In the past 23 years ARC has seen an incredible rise in the global perception (by governments, NGOs, religious leaders, religious followers and members of the general public) of the importance of religions in environment and conservation programmes. There is work to be done, and there are now many organisations and bodies to do that work. We will be closing by the beginning of July 2019, pleased at the success of what was always going to be a relatively short time project. Thank you to all those who walked beside us. For more details link here.
MARCH 2019
March 14, 2019 Sikh Environment Day Sikhs round the world celebrate projects to protect the environment More details here.
Martin Palmer was Guest Speaker at this annual event, with an audience of conservationists, religious groups, students and media. Conservation awareness is quite low in Nigeria, yet most Nigerians are devout followers of Christianity or Islam or traditional religions. This lecture demonstrated how all around the world conservationists work with religions, suggested possible action plans for doing the same in Nigeria.
January 22, Geneva: FaithInvest - Building Bridges Geneva Agape Foundation. . Martin Palmer spoke, as chair of FaithInvest, at the Geneva Agape Foundation and ACT Alliance International Conference on Spirituality for Christian Investors and Development Agencies. More details here.
2018
OCTOBER 2018
October 22 and 23, 2018 Faith in Finance conference, Edinburgh, Scotland. This meeting was cohosted by UK Islamic Finance Council and the FaithInvest management team (through ARC). Partners include RBS, the Scottish Government and Responsible Investor Magazine. Aims included: agreeing and launching a shared values framework to be called The Edinburgh Declaration; providing a platform for faith investors to engage with mainstream asset managers; discussing restoring faith / trust in banking and financial services through ethical investment. The programme followed the September 2018 Zug meeing.
7 – 20 August 2018 Maoshan Daoist Event:
The first ever International Conference for Daoist Ecological Temples was held on the Sacred Mountain of Maoshan in August. It launched the next Daoist Eight-Year Plan for the protection of the environment, and consolidated the Daoist Ecological Temple Network. Link here for more details.
MARCH 2018
MARCH 2018 Sikh Environment Day Sikhs round the world celebrate projects to protect the environment More details here.
2017
OCTOBER 2017
OCTOBER 6 and 7 London, Extinction Conference, The Compassion in World Farming meeting addressed important issues about how two-thirds of the world's wildlife loss is driven by meat production. And how this has to be changed. More details here.
Zug, Switzerland Faith in Finance: The meeting was held in the medieval lake town of Zug south of Zurich. More details here.
JUNE 2017
June 3 Writing on the Wall, poetry day. Poets from around Britain will explore how poetry can save the planet. Keynote presentation by Glyn Davies of WWF. St John's Waterloo, all day. More details here and read the Poetry London press release here.
June 7-9 National Funerals Conference, Leamington Spa, UK, ARC's Martin Palmer will be keynote speaker at the Taking Funerals Seriously conference, talking about death and sacred space.
June 12, Cricklade, UK Why religion will probably save planet Earth.
ARC's Martin Palmer will give a talk on how "all the major world religions emerged from previous ecological and social collapses and embedded within their teaching, rituals, traditions and wisdom is a memory of how they got us out of this mess the last time. Now the UN is describing the faiths as the largest and most significant civil society movement protecting life on planet earth. Monday 12th June 7:30pm
Refreshments served from 7pm Cricklade United Church Calcutt Street, Cricklade. SN6 6BD Tel: 01793-750095
June 14, Life Sciences Building 85, University of Southhampton, UK.
ARC’s Wildlife & Forests Programme Director, Chantal Elkin, will give an overview of Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Daoist approaches to conservation. She will highlight: ARC’s projects in Indonesia and Malaysia on the first ever Islamic fatwas issued on wildlife trade and climate change; projects in India to mitigate impacts on tiger reserves from large-scale Hindu pilgrimage; projects in China to reduce ivory and threatened species consumption through Buddhist and Daoist partnerships; and projects in Cambodia to support community forestry programmes run by Buddhist monks. More details here.
2016
NOVEMBER 2016
November 3-6, 2016, Rieti, Italy. ARC's Martin Palmer will be the official keynote speaker at the Greenaccord XIII International Media Forum on the Protection of Nature. The meeting will be held in the medieval hill town of Rieti, near Rome.
