February 20, 2026
Theme: “Return to the Roots: How We Move Forward”
Yale Divinity School
409 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT, USA
The 10th annual Graduate Conference in Religion and Ecology, hosted at Yale Divinity School, will take place on Friday, February 20, 2026, 8:30 am-5:00 pm, with an optional Opening Reception Gallery on Thursday, February 19, 2026, 7:00 pm-9:00 pm.
This year's conference, “Return to the Roots: How We Move Forward,” features keynote speaker Carol Wayne White, Chair of Religious Studies at Bucknell University, who will deliver the keynote address, “The Sacrality of Roots: Religious Naturalism’s Prelude to Living in Wonder.” We will feature over 12 artistic works, spotlight 36 student presenters from universities around the world, and hold four participatory workshops.
Returning to the Roots: Inspired by root systems and mycorrhizal networks, both existing and emergent, this year’s theme invites us to explore the intelligences of nature that ground us amid crises and navigate us toward hope. May these expansive systems permeating the world remind us that we are part of something bigger, a sentiment that finds itself in the depths of ancestral wisdom, spiritual traditions, and place-based relationships. We will wrestle with several critical questions this year: How do roots inspire us in the midst of crises, whether they be environmental, within our communities, or in our own personal, spiritual lives? How can our ancestral and unfolding place-based relations tether us to hope? How do emerging roots allow us to move forward through intercommunions of persons, communities, religions, spiritualities, and scientific practices? And ultimately, we ask, what if everything we need is right below our feet?
Please Note: If you plan on attending both the Thursday Opening Reception and Friday Conference, please register for both ticket types. Sessions during the conference are subject to photography and video recording. Please contact our organizing team with questions: gcre@yale.edu