-10, in New York. It is a four day professional development opportunity in Jewish Environmental Education, which annually brings together students, camp staff, congregational and day school educators, Torah scholars, lay leaders, and farmers. For more information, visit www.tevacenter.org/.
There will also be a professional development opportunity at a faculty colloquium in Seattle, Washington, July 26-28, “Teaching Toward Eco-Justice: Where Sustainability and Social Justice Meet in Theological Education.” For additional information and application materials, visit: https://www.seattleu.edu/stm/ecojustice.aspx.
Finally, we would like to let you know about new resources available on issues of climate change, hunger, and poverty from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. These resources include a short DVD, “Climate Change and Hunger in Nicaragua,” an accompanying discussion guide, information sheets on climate change, and a short overview of the place of hunger and poverty in a changing climate. You can find all of these resources available at www.elca.org/caringforcreation.
We hope this newsletter provides a diverse variety of opportunities for becoming more engaged with the intersection 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. Panel Discussion: “Our Toxic Environment: Its Effects and What We Can Do about It” (March 26, 2010, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA)
Join us for a panel discussion with:
John Wargo, author of Green Intelligence: Creating Environments that Protect Human Health,
Professor, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Philip & Alice Shabecoff, authors of Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on our Children
And respondent Julie Zimmerman, Assistant Director, Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering
Friday, March 26, 2010
10:30 AM - 12 PM
Kroon Hall, Room G01
195 Prospect Street
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Sponsored by the Forum on Religion and Ecology, the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, and the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
For More Information, visit: http://www.yale.edu/bioethics/toxins
For summaries of Green Intelligence and Poisoned Profits, visit:
3. “Environmental (Dis)Locations: A Conference with Religious Imagination Exploring Environmental Justice and Climate Change” (April 8-10, 2010, Yale University, New Haven, CT)
The Forum on Religion and Ecology is one of the main organizers of this conference.
“Environmental (Dis)Locations: A Conference with Religious Imagination Exploring Environmental Justice and Climate Change”
Plenary talks by Carl Anthony, Robert Bullard, Dianne Dumanowski, David Orr, and Mary Evelyn Tucker
Yale University
St. Thomas More Center
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Yale Divinity School
New Haven, CT, USA
April 8-10, 2010
http://www.yale.edu/divinity/dislocations/
http://www.yale.edu/divinity/notes/100104/dislocations.shtml
This conference is free and open to the public. Registration is required.
The conference brings together advocates for environmental justice and climate change who attempt to address global environmental problems with community-based approaches. Environmental justice advocates have developed models of resistance to environmental racism and created models for local advocacy and political resistance. Those working on issues of climate change have advocated for place-based ecological management schemes as a way to produce the social intelligence needed to understand and address complex environmental problems. Both groups have much to learn from each other’s approaches and this conference brings advocates of both approaches together to focus on how environmental justice communities can develop socially just steps to address climate change. This is where the role of religion enters the conference to help participants think about how religious communities can respond to environmental racism while confronting global ecological problems. The conference features plenary talks by Carl Anthony, Robert Bullard, Dianne Dumanowski, David Orr, and Mary Evelyn Tucker. The panelists include Anthony Leiserowitz, Nick Robinson, and Giovanna Di Chiro. The think tank sessions, which are the heart of the conference because this is where the participants develop strategies to use in their local settings, include international leaders as Desmond D’sa and Felício Pontes.
Sponsors include the Forum on Religion and Ecology, Edward J. & Dorothy Clarke Kempf Fund, Office of the Secretary, Yale Center for Transnational Cultural Analysis, Yale Divinity School, Interdisciplinary Bioethics Center, Department of Religious Studies, Department of African American Studies, Initiative on Religion and Politics, and Middle Passage Conversations Initiative on Black Religion in the African Diaspora.
For the conference schedule, visit: http://www.yale.edu/divinity/dislocations/events.shtml
4. Videos from World 2.0 and the United Nations University
Our World 2.0 web magazine (http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/), brought to you by the United Nations University, features compelling articles and 6-minute videobriefs about the global challenges of climate change, peak oil, food security, and biodiversity. Telling the stories of outstanding people who are working for a more sustainable future, we seek to illustrate how and why a better version of the world can be created via technology, design and collective knowledge.
Some examples of our films are:
“Land has Breath”
Slava Cheltuev is a Telengit community leader and shaman from the Russian Altai’s high altitude Kosh Agach district. Whilst traversing Altai’s sacred lands, he reflects on our 21st century world and stresses the importance of reviving vital traditional knowledge – age-old wisdom that instruct the respectful and harmonious relationship between local environment and human behaviour.
To view this film, visit:
http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/land-has-breath-respecting-nature-in-altai/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVCGnOZAsxQ
“Walking on Country with Spirits”
Located in the World Heritage wet tropics of Northern Australia, Shipton’s Flat is home to Marilyn, a Kuku Nyungkal Aboriginal woman, and her family. She has been living here the ancestral way far removed from the services and conveniences of modern life as part of the sublime performance of nature. Like her ancestors before her, Marilyn walks through the Kuku Nyungkal bubu, the Kukuk Nyungkal’s country, acknowledging and conversing with the Spirit beings around her.
