The Program on Religion and Sustainability: From Research to Implementation
After six months of research, ECI has completed and released its discussion paper on a strategy for the Earth Charter and religion. The paper -- which concludes that ECI has an important role to play in the development of educational materials for religious audiences -- will be the basis for both fundraising and program development going forward. As a first step in testing the implementation of this strategy, ECI is already developing a first education document on climate change, using the science and research resources especially of world-renowned Stockholm Environment Institute and translating them into the language of ethics and spirituality.
Michael Slaby was lead author on the paper, which also received extensive input from ECI Executive Director Alan AtKisson and ECI Council members Steven Rockefeller and Mary Evelyn Tucker. The process was kicked off by a meeting of a special high-level advisory group in Amsterdam last October, 2006, in concert with the ECI Council meeting there.
Michael has been a terrific additional presence in our Stockholm office for the past six months, working with us on special assignment; and he will continue in his role as a program development consultant, supporting the Earth Charter Youth Initiative (in a new outreach strategy to religious youth groups) as well as follow-up on the religion program development generally. He will move back to his home base, Heidelberg, Germany, for the next several months as he simultaneously pursues academic interests.
A recent international meeting sponsored by UNESCO's office in Barcelona (Catalunya) underscored the importance of the Earth Charter to religious outreach, especially in education, and further strengthened the case for this new strategy. Look for Michael's write-up on that meeting here in the near future.
Be sure to download the strategy paper and send comments to Michael.