Update:
The follow-up webinar for the scientists speakers bureau to faith communities has been re-scheduled for Tuesday, March 26, tentatively slotted for noon, Eastern time. Stay tuned for further information in the coming weeks. Speakers will include Cassandra Carmichael (National Council of Churches EcoJustice Programs Director, hosting), and Alexei Laushkin (Evangelical Environmental Network, Sr. Communications Director).
As always, we invite contributions from anyone on this list, especially to report on ecology/science outreach work you have been doing in faith communities, and to raise current questions, so please reply with any contributions to the webinar agenda to hitzhusen.3@osu.edu. We will also be looking forward to summarizing all our efforts at ESA MN in August — the 8/8/13, 11:30am workshop description is below — and taking next steps to implement the speakers bureau. Thanks for all your efforts, and we’re looking forward to connecting again on March 26!
Best wishes,
Greg Hitzhusen
Gregory E. Hitzhusen, MDiv, PhD
School of Environment and Natural Resources
The Ohio State University
469e Kottman Hall
2021 Coffey Rd
Columbus, OH 43210
Workshop 8941: Launching A Scientists’ Speakers Bureau for Outreach to Faith and Justice Communities
Slot: Thursday, August 8, 2013: 11:30 AM-1:15 PM
Description: This session builds on previous ESA annual meeting sessions to advance the implementation of a national speakers bureau in partnership with national faith bodies and community-based justice organizations. With 83% of the American public (including 71% of ESA members surveyed) claiming membership in over 300,000 congregations, religious organizations and their partners are uniquely positioned to engage citizens in ecological issues. Developing ecologically fruitful collaboration between scientists and these communities can help bridge historic divides and provide sound science to shape sustainable ecosystem futures. Over the past year, participants from 2011 and 2012 ESA meeting speakers bureau workshops have piloted diverse outreach efforts to faith communities nationwide, tracked their impact, and shared outcomes through ongoing networking conference calls and webinars. We will review the successes and challenges of ESA members’ outreach to date, highlight the analysis of these outreach approaches, and summarize the commitments of partner organizations to help formally launch the speakers bureau. We will also address remaining issues related to implementing the speakers bureau, and discuss and formulate recommendations for ESA and our partners. Speakers from partner organizations (e.g. Interfaith Power and Light, National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Union of Concerned Scientists) will highlight collaborators’ perspectives in this emerging dialogue between ecologists and a range of communities, and describe key examples of outreach that can be replicated. All ESA attendees interested in outreach to faith and justice communities are encouraged to participate, add to the discussion, or learn how to get involved in similar outreach.
Summary: Organizing session and overview of successful pilot projects as we implement a speakers bureau to provide sound science and timely ecological information to local communities and influential social organizations, including faith and EJ-impacted communities. Contribute to the speakers network as we discuss outreach results, and finalize recommendations for national launch.
Speaker(s)
Matthew Anderson, Executive Director
National Religious Partnership for the Environment
Dorothy Boorse
Gordon College
Biology
Nalini Nadkarni
University of Utah
Center for Science and Mathematics Education
Douglas H. Boucher
Union of Concerned Scientists
Climate and Energy
Organizer(s)
Gregory E. Hitzhusen
Email: hitzhusen.3@osu.edu
The Ohio State University
School of Environment and Natural Resources
210 Kottman Hall
2021 Coffey Road
Columbus OH 43210
USA
Co-organizer(s)
Leanne M. Jablonski
Email: ljablonski1@udayton.edu
Marianist Environmental Education Center
University of Dayton
4435 East Patterson Road
St. Joseph Hall, Mount St. John
Dayton OH 45430-1095
USA
Forest I. Isbell
Email: isbell@umn.edu
University of Minnesota
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
1987 Upper Buford Circle
Saint Paul MN 55108
USA
NOV. 15, 2012 CALL RESOURCES:
Some files for use in Thursday’s call:
PresbyEcoStewardsMGregory (Megan’s powerpoint)
GreenFaithYouthPoemDoll (Julie’s slide)
also note other resources at: http://nccecojustice.org//ssb.php
Call 1: Thursday, November 15, 2012, 8:00-9:30pm Eastern
Call 2: Thursday, February 28, 2013, 8:00-930pm Eastern (webinar)
Call-in number: 218-339-4600 code: 331231#
Agenda:
8:00pm-9:30pm* eastern, Thursday, Nov. 15
1) Welcome, Updates and Announcements
2) Outreach reports
-Julie Doll (Michigan State), Michigan youth outreach
-Joseph Leyda (Leyda Consulting), approaching congregations as an outsider
-open to others
3) Resources and Connections to help speakers find faith communities interested in outreach
-Megan Gregory (Cornell) Presbyterian Earth Care Congregations program
-Bill Bradlee (Interfaith Power and Light, State Affiliate Coordinator) and/or Susan Stephenson (Executive Director), how to connect with IPL networks
-Alexei Laushkin (Sr. Communications Director, Evangelical Environmental Network), connecting with evangelical congregations
-open to others
4) Further Resources and Support
-Leanne Jablonski (U Dayton, Marianist Environmental Ed Center), use of Sun Come Up video in Catholic and other communities
5) Evaluation Measures and Next Steps
-open discussion about how best to track and evaluate the outreach we’re piloting this year, summarize it during an ESA MN 2013 workshop, and make recommendations for implementing the speakers bureau
*note: some of you can only make the call until 9pm Eastern, and that is fine – for those who can only join late in the call, we’ll make room to add your comments
Other related projects and opportunities:
Earth Day 2013 (planning events, pre-education events, Earth week events); Thanksgiving (food, sufficiency, justice themes; UU Ethical Eating; IPL Cool Harvest; Jewish themes; Hazon Food Conference; Faith in Place Zabeeha meat, Dec 6-9, 2012); Religious Holidays: Jewish: Tu B’ Shevat 2013 (New Year of Trees, Jan. 25-26), Shmittah starting in 2014 (see http://coejl.org/jecc/declaration/), High Holidays (ideas here); Christian: $100 Holiday/adventconspiracy.org (clean water and reducing consumer waste), Lenten Carbon Fast (TearFund, Ecumenical); Muslim: Green Ramadan (and other ideas); Buddhist: Green Sangha (awakened action); Local Judicatory/community and congregation: committees (e.g., SOS; DSO; Cinci Archdiocese); General Resources: FORE; IPL; NRPE.