November 26-27, Thresholds meeting on pilgrimage. ARC's Martin Palmer will give a presentation on November 26 on green pilgrimage, and how ARC has worked with faiths around the world to set up and protect pilgrimage routes. Pewsey Wiltshire. The Gatekeepers Trust annual meeting is about thresholds between one world and the next, and how we encounter these liminal spaces while on pilgrimage.
OCTOBER 2016
October 7-9, Sacred Land Weekend, Llyn Peninsula: ARC’s Martin Palmer will join BBC nature producer Mary Colwell and Welsh story-teller Dafydd Hughes-Davies in an extraordinary weekend on north Wales’ sacred and beautiful Llyn Peninsula in October. The Sacred Land weekend takes place from Friday October 7 to Sunday October 9, 2016, at Aberdaron in North Wales. “The weekend is for those hungry for a new relationship, when talk about the 'environment' can move from information to inspiration,” said Canon Tim Higgins who is hosting and facilitating the event. Link here for more details.
SEPTEMBER 2016
9th to 11th September, Ammerdown, Somerset: Sacred Land - rediscovering the sacred stories in our landscapes. Martin Palmer will lead sessions based around the issues of sacred land, focused on Psalm 24: “The Earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof” from Psalm 24. It includes a guided walk to explore a sacred landscape nearby.
Wednesday September 21, Faith for the Climate Symposium, St John's Church Waterloo in London 5pm to 9pm. Speakers at this event include ARC's partner Dr Husna Ahmad (Global One), as well as Bishop Nicholas Holtam (Church of England voice on climate change), Sir David King (former UK Special Representative for Climate Change) and author George Marshall of the Climate Outreach Information Network, with Co-chairs Rabbi Natan Levy and Maiya Rahman of Islamic Relief. They will be asking the questions: How should people of faith be praying, protecting, working and campaigning for this earth that is given us in sacred trust? And what happens after the Paris talks? £5 from St John's Waterloo
Saturday 24 September, Bath Interfaith Group symposium, Bath, UK. Martin Palmer will be the keynote speaker, talking about faith and the environment, in this event to celebrate the group's silver jubilee. It will be followed by a vegetarian meal. Link here for more details.
AUGUST 2016
August 26-28, Beyond Borders (International Festival of Literature and Thought) in Peebles, Scotland. Exhibition of Stories of the Stranger based around ARC's original concept and book. Link here for more details.
November 17-18, FAITH IN CONSERVATION, Lambeth Palace, London
To celebrate 30 years of working on faith and conservation, and 20 years of being a charity, ARC, together The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Science Nature and People (SNAP) is asking key people who have brokered partnerships between religions and conservation in the past 30 years and those active in research or projects linking religion and conservation to come together to share experiences, successes, failures, hopes, plans and dreams. And then create a handbook to show how it can be done. Link here for more details
SEPTEMBER 2015
UN Bristol Meeting on Faiths and the Sustainable Development Goals, Bristol, UK. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ARC organised the UN Bristol Meeting on Faiths and the Sustainable Development Goals, in Bristol, UK, from September 7th to the 10th. This meeting has been initiated by UNDP as a key part of the United Nations’ post 2015 process.
JULY 2015
July 7, SACRED LAND TALK AND WORKSHOP
From 4pm to 6pm Walking Sacred Bristol, a guided tour through the ancient landscape of Bristol from a Chinese, Christian and pagan perspective. Limited places available. The walk will be led by Gordon MaClellan and Martin Palmer. Meet at St Stephen's Church, Bristol. Cost £12 per person.
7.30 p.m. Sacred Land: inspiring communities workshop £5 per person. At St Stephen's Church, Bristol. From medieval churches to modern chapels, Chinese dragons and the flow of qi, ancient stones to local woods, this workshop will explore ways of involving communities in their landscapes. Using case studies and sheer imagination, Sacred Land: inspiring communities will offer themes, activities and events to inspire people to look at the world around them in new ways. Mixing Christian, Chinese, pre-Christian and secular perspectives, this workshop will give participants a chance to think, plan and hopefully find new and exciting ways of drawing people into those local special places. And also simply be inspired themselves.The workshop will be led by Gordon MacLellan and Martin Palmer.