To view this film, visit:
http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/walking-on-country-with-spirits/
Our full collection about indigenous peoples and climate change can be viewed here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/UNUChannel#g/c/21344938596B7496
The producers of RENEWAL, the groundbreaking documentary film that is inspiring diverse faith communities across the country to take action for the environment, invite you to take part in an exciting new venture.
The RENEWAL Web Festival is the perfect way to share your engagement in the religious-environmental movement. You are invited to submit your own videos, stories, photos, drawings, and poems, especially those about how commitment to the environment has affected your experience of faith. The entries will be posted on the RENEWAL Project Website.
Please read their invitation and visit the RENEWAL website to learn how you can submit your own stories about renewal of the earth and renewal of faith:
6. Faculty Colloquium: “Teaching Toward Eco-Justice: Where Sustainability and Social Justice Meet in Theological Education” (July 26-28, 2010, Seattle University, Seattle, WA, USA)
Dear Colleagues
This note is to let you know about a faculty colloquium that will take place at Seattle University this summer. It is for a small number of experienced faculty who teach at the intersection of their theological field and ecological studies. More particularly it is for those who wish to work together to deepen their ways of linking ecological realities with related social justice realities – esp. white racism and oppression based in gender or class– in their teaching.
The motivating concern behind this consultation is what I consider the greatest faultline of the sustainability movement in the US: the seductive temptation to disassociate Earth’s degradation from the pernicious forms of social injustice madly eating away at our lives (yet largely unseen by people of the upperside of power and privilege). In general – as you well know – descendents of the tribes of Europe have a greater chance of protection from the impacts of global warming and toxic waste than do many of Earth’s peoples. Efforts to address global warming and other aspects of the “Earth crisis” may either exacerbate or reduce existing injustice based in race/ethnicity, class, and gender.
Out of this concern arises this colloquium to explore the pedagogical challenges and possibilities entailed in linking social justice and ecology in theological studies. Participating faculty will be people with substantial teaching experience at the graduate level. We will collaborate to identify pedagogical challenges and construct knowledge for addressing them. The colloquium is July 26-28, 2010 and is funded by a grant from the Wabash Center.
Participants will receive a stipend of $700 with all expenses covered by the grant.
Applications must be submitted by the end of the first week in March.
For additional information and application materials, visit: https://www.seattleu.edu/stm/ecojustice.aspx
Warm regards,
Cynthia Moe-Lobeda,
Seattle University
7. GreenFaith Fellowship Program Seeks Applications
National Religious-Environmental Initiative for Lay & Ordained Leaders
The GreenFaith Fellowship Program is seeking applications for its fourth class of Fellows, with an application deadline of May 3. Interested candidates should see www.greenfaith.org or contact Rabbi Lawrence Troster, the Fellowship Director, at rabbiltroster@greenfaith.org or 732-565-7740, ext. 302. Lay and ordained leaders from diverse religious traditions, and seminary students who have completed a year or equivalent of full-time study, are invited to apply.
The Program is the first comprehensive education and training program in the US to prepare lay and ordained leaders from diverse traditions for religious-environmental leadership. Over 40 lay and ordained leaders have graduated from the program and are offering leadership in communities nationwide. “There’s no more important religious work than the restoration of Creation,” said Rabbi Troster. “We look forward to working with our new Fellows to support their growth as religious-environmental leaders.”
The Program consists of three three-day retreats focused on religious-environmental education and worship, “green” consumption and facility management, and environmental justice. Fellows participate in monthly webinars where they present their work to peers and take part in ongoing training and education. Fellows read classic writings on religious-environmentalism from a range of traditions and perspectives. Each Fellow also writes their own eco-autobiography and eco-theological statement, and carries out a religious-environmental leadership project in their own community. It’s a creative, challenging curriculum that helps participants reach their potential as religious-environmental leaders. There’s nothing else like it – anywhere.
Fellows are selected through a competitive application process for the 18-month program, which begins in September 2010. GreenFaith seeks applications from diverse ethnic and religious communities. Applications from lay and ordained leaders from the African American, Latino and Asian communities are particularly encouraged.
GreenFaith is grateful to the Kendeda Sustainability Fund and the Richard Oram Charitable Trust for their support for the Fellowship Program.
8. Apprenticeship at the Center for Nature and Christian Spirituality (September 2010 through August 2011, Occidental, CA, USA)
Westminster Woods and San Francisco Theological Seminary’s Program in Christian Spirituality are pleased to announce their collaboration on a new program. The Center for Nature and Christian Spirituality is designed to develop capacities in young adults who long for practical skills in nature and wilderness experiences connected to their Christian faith. It offers people a focus on Christian spirituality in daily life, experiences living in intentional community, and an opportunity to learn more about themselves, others, nature, and God through a year of apprenticeships and formation in residence at Westminster Woods.