Other reports:
From Meg Lowman: sorry I can not be on this call! Of note, I just returned from speaking to Coptic priests in Ethiopia, and will be leading a workshop for them on Ecosystem Services this janauary. And I continue to lecture to USA venues — information on my website about the project of religion and science at www.treefoundation.org
From Dorothy Boorse: I am in on two things that might be of interest to the group. The first is an initiative of the LauSanne movement (a largely evangelical Christian but worldwide, not just American) and World Evangelical Alliance (also worldwide) , who called a meeting of scientists and theologians two weeks ago to draft a statement on care of the environment and climate change- in the hopes that this will serve as another key document in the Christian faith community- it is a call for action .
Here is a press release, although I think the call to action is still not released
The second is that the Academy of Evangelical Scientists and Ethicists, a small group that was basically formed when there were so many threats to the endangered species act a decade ago, is getting more active. There will be some things coming out of that soon. They might have an interest in partnering.
From David Dow: I will send an email update of my activities in 2012. I have been head of the Green Sanctuary Committee at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth this past year. On April 28 we participated in the Environmental Justice Dialog at the Falmouth Public Library (which included staff from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs plus > 50 local residents). The UUFF GSC was the only community of faith Group that spoke at this event. We also submitted written comments. The Occupy Falmouth organization had numerous speakers.. Our minister, Robert F. Murphy, helped organize this event. In June he and I participated in the New England Environmental Justice Forum meeting in Worcester, Ma. The Forum will have a conference call on November 14 with Rev. Murphy participating on behalf of the UUFF.
Two of the UUFF members, Win Munro and Steve Rafferty, are members of the Falmouth Wastewater Management Committee, so the GSC supports the Wastewater mitigation process on Cape Cod. In October, I represented the UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association of Cape Cod, at the Environmental Summit organized by the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC). The UUA Social Justice Cluster includes some work on environmental justice (EJ) concerns. The Summit Steering Committee developed a Consensus Statement supporting a regional approach to the wastewater challenges that we face on Cape Cod.
This meeting invited a number of 501 (c) 3 ENGOs, but I was the only representative present from a community of faith organization. In mid-September, the UUFF Green Sanctuary and Adult Education Committees held Wednesday evening program on the Barnstable County regional approach for wastewater. The speakers were Erin Jackson (Cape Cod Commission) and Andrew Gottlieb (Barnstable County Water Collaborative). A number of the members of the Falmouth WQMC attended this program (this advisory group developed the Falmouth Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan which was recently submitted to the Commonwealth for approval).
The November 15 GSC/AE program will feature a pot luck dinner and a movie (“Ocean Frontiers”) program. ”Ocean Frontiers” is a documentary about President Obama’s National Ocean Policy. The NOP Regional Planning Body for New England will have its first meeting in Portland, Me. on November 19-20. Back in July the GSC/AE Committees sponsored a Panel discussion on the Sea Around Us & Life on Cape Cod which included 3 UUFF members (Marv Grosslein, Win Munro and myself) and a local coastal geologist from the USGS (Jeff Williams). This program drew a sizable audience which asked many questions about coastal beach erosion and Relative Sea Level Rise (RSLR). I gave a brief introduction to the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan and NOP. Thus next Wednesday night’s showing of “Ocean Frontiers” is a followup endeavor.
The Green Sanctuary/Adult Education Committee’s conduct educational outreach programs for the wider community every other month. Past programs have shown “The World According to Monsanto” documentary on GMO seeds and renewable energy (solar panels on fellowship’s roof and energy neutral house of Don Mallinson, a GSC member). The attendance at these meetings fluctuates from 10-15 to over 70. A variety of program formats are utilized from speakers to pot luck dinner and a movie programs. Some of these programs involve other groups like Green Cape (herbicide use on power line rights-of-ways) and Silent Spring Institute (wastewater and contaminants of emerging concern). The Cape Cod & the Islands Group- Sierra Club co-sponsors many of these programs and helps with publicity through the Massachusetts Chapter’s E-Sierran (which goes out to 40,000 people). The UUFF Publicity Committee also contacts local media about upcoming programs.
If you have any additional questions, phone me at:
508-540-7142 I hope that the Ecological Society of America’s Speakers Bureau to Faith Communities November 15 conference call goes well.