Gordon MacLellan is a storyteller ("Creeping Toad"), artist and creator of celebrations. With an international reputation, his work finds ways of helping communities explore the relationships between people, places and wildlife. His most recent book is Old Stones and Ancient Bones: Poems from the Hollow Hills. Gordon is an animist shaman following a path that draws him into relationships with landscapes - urban, wild and countryside alike - alive with the presence of spirit. Link here for his blog
Martin Palmer, is a theologian, author, broadcaster and environmentalist. He is Secretary General of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (www.arcworld.org) and author of more than 20 books on religious and environmental topics such as Faith and Conservation andThe Atlas of Religions. His work on sacred sites worldwide has won. He has advised UNESCO on World Heritage sites and has helped the World Monuments Fund with protecting endangered sacred sites. His book, Sacred Land (which decodes Britain’s extraordinary past through its towns, villages and countryside), is published by Piatkus/LittleBrown.
July 17-19: Seed Festival, Stroud, UK Martin Palmer will be one of the keynote speakers at the second Seed Festival to be held at Hawkwood, the environmental centre in Stroud, Gloucestershire. The three-day event has the theme Placing Art at the Heart of Ecology and will feature music, film and exhibitions as well as a programme of thought provoking talks and discussions. Other presenters include Pam Warhurst of the Incredible Edible guerrilla gardening project, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and Resurgence’s Satish Kumar, a longstanding key figure in the environmental movement worldwide. Early Bird tickets for £45 (children 5-18: £10) are available until Jun 17 from the festival website.
July 21: Summit of the Consciences for the Climate, Paris, France ARC is co-hosting the Summit of the Consciences for the Climate, along with the Élysée Palace and Nicolas Hulot, Special Envoy of the French President for the protection of the planet. The summit, which will be held at the Palace Élysée, will bring together major religious and moral figures ahead of the 2015 COP, with the unique aim of encouraging the emergence of a “Narrative of the Consciences” on the Climate and the Environment.
FEBRUARY 2015
February 3-4: Islamic Farming Training, Moshi, Tanzania As part of the continuing roll-out of the Faithful Farming programme in East Africa ARC partners are holding the first training session of Islamic Farming in Tanzania. The workshop will be presented by Abdalla Mohamed Kamwana of SUPKEM (The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims) and Dr Raphael Magambo from the environmental group A Rocha, Kenya.
February 12: The Cliff (BBC Radio 4, 13.45 GMT) As the fourth in a series of themed radio essays about cliffs, Martin Palmer will be reflecting on the spiritual responses evoked by The Cliff in religious stories and traditions.
February 14: Sacred Land event - The Chinese Feng Shui reading of Bristol To celebrate the Chinese New year the Sacred Land Project is offering the first ever Chinese Feng Shui reading of Bristol’s streets and buildings (Guided walk, 11am-1pm). For more information go to the Sacred Land website
February 15-21: Hindu Environment Week Building on the success of last year's inaugural HEW the organisers are confident that even more Hindu organisations worldwide will take part in this week of celebrations. Check the Bhumi Project website for up to date information.
JANUARY 2015
January 24: Climate Change: a matter of faith, Elim Church, Bristol Annual Global Aware Conference this year chiming in with Bristol Green Capital 2015 and focusing on the pressing issue of climate change and how people of faith can respond. The keynote speaker will be Dr Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, with voices and reflections from the Global South on the impacts of climate change. Tickets are £10 (£7.50 students). Read more here and book your place here.
January 25: Climate Ambassador Training Day, Sheffield, UK Training day organised by the Hope For The Future campaign for anyone interested in learning how to help their church and local community engage politically with the issues surrounding climate change. The campaign aims to use the lobbying of MPs of all parties to get action against climate change included in their party manifesto before the 2015 general election. More information and booking details here. This is not an ARC event.
2014
DECEMBER 2014
December 4: Celebration lunch for ARC's 20th year, Buckingham Palace, London Representatives of ARC staff and partners will attend a reception and lunch at Buckingham Palace, hosted by HRH Prince Philip who founded the organisation in 1995.
NOVEMBER 2014
November 7/8: How to research and write a sacred guide to your town or church Martin Palmer leads a two-day workshop, including talks, walks and activity sessions, aimed at helping people learn how to apply the approach to their own hometown or place of workshop, enabling them to bring a spiritual dimension to the guide they produce.More information about this and other Sacred Land events can be found on the project's website.
