As autumn approaches in the northeastern US and the school year begins, the buzz of activity resumes, and the field of religion and ecology is no exception! There are many interesting events in the field and related areas of interest this fall. Listed below are some of the highlights for the month of September. All of the events listed here are accessible online and the majority are free of charge.
For a full listing of upcoming events, including in-person events, trainings, and ongoing series, go to the Events page on our site.
September 8, 6am EST
Values, Culture, and Spirituality Consultation: The Philippine Eagle
Center for Earth Ethics
Online. Learn more and register here
In this consultation, we explore the special relationships that still exist between humans and other species when those species are considered “sacred.” Join us as we delve into the world of the critically endangered Philippine Eagle and hear from an Indigenous community working with others to protect their sacred species. How can that sacredness help protect the species and the ecosystems in which it lives? And how can working together with, and in support of, Indigenous peoples bring new solutions to conservation? Speakers include Matanem Hernan Ambe, Indigenous Bagobo Tagabawa leader; Jimbea Lucina, Manager for Culture-based conservation, Philippine Eagle Foundation; Joan Carling, Indigenous Peoples Rights International; And the participation of the Bagobo Tagabawa community members; Moderated by Liza Zogib, DiversEarth. This consultation is part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration series, Values, Culture and Spirituality.
September 11-14
2022 Green Team Summit: Rooted Together
Faith in Place
Online and in person. Free of charge.
Learn more here. Register here.
There will be 6 sessions, including the keynote address by Katharine Hayhoe on Sunday, September 11. See the full agenda here and information on all of the presenters can be found here.
September 12, 5pm EST
Faiths in Conversation/Ethics of Creation Care Series
“Judaism and an Ethic of Creation Care” with Hava Tirosh-Samuelson
The Thanks-giving Foundation
Online. Free of charge.
Learn more and register here.
In this series, speakers from different religious traditions will explain how their religious tradition understands the ethics of creation care. In addition to addressing the value of creation in itself, of particular concern will be in relationship of creation care to human dignity, economic justice, and migration stimulated by changes in the climate. Participants will learn how each religion understands what it means to be human in relation to the rest of the natural world, and the particular responsibilities of humans toward the natural world and their fellow humans. Each presentation will be followed by a brief response and the opportunity to ask questions of the speaker. Speaker: Dr. Hava Tirosh-Samuelson; Respondent: Dr. Martin Yaffe; Moderator: Dr. Joshua Parens.
September 15, 7:30 EST
“Ecological Grief: Naming and Healing” with Caroline Holmes
The Center for Deep Green Faith
Online. Free of charge.
Learn more and register here.
Faith communities traditionally offer their members consolation and support in times of grief. But at a time when more and more people experience grief from environmental losses churches typically have remained silent. How does a lack of public mourning affect people and society? What role can faith communities play in helping people during times of ecological stress and grief? This webinar will feature Caroline Holmes, a Seasonal Park Ranger at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah. She graduated from the University of the South with a Bachelor of Arts in Environment and Sustainability and a Master of Arts in Religion and the Environment. Caroline combines her passion for education and the environment as an interpretive park ranger with the National Park Service. As a NAI Certified Interpretive Guide, she creates and presents programs that encourage participants to see the environment differently.
September 17, 10:30am EST
“Thomas Merton’s Way of Living in Unity with Earth: Integral Ecology and Ecological Holiness” with Kathleen Deignan
The Well Spirituality Center and St. Joseph Retreat Center
In-person and online, $25 charge
Learn more and register here
The Well is delighted to cosponsor this program with St. Joseph Retreat Center in Wheeling, WV. Join us to encounter Thomas Merton, the ecological prophet and visionary, in a morning of creative engagement and lively exploration. Come willing to enter into a courageous conversation with Merton from the raw and real ground of your present sense of our common plight and collective call. Come with deep questions. Come with open mind and empty hands. Come ready to receive illumination and blessing. The eminent spiritual master Thomas Merton has left a rich wisdom legacy for 21st century seekers who work to reclaim the desolate territories of Anthropocene for a future flourishing. A contemplative native of the homeland of Eden, Merton made covenant with future generations to guide, enlighten, and accompany us in our exilic passage from industrial wastelands to a new frontier where we might restore our common home within the commune of creation. His fidelity to this pledge is legendary and his insight awaits our discovery.
September 25, 6pm EST
The Jeanie Graustein Lecture on Environmental Justice
“Catholic Climate Action: Net Zero Emissions in Fidelity to the Church’s Mission” with Daniel DiLeo
Saint Thomas More, The Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale University
Online. Free of charge.
No registration necessary. View the livestream here.
Daniel R. DiLeo is a Catholic theological ethicist, associate professor and Director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. His research focuses on Catholic social teaching, climate change and Laudato Si’. Dr. DiLeo earned his Ph.D. in theological ethics from Boston College. Dr. DiLeo has written and edited numerous publications including, All Creation Is Connected: Voices in Response to Pope Francis’s Encyclical on Ecology (Anselm Academic, 2018). He has been a consultant with Catholic Climate Covenant since 2009.