Written by ARC Secretary-General Martin Palmer the piece comes at the end of a year that has seen remarkable progress in the developing social and environmental roles of both those ancient Chinese religions.
These have included the launch of the International Confucian Ecological Alliance (ICEA) in September, and further announcements of environmental action from leaders of long-term ARC partners the China Daoist Association during a visit to Europe in October.
The article identifies many ecological actions, planned or in progress, undertaken by both organisations, including the fact that they have each identified pilgrimage sites as part of their membership of the Green Pilgrimage Network. The impressive range of these activities bears out the article's claim that 'Daoist and Confucian groups are quietly emerging as a powerful force for a greener China'.
Professor Tu Weiming from the International Confucian Ecological Alliance (left) attended the Green Pilgrimage Network gathering in Trondheim in 2013
"All this shows that the desire to find ways of being and living which reflect deep Chinese cultural traditions, wisdom and insights is now a considerable movement not just amongst young Chinese but across all age groups. Daoism and Confucianism, as the two indigenous spiritual and philosophical traditions of China, are at the very core of the recovery of a specifically Chinese perspective on protecting our planet."
August 23, 2013: New Chinese section on ARC website With the arrival of the Confucianists in July as part of ARC's family (now with 12 faiths and traditions), and building on many years of working with the Daoists, we have now created a Chinese language section on our website