November 22: Fossil Free Festival, Huddersfield UK As part of Inter Faith Week the Huddersfield Quaker Meeting will be working with faith groups from around their area to explore ways to take action on climate change and go 'fossil free'. As well workshops, childrens activities and music the one-day free festival will include a showing of 'Do The Math', the environmental documentary featuring 350.org founder Bill McKibben. Click here for more information about the Fossil Free Festival and here for information about the Fossil Free Divestment Campaign.
November 25-26: Third International Taoist Forum, Longhu Shan, China ARC's Martin Palmer has been invited to attend this event, organised by the Chinese Taoist Association, in recognition of his 'profound understanding of the Taoist religion and Chinese Culture’. There are four main topics to be discussed, including ‘The Axis of all Things: Ecological Wisdom in the Taoist Religion’. Longhu Shan - or Dragon Tiger Mountain - has been the traditional residence of Heavenly Masters of Taoism throughout history. While in China for the Forum Martin Palmer will also take part in a televised discussion about Taoism and the environment with a representative of the Chinese communist government.
OCTOBER 2014
October 3: Scottish Pilgrimage Gathering (Dunfermline) The Scottish Pilgrim Routes Forum is a very active and growing organisation supporting the development and restoration of pilgrim routes, including those associated with GPN member Luss. The last meeting of the Forum, held in Glasgow in April 2014, heard about exciting developments in Fife and Iona and the success of the 'Paisley 850' pilgrimage walks in 2013 celebrating 850 years since the founding of Paisley Abbey. The October meeting will feature a presentation about the Green Pilgrimage Network from leading environmentalist Chris Baines.
October 3-5: Green pilgrimages to Canterbury
As part of its role as a membership of the Green Pilgrimage Network, the Diocese of Canterbury is organising a set of pilgrimages to Canterbury including one from near Sandwich (where Augustine landed) and another from the nearby Catholic shrine of St Jude in Faversham. Meanwhile local charity Porchlight will be running their “My Streets” tour linking homelessness with the concept of pilgrimage, and then we will be linking up the churches of Canterbury so people will have a chance to make their own pilgrimage. Food will be sustainably sourced and linked to the County Harvest Festival on Sunday 5th October.
October 5: Canterbury Cathedral Harvest Festival Martin Palmer will be delivering the sermon about faith and food at the Harvest Festival service in Canterbury Cathedral. The service will begin at 6.30pm.
October 12: North Stoke Harvest Festival Martin Palmer will be addressing the annual service in the 12th century parish church of St Martin in North Stoke, North Somerset. The service will begin at 11am and will be followed by a harvest lunch.
October 14-16: Sustainable Land Management Workshop, Mukono, Uganda ARC is convening an international workshop on Faith-based Sustainable Land Management. The event will be working with faith communities on sustainable land management and climate smart agriculture to reduce hunger, tackle poverty and protect the environment. Over 70 delegates representing Christian and Muslim faith organisations from nine African countries as well as representation from environmental NGOs will attend the workshop which is being held in the Ankrah Foundation in Mukono.
October 25: Discovering the Medieval Map of Bristol Martin Palmer will be leading a short guided walk around the centre of Bristol, starting at St Stephens church at 11.00am. Using the Sacred Land approach he will show how the buildings and layout of central Bristol reveal aspects of history and spiritual insight from across the centuries. More information about this and other Sacred Land events can be found on the project's website.
October 31-November 2: Traditions for the Future: how sacred landscapes, beliefs and values can help to create the world we want A 3-day retreat at Hilfield Friary, the Anglican Franciscan community near Dorchester, Dorset which will be led by Martin Palmer. In 2013 Martin was appointed head of the first ever Culture, Creativity and Values programme of the UN. Places on the retreat can be booked through Suzi Herbert by telephoning 01300 341741 or by e-mailing hilfieldssf@franciscans.org.uk
September 1 - October 5: Creation Tide - A time for Creation Annual Christian season marking the period between the Orthodox New Year and St Francis’ Day as a time to contemplate the link between spirituality and the needs of caring for creation. This year's theme is ‘God, Whose Farm Is All Creation'.
Helpful Creation Time resources are available from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
Operation Noah have also prepared sermon notes and prayers for use during Creation Time. Their notes combine insights from Bible passages in the Lectionary with themes from Operation Noah's Ash Wednesday Declaration regarding climate change.
