Spiritual ecology: Information from Answers.com

Spiritual ecology is a recent term that refers to the intersection between religion and spirituality and environment. Practitioners of spiritual ecology fall into three categories: the scientific and academic, spiritual or religious environmentalism, and religious or spiritual individuals who relate strongly to the environment.

1 Introduction
2 Scientific and academic
3 Spiritually motivated environmentalism
4 Environmentally motivated spirituality
5 The Regeneration Project
- 5.1 Regeneration Project Outreach
6 Interfaith Churches
- 6.1 Beliefs and Policies
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Introduction

The scientific and academic study of spiritual ecology is being developed by various university professors in their teaching and research. A growing number of special programs include the Religion and Nature track in the Department of Religion at the University of Florida, the Spiritual Ecology Concentration in the Ecological Anthropology Program at the University of Hawaii, the Center for the Study of Religion and Culture at Vanderbilt University, and the interdisciplinary Project on Climate Change in the School for Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. The Boston Theological Institute, California Institute of Integral Studies, and Schumacher College in England all offer programs related to spiritual ecology.

A good resource for the academic study of spiritual ecology is the Forum on Religion and Ecology link (FORE) in the Environmental Center at Harvard University. The FORE website surveys the relationship between the world’s major religions and ecology, is available in 8 languages, and receives more than 60,000 visits monthly, demonstrating the strong interest in spiritual ecology. In connection with FORE, nine major edited volumes with extensive bibliographies have been published by Harvard University Press surveying the relation of ecology to Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Indigenous Traditions, Islam, Jainism, and Judaism. Parallel initiatives have developed in Canada and Europe. There is also a Religion and Ecology Group within the American Academy of Religion, which has been developing since the late 1980s.

The International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture formed in 2006 and is dedicated to multidisciplinary research on spiritual ecology. It describes itself as "a community of scholars engaged in critical inquiry into the relationships among human beings and their diverse cultures, environments, religious beliefs and practices." The society hosts international meetings and publishes the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture. Other journals related to spiritual ecology include Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion, Whole Terrain, a journal of "reflective environmental practice," Orion magazine, and Color Wheel, among others.

As the major terrestrial intervention in nature by humans, agriculture is often omitted from considerations of spirituality or relegated to a stewardship role. This embrionic area is addressed under such headings as agricultural spiritualism, and notable in a book on Religion and Agriculture by Lindsay Falvey.

One organization that has committed itself to connecting religion and ecology is the Regeneration Project. It focuses on the overall well-being of our earth while still maintaining a religious focus.

Scientific and academic

Main article: Religion and ecology

Scientists and academics study the relationship of religion and ecology and environmentalism. These scholars do not necessarily consider themselves to be religious or spiritual, but the nature of their work collaborates the concepts of nature and spirituality. Among the foremost pioneers in this academic arena are Roger S. Gottlieb at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, John Grim at Yale University, Bron Taylor at University of Florida, Mary Evelyn Tucker, also at Yale University, and Mitchell Thomashow at Antioch University New England.

Previous research (Kolandai 1999) identified pro-environmental teachings in four world religions – Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, and found a willingness among clergies and religious teachers to encourage the required behavioural changes through their teachings, hence, pointing to the potential for a spiritual approach to environmental behaviour.

Kolandai, K. (1999) A Spiritual Appeal To Environmental Behaviour: Addressing Global Problems Of Population Growth And Consumption. Masters Thesis, Lund University Sweden. Available from: <http://www.lumes.lu.se/database/Alumni/98.99/theses/kolandai_komathi.pdf>

Spiritually motivated environmentalism

In this context, religion and spirituality provide guidance and motivation to work on environmental causes. Among the most outstanding persons in this domain are the Passionist Priest Thomas Berry, the Orthodox Christian leader the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in Greece, Martin Palmer of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation in the United Kingdom, and Sulak Sivaraksa of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists in Thailand.

The growing religious environmental movement in the United States is chronicled in the 2008 documentary Renewal (documentary).

Environmentally motivated spirituality

People whose experiences in nature transcend the scientific, material environment fall into the third category of environmentally motivated spiritualists. Although an individual may be involved in only one of these three realms of spiritual ecology, they are not mutually exclusive and have the ability to reinforce one another. Jane Goodall, for example is very well-known for her scientific studies, but equally active in the ambassadorship of environmental understanding and compassion (notably, as a UN Messenger of Peace).

The Regeneration Project

Backed by founder Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham, the Regeneration Project is striving to achieve its goal of connecting religion to the environment. The mission of The Regeneration Project is to deepen the connection between ecology and faith through the use of the Interfaith Power and Light campaign, which is mobilizing a religious response to global warming in congregations through the promotion of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and conservation. Regeneration Project

As is now formally accepted, the earth’s climate is changing at a rate that is fueled by human activity. The Regeneration Project focuses on spreading the word that we must all help to conserve the planet that God has made. Although many people see conflicts with mixing politics and religion, the Regeneration Project is an effort that can be applauded because of their attempts to promote the well-being of our earths future.

Regeneration Project Outreach

The outreach of the Regeneration Project is non-denominational. In fact, its reach can be noted specifically in the coming together of 86 Evangelical leaders releasing a statement telling the federal legislature in the United States to reduce carbon emissions. This statement was released as part of the Evangelical Climate Initiative.

The United Nations also has a similar church based operation called “Operation Noah” which puts pressure on the UK Prime Minister to lead international climate negotiations. Climate Change

Interfaith Churches

Interfaith Power and Light is determined to help congregations become more energy efficient, use renewable energy resources, and focus on the importance of sustaining and preserving the earth through stewardship of creation. Interfaith Churches can be found in nearly every state, and they focus on the “green” movement of protecting our earth by utilizing renewable energy resources and promoting a way of living that involves composting, recycling, etc.

