Partners for the Earth: Scientists and Religious Groups Working for the Environment

Friday, February 15, 2013: 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
Room 300 (Hynes Convention Center)
Sharing a deep concern for the environment, scientists and religious communities are demonstrating the power of working together for global good. This symposium will empower scientists for more effective societal environmental service by demonstrating the benefit of partnering science with the shared stewardship values and community-engagement resources of faith-based groups. Several exemplary programs will be presented, starting with a discussion of the remarkable documentary Renewal, on the power of informed religious communities taking action for the environment. The Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies, for example, brings together environmental science and Christian principles of stewardship to enable informed “Creation Care” projects. “EcoSikhs” are carrying our scientifically informed projects in Sikh communities and congregations that make a difference in communities around the world. And the recently launched Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships Initiative begins a historic federal effort to link environmental science to U.S. religious communities. The symposium will conclude with a discussion of the global religion and environmental care landscape and how scientists can helpfully inform and serve alongside faith-based public groups in stewardship efforts around the world.
Organizer:
Jennifer Wiseman, AAAS Center for Science, Policy, and Society Programs
Co-Organizer:
Peyton West, AAAS Center for Science, Policy, and Society Programs
Discussants:
Jennifer Wiseman, AAAS Center for Science, Policy, and Society Programs
and Mary Evelyn Tucker, Yale University
Speakers:
Calvin DeWitt, Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies
Science, Christian Communities, and Creation Care
Jerry Lawson, Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA's Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Initiative
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