Further resources can be found at the website of Eco-Congregation, Scotland (via Christian Ecology Link).
September 7: 3rd Annual EcoSikh Benefit Dinner (Maryland, USA) Promising to be 'a night of reflection, celebration and inspiration' EcoSikh will be bringing together environmental advocates, entertainers and leaders within the Sikh community for this annual fundraising event which will be held at the University at Shady Grove Conference Centre in Rockville, MD.
September 12-13: Avebury Sacred Land Workshop A 2-day workshop looking at the implications of emerging evidence about Avebury’s ancient role as a place of pilgrimage for both Christians and Pagans. Friday evening features a talk by Martin Palmer: 'A Pilgrim's Journey: Upper Kennet to Santiago de Compostela' beginning at 7.30 p.m in the church of St Katherine & St Peter, Winterbourne Bassett, while Saturday offers a day's guided walking from 9am-5pm around eight parish churches in the Upper Kennet area. Led by Martin Palmer this walk will demonstrate the principles from hisSacred Land book. Tel: 01672 861786
September 14-16: Faithful Farming workshop, Kampala, Uganda A three-day ARC-organised workshop bringing together over seventy religious leaders, environmentalists and local policymakers from across Africa to explore the role of faith communities in promoting Sustainable Land Management and Climate-Smart Agriculture. The event will be using ARC's experience in developing the Farming God's Way and Islamic Farming toolkits and will mark another step forward for Faithful Farming as an African-wide movement developing best practice in promoting Climate-Smart Agriculture and Sustainable Land Management through faith-based organisations.
September 18-20: First UNWTO International Congress on Tourism & Pilgrimage Co-organised by the World Travel Organisation the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism of Spain and the Regional Government of Galicia this event will take place in the GPN member site of Santiago de Compostela. As well as recognising the growing economic importance of pilgrimage to historic sites there will be major sessions on respect for the environment and strategies to make pilgrimage sustainable.
September 21: 'Reconciliation' - an event to mark Rosh Hashanah Martin Palmer will join this themed event at the New North London Synagogue, Finchley, starting at 7.45pm. Other speakers will reflect on political reconciliation and inter-personal reconciliation. The evening is a part of the synagogue's celebration of Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year. Read more.
September 24-25: World Muslim Leadership Conference on Global Leadership and Contemporary Challenges for the Islamic World
at Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster London. Organised by our partners for GPN, Global One. flier.
AUGUST 2014
August 6-7: Islamic Farming Training (Uganda) Following the highly successful January piloting of this new curriculum for farmers in Kenya this course, led by ARC's Sam Adams, will bring together 30 farmers from Uganda who will all learn the conservation agriculture principles behind Islamic Farming
with a view to themselves passing on the training in their districts.
JULY 2014
July 11: Green Friday Throughout the year many mosques celebrate Green Fridays - days dedicated to thinking about the environment and taking action to care for it - but this second Friday of Ramadan is increasingly recognised as an annual occasion whereby all Muslims can reflect on their spiritual duty to act as stewards of creation and commit to action to honour that responsibility.
July 18: Thames River Clean-Up Special event as part of the Thames River Clean Up campaign to mark the visit of Swami Chidanand Saraswati from Ganga Action Parivar in India. After a three-hour clean-up of the river foreshore at the Isle of Dogs the Swami, who has been active in many works to improve the cleanliness of the sacred river Ganges and its environment, will lead an inter-faith Water Blessing Ceremony at the House of Commons.
JULY 2014
July 31: Publication of The Most Venerable Book (Shang Shu) The Most Venerable Book (Shang Shu) Trans. Martin Palmer. . Penguin Classics' new "fluid" modern translation of this Confucian classic, told 4,000 years ago but still relevant to today's Chinese government.
JUNE 2014
June 2-4: Traditions for the Future: Culture, Faith and Values for a Sustainable Planet This major ARC event is hosted by Jinja Honcho, the organisation that oversees the 80,000 Shinto shrines across Japan. It will bring representatives from all aspects of the many programmes ARC is supporting worldwide to Ise, Japan for a three day conference reviewing progress and looking forward to new developments. Ise is the home of the Grand Shrine of Ise, a Shinto place of worship described as the spiritual home of the Japanese people. Every 20 years the wooden shrine is completely rebuilt and 2014 marks the end of the 62nd rebuilding, making this a particularly significant time to be invited there. More information about this historic event can be found here.