The Interfaith Power and Light effort began in 1998 in the state of California and has spread nation wide since. Project Policy

Beliefs and Policies

       Energy Efficiency

Interfaith Power and Light (IPC) recognizes energy efficiency as virtually the best was to reduce emissions because of its affordability, cleanliness, and speed.

Renewable Energy Standard IPL supports an RES of 25% by 2015. Renewable energy supported by the IPL includes wind power, solar power, geothermal power, and some forms of hydro power.

Capping Greenhouse Gas Emissions/ Cap and Trade The IPL strongly suggests putting a cap on emissions. They believe it is the only way that results can be seen, and they also believe it is mandatory to help lower emissions. However, placing a tax on carbon may, and most likely will, affect low-income people. In no way is it the Regeneration Project’s mission to take away from people with low income. Therefore, the IPL suggests a social justice element that would give back credits to low-income households.

Coal The IPL does not support the construction of new coal-fired power plants. This is for obvious reasons.

Note: All of the above information can be found on the REGENERATION PROJECT WEBSITE at http://www.theregenerationproject.org.

References

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (April 2009)

Anderson, E.N., 1996, Ecologies of the Heart: Emotion, Belief, and the Environment, New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Berry, Thomas, 2006, Evening Thoughts: Reflecting on Earth as Sacred Community, San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club Books.
Cooper, David E., and Joy A. Palmer, eds., 1998, Spirit of the Environment: Religion, Value and Environmental Concern, New York, NY: Routledge.
Davis, Wade, 1998, Shadows in the Sun: Travels to Landscapes of Spirit and Desire, New York, NY: Broadway Books.
Foltz, Richard C., ed., 2003, Worldviews, Religion, and the Environment: A Global Anthology, Bemont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Gardner, Gary, 2002, Invoking the Spirit: Religion and Spirituality in the Quest for a Sustainable World, Washington, D.C.: Worldwatch Institute (Worldwatch Paper 164).
Gardner, Gary T., 2006, Inspiring Progress: Religions’ Contributions to Sustainable Development, New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company (Worldwatch Book).
Gottlieb, Roger S., ed., 2004, This Sacred Earth: Religion, Nature, Environment, New York, NY: Routledge (Second Edition).
Gottlieb, Roger S., 2006, A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet’s Future, New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Gottlieb, Roger S., ed., 2006, The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Ecology, New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Graf, Josef, Coordinator of The Earth Vision Project, 2007, Earth Vision, A Travelogue of Spiritual Ecology, evbooks.net; A Calendar of Nature and Soul, evbooks.net; Gaia Sojourn - Spiritual Ecology Across a Series of Incarnations, evbooks.net; The Earth Vision Gallery, evbooks.net.
Grim, John, ed., 2001, Indigenous Traditions and Ecology: The Interbeing of Cosmology and Community, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Goodenough, Ursula, 1998, The Sacred Depths of Nature, New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Harvey, Graham, 2006, Animism: Respecting the Living World, New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
Hayden, Tom, 1996, The Lost Gospel of the Earth: A Call for Renewing Nature, Spirit, and Politics, San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club Books.
Hughes, J. Donald, 1983, American Indian Ecology, El Paso, TX: Texas Western Press.
Kinsley, David, 1995, Ecology and Religion: Ecological Spirituality in Cross-Cultural Perspective, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Martin, Calvin Luther, 1992, In the Spirit of the Earth: Rethinking History and Time, Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Matthews, Clifford, Mary Evelyn Tucker, and Philip Hefner, eds., 2002, When Worlds Converge: What Science and Religion Tells Us about the Story of the Universe and Our Place in It, LaSalle, IL: Open Court.
McGaa, Ed, 1990, Mother Earth Spirituality: Native American Paths to Healing Ourselves and Our World, San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco.
McGrath, Alister, 2003, The Reenchantment of Nature: The Denial of Religion and the Ecological Crisis, New York, NY: Doubelday/Galilee.
Messer, Ellen, and Michael Lambek, eds., 2001, Ecology and the Sacred: Engaging the Anthropology of Roy A. Rappaport, Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Posey, Darrell, et al., eds., 1999, Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity, London, UK: Intermediate Technology Publications/UN Environmental Program.
Rockefeller, Steven C., and John C. Elder, eds., 1992, Spirit and Nature: Why the Environment Is a Religious Issue, Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Skolimowski, Henryk, 1993, A Sacred Place to Dwell: Living With Reverence Upon the Earth, Rockport, MA: Element.
Spring, Cindy, and Anthony Manousos, eds., 2007, EarthLight: Spiritual Wisdom for an Ecological Age, Oakland, CA: EarthLight Corporation.
Suzuki, David, and Amanda McConnell, 1997, The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Greystone Books.
Taylor, Bron, Editor-in-Chief, 2005, The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, New York, NY: Thoemmes Continnum, volumes 1-2. [1]
Taylor, Sarah McFarland, 2007, Green Sisters: A Spiritual Ecology, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Tobias, Michael, and Georgianne Cowan, eds., 1996, The Soul of Nature: Celebrating the Spirit of the Earth, New York, NY: Penguin/Plume.
Tucker, Mary Evelyn, with Judith A. Berling, 2003, Worldly Wonder: Religions Enter Their Ecological Phase, La Salle, IL: Open Court Publishing Company.
Wilson, Edward O., 2006, The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co.

External links

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Spiritual ecology

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