The first apprenticeship is September 2010 through August 2011. Young adults aged 22-30 will partner with the Environmental Education and summer programs at Westminster Woods, participate in a weekly class in the Program in Christian Spirituality at San Francisco Theological Seminary, and engage in extensive vocational discernment and intentional community formation.
Applications are due April 10, 2010.
For more information on the Center for Nature and Christian Spirituality, please go to
www.westminsterwoods.org/cncs.
For further questions, email Sheila Denton (sheila@westminsterwoods.org) or Nancy Wiens (nancy@westminsterwoods.org).
9. Teva Seminar on Jewish Environmental Education (June 7-10, 2010, Cold Spring, NY, USA)
Plan now to join us for the Teva Seminar on Jewish Environmental Education, June 7-10, 2010, at Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, NY! This one of a kind four day professional development opportunity in Jewish Environmental Education brings together students, camp staff, congregational and day school educators, Torah scholars, lay leaders, and farmers every year. We’re excited for you to be a part of it all! Gain the crucial skills necessary to bring your learning back to your community and deepen and strengthen your own Jewish and Environmental programming. Registration is now open! You’re invited to sign up before April 23 and take advantage of a limited time $50 off registration Early Bird Special! Our 2010 rates will not increase at all from last year. If you’ve never attended the Seminar, here’s what you’re missing: jams, nights hikes, tasty vegetarian food, new and old friends, eco-art, seed-saving, text study, outdo or prayer, overnight camp outs, alternative energy demonstrations, program fair, Topsy-Turvy Bus, composting, garden design, herb spirals, wild turkeys, Mountain Laurel, lake-side cabins, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, moonrises over the lake, wild edibles, and much more. Register now and experience it for yourself!
For more information and to register, visit www.tevacenter.org/ or contact us at: 212.807.6376, or email seminar@tevacenter.org
10. New Resources on Climate Change, Hunger, and Poverty from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Now Available: New resources on climate change, hunger and poverty connections for congregational use or small group forums!
Go to www.elca.org/caringforcreation
And find:
A) DVD (10 min) “Climate Change and Hunger in Nicaragua” - an overview of the January 2009 ELCA Study Trip to Nicaragua
B) An accompanying 6 page (pdf) discussion guide: “As long as the earth endures”
C) Informational sheets on climate change (2)
D) A very well done, 4 page (pdf) piece on “Poverty and Hunger in a Changing Climate”
All of these are highly recommended for raising awareness, an easy-to-understand presentation of solid information on these issues, and ideas for how to faithfully respond.
11. Call for Papers for the Fifth Annual Vine Deloria, Jr. Indigenous Studies Symposium (July 8-10, 2010, Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, WA, USA)
Fifth Annual Vine Deloria, Jr. Indigenous Studies Symposium
Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, WA, USA
July 8-10, 2010
For More Information, visit: http://indigenousmapping.net/the-news/latestnews/198-vinedeloria2010.html
The purpose of this symposium is to bring together Native and non-Native scholars and other tribal people who are interested honoring the life and work of Vine Deloria, Jr., and to present new ideas and/or expand knowledge in several areas that Vine was active in. The symposium this year will focus on Indigenous philosophy, religion, spirituality, and related topics. The symposium itself will be organized as a series of intellectually driven panels – no “workshop” type presentations - that address these topics. Individual presentations may be formal or informal. Abstracts that include a title and brief description are requested only for the purpose of organizing the panels.
The deadline for receiving abstracts will be June 4. Those whose presentation abstracts have been accepted will be notified by June 7.
This symposium will be carried out in the spirit of Vine: No PowerPoint presentations will be accepted.
Presenters are expected to pay the $100 registration fee.
For information on abstract submission, please contact:
Steve Pavlik, Symposium Co-coordinator
Native American Studies
Northwest Indian College
2522 Kwina Road
Bellingham, WA
Telephone: 360-392-4307
Email: spavlik@nwic.edu
For information on registration and registration fees, lodging, meals, and other logistics, please contact:
Angel Jefferson, Symposium Co-coordinator
Telephone: 360-392-4287
Email: ajefferson@nwic.edu
For More Information, visit: http://indigenousmapping.net/the-news/latestnews/198-vinedeloria2010.html
“Shared Earth: Interfaith Conference on the Environment”
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
1100 East 55th Street Chicago, Illinois 60615
March 18-19, 2010
For More Information, visit: http://centers.lstc.edu/ccme/
“The Berry Forum: Opening to The Great Work of Our Time”
An Earth Day Convocation
The End Zone, La Penta Student Union
Iona College, New Rochelle, NY, USA
April 24, 2010
For More Information, visit: http://www.iona.edu/
“Thomas Berry and the Great Work of Our Time”
Summer Institute at Sophia Center in Culture & Spirituality
Holy Names University, Oakland, CA, USA
July 15-18, 2010
For More Information, visit: http://www.hnu.edu/sophia/
“The Great Work: Making It Personal”
Post Institute Retreat at Sophia Center in Culture & Spirituality
Holy Names University, Oakland, CA, USA
July 18-20, 2010
For More Information, visit: http://www.hnu.edu/sophia/
13. 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 news@religionandecology.org.