June 8: Tour de Farm bike ride The lively young Muslim organisation MADE in Europe is organising their first annual London to Oxford charity bike ride. The 100km route takes riders through much scenic countryside before tucking into a well-earned ethical barbecue at Willowbrook Farm, the UK's first organic halal farm. While participants are asked to raise £100 to support MADE in Europe's campaigning work it costs just £30 to register for the ride and BBQ, or £40 to include a coach ride back to Oxford railway station. Anyone interested can register here. MADE In Europe is a UK based NGO which raises awareness through campaigning about poverty, injustice and environmentalism from an Islamic perspective.
June 17: Faith in Food handbook launched Launch event for Faith in Food, a new handbook that examines some of the key environmental, social and moral issues around food and farming, and offers inspiring examples of faith action. Crucially the book establishes the links between the traditional values and understandings of different faiths and contemporary notions of ethical and sustainable food production. Published by Bene Factum Books the stylishly designed book was edited by ARC's Susie Weldon and Sue Campbell and the launch event takes place, appropriately, at The Wesley in Euston, London, known for being the UK's first ethical hotel.
MAY 2014
May 2-6: Pontifical Workshop: "Sustainable Humanity, Sustainable Nature" An important international gathering to be convened by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences of the Catholic Church. The five-day workshop will aim to take an overview of the inter-relation of humanity's needs for food, energy and health. More details will be released in the future - check the Catholic Ecology website for information as it becomes available. This is not an ARC organised event.
May 7: UN Climate Change leader to speak in St Pauls Cathedral Christiana Figueres (Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change) will present Climate Change: Building the Will for Action to an audience drawn from the UK’s religious communities, industrialists, investors and environmentalists. A leading figure in environmental politics for over 20 years, Christiana Figueres has been an active proponent of renewable energy and ‘clean’ development both in her native Central America and on the international stage, including as a negotiator in the UN Kyoto Protocol process in 1997. Grassroots activists from all faith communities are welcome to attend the event which will also include a distinguished panel chaired by former Bishop of Liverpool Bishop James Jones and including Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti and Dr Tony Juniper. The event is at St Pauls Cathedral and begins at 6.30 pm. Tickets are free and can be booked here.
May 11: Good Morning Sunday (BBC Radio 2) Martin Palmer will be returning as a guest to the Sunday morning ethical discussion and spiritual music radio programme hosted by Clare Balding. The programme will be broadcast between 7-9am and wiull also be avilable as a podcast from the website.
May 11: Annual Christ Church Lecture, Swindon Martin Palmer has been invited to present the inaugural annual lecture at Christ Church, Swindon. He will talk about the Sacred Land project and insights gathered from many local sites including the land around Avebury.
APRIL 2014
April 11: Local launch of 'Sacred Mountains' book in Bath To celebrate the publication of 'Sacred Mountains'
by Allerd Stikker ARC Secretary General Martin Palmer will be joining him at Mr B's Reading Emporium in Bath for a local launch event. 'Sacred Mountains' is an insightful account of the remarkable regeneration of Daoism in modern China and its emergence as a powerful force for environmentalism. The event will include a short presentation from the author, whose own involvement as an environmentalist and partner with ARC has been a supporting factor throughout this process. The event starts at 6.45pm and is free.
April 26: Chinese launch of 'Sacred Mountains' book in The Bookworm, Beijing Allerd Stikker will give a talk about the book and his experiences working with the Chinese Daoists at The Bookworm Bookshop
, 4 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing between 7.30-9.00pm. Admission is 50RMB/40RMB and the contact phone number is 6586 9507.
March
March 8: C G Jung lecture, Bristol Martin Palmer will be delivering a public lecture entitled "Values Quest" the stories which have shaped us - for better and for worse as part of Bristol's C.G. Jung lecture programme. The talk will explore the core cultural narratives that have shaped us and the ways in which these have evolved over time, especially through the Renaissance and Enlightenment period. The event will take place between 10.30am and 1pm and will be held in the Upper Room of Redland Park United Reform Church, Whiteladies Rd, Bristol BS6 6SA. Entrance fee is £12 (£8 for concessions) and no advance booking is necessary. Further information is available here.
March 14: Sikh Environment Day This is the fourth Sikh Environment Day (Vatavaran Diwas). It is an intenational programme of actions and events held on the Gurgaddi Diwas of Sri Gurur Har Rai Ji, a figure especially revered in Sikh history for his sensitivity to nature . Past years have seen increasing participation by Sikh communities in India and throughout the worldwide diaspora. Coordinated by EcoSikh.
March 24: Launch of Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit in Uganda Members of the ARC team will be joining our partners in Ugandan to launch the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Toolkit. This is another step forward following the 2013 forming of Uganda's first faith-based network working on the environment.
March 26-28: Club of Rome meeting 'Systemic Solutions for a Systemic Crisis ARC Secretary General has been invited to represent our organisation at this Club of Rome meeting to be held in Castell de Castalllet, near Barcelona. The aim of the meeting is to understand how we can work more closely together to create a more sustainable and equitable world, to explore the causes of the troubles that face us and to develop holistic and integrated solutions.
March 29 WWF's Earth Hour At 8.30pm on March 29 ARC staff will join people in homes, community buildings and businesses the world over in switching off electric lights and other equipment for 60 minutes to mark WWF International's annual Earth Hour. Started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 the aim of Earth Hour is to raise awareness about the contribution of wasteful energy usage to climate change. The idea went worldwide in 2008 and has grown ever since, with people devising numerous creative activities to take advantage of the darkness. WWF have prepared a lively short video about Earth Hour and a straightforward website where you can sign up to take part. Many faith groups have participated over the years as this archive page from the ARC website shows.
FEBRUARY 2014
Feb 17-23: Hindu Environment Week The first ever Hindu Environment Week, co-ordinated by the Oxford, UK, based Bhumi Project was a great success, with 14 events involving over 3,000 people in places as far apart as Mumbai, Birmingham and Princeton, USA. There's more information on the Bhumi Project website
JANUARY 2014
January 20-22: Farming In Allah's Way Training This is an exciting development, where a brand new curriculum for Muslim farmers is being piloted for the first time. The course will take place in Nairobi and Thika, Kenya and will set an Islamic foundation for sustainable agriculture followed by practical land management training. The 30 attenders will come from 10 districts across Kenya and the aim of this pilot is to train farmers to be trainers after the formal launch of the final Farming in Allah’s Way curriculum, which is scheduled for April 2014.
January 31: Eating Better workshop ARC is a supporting organisation and member of the network for Eating Better, a UK-based alliance working to help people move to a more sustainable and fairer way of eating, especially by reducing meat consumption. Susie Weldon will be representing ARC at this workshop in London.
DECEMBER 2013
December 5-6: Centre for Social Paediatrics (SPZ) Symposium, Winterthur, Switzerland ARC's Martin Palmer will deliver a keynote talk ton the theme of Meaning, values and spirituality in the development of children and teenagers in a globalised world. The event is organised in partnership between the SPZ and the Club of Rome whose ValuesQuest partnership with ARC has inspired the theme of the symposium.
NOVEMBER 2013
November 24: Martin Palmer on Radio 2: Martin Palmer will be the guest on this morning's edition of Good Morning Sunday with Clare Balding, the popular weekly topical faith show which broadcasts on BBC Radio 2 between 07.00 and 09,00 GMT. The programme will be available to listen again from the BBC website until December 1, 2013.
November 30-December 1: The Creative Art of Pilgrimage, Pewsey, Wiltshire, UK The two-day event has a full programme of talks about the different aspects of spiritual pilgrimage. More details from the Gatekeeper Trust.
OCTOBER 2013
October 3, Harmonious Co-existence, Sharing Taoist Culture
Daoist Exhibition at Asia House in London including artefacts about the Daoists' environmental teachings.
October 4, Daoism in the modern world
lecture by Master Ren Farong (Old Master Ren) at Soas in London: Old Master Ren is a famous, and highly respected Daoist master, visiting Britain for the first time. The talk is at 5.30 to 6.30 at the Khalili Theatre. Admission free.
October 12, Harvest Supper, St Michael's Without, Bath, UK Martin will address this event, part of the annual Great Bath Feast Festival, on the theme of Creation Harvest. Check the festival website for information about how to book tickets.
October 13, Harvest Festival Services at Bath Abbey Martin Palmer will be preaching at both the Parish Communion (9.30) and Matins (11.00) services on the theme of Creation Harvest.
October 15, meeting to discuss a European Chapter of the Green Pilgrimage Network A number of representatives from GPN member sites in Europe and the UK will be meeting with Alison Hilliard, ARC Deputy Secretary General, in Canterbury to examine the issues around creating a European Chapter.
October 17, Martin Palmer to appear on BBC Radio 4 Martin Palmer will be a guest on the BBC Radio 4 programme In Our Time, a weekly academic discussion programme led by Lord Melvin Bragg which broadcasts at 09.00am UK time. You can read more about In Our Time and access a full archive of past editions of the programme here.
October 23, Theology At The Zoo: the Word and the World The inaugural John Stott London Lecture (named after the prominent Christian Evangelical priest and theologian who died in 2011) will be held in the Huxley Theatre at ZSL London Zoo. Hosted by the A Rocha organisation, the speakers will be Rev Dr Chris Wright and David Nussbaum from WWF-UK (who is also one of ARC's trustees). Rev Dr Wright will address the biblical basis for environmental engagement while Mr Nussbaum will reflect on his involvement as a Christian working in a conservation charity. The event begins at 6pm and advance tickets , which can be booked here, cost £9.90 (including a 50% reduction in admission to the zoo). You can read more about the event on the A Rocha website. A video of the lecture will be available on the A Rocha website from October 30.
October 31, Launch of the Uganda Faiths Network on the Environment, Kampala, Uganda The creation of this network is an important step forward for ARC's World Bank funded programme to engage faith groups in sub-Saharan Africa in sustainable land management. Read more about this project in ARC's Africa Newsletter here.
SEPTEMBER 2013
September 8, Song Shan Forum on Chinese and World Civilisation, Song Shan, Peoples Republic of China. Martin Palmer is attending this international conference on the relationship between religion and conservation worldwide. Martin will be speaking on the role of Green Pilgrimage Network as a mechanism for faith-based action on the environment. You can read more about the event and download a copy of Martin's address here.
September 9, First meeting of the International Confucian Ecological Alliance, Song Shan, Peoples Republic of China Martin Palmer (ARC) and Dr Allerd Stikker (EMF) will be assisting the Confucianists in drawing up their 8-year plan for protection of the living planet. This builds on the Confucian statement on the living planet issued at Trondheim in July 2013.
September 18-20, ARC workshop on the faith-based ESD toolkit, Tanzania: Faith leaders, educationalists and government representatives in Tanzania will attend this workshop organised by ARC, the Kenyan Organisation of Environmental Education and the Jane Goodall Institute to discuss adopting the toolkit, which integrates faith values into teaching on the environment, in Tanzania. For more on the toolkit click here.
September 27, Scottish Pilgrimage Gathering 2013 : A one day conference to be held in Dumfermline, Fife for people involved in the development of pilgrimage travel and faith tourism in Scotland today. Rev Andrew Patterson, Church of Scotland minister of Portobello Old Parish Church will speak about Green Pilgrimage at the event, which is being organised by Forth Pilgrim and the Scottish Pilgrim Routes Forum. Full details of the gathering, including the day's agenda, can be found here
AUGUST 2013
August 5-18, ARC Closed for holidays
ARC will be closed from August 5 to 18 for our annual holiday. We will answer all emails and questions on our return.
JULY 2013
July 6, Eco-Amritsar celebrates Amritsar Foundation Day In 2012 Eco-Sikh launched a new partnership, called Eco-Amritsar, to engage with the people of the city to care for its natural resources and preserve its habitat and heritage for the future. The coordinating committee of Eco Amritsar includes academics, business people and representatives of local government and the media. As part of Amritsar's annual Foundation Day celebrations Eco-Amritsar is organising many activities across the city, including tree plantings, greening drives, a sustainable health fair and awareness raising campaigns. Read more about Eco-Amritsar here.
July 18, Launch of the faith-based education for sustainable development toolkit, Nairobi, Kenya:
For the last 18 months, ARC has been working with the Kenyan Organisation of Environmental Education to develop a teacher's toolkit integrating faith values in teaching on the environment. Education for sustainable development is a UNESCO strategy to education. The toolkit will be launched at the Anglican Cathedral with faith leaders and senior representatives from the Kenyan government and secular groups.
July 25-29, 2nd International meeting of Green Pilgrimage Network. Trondheim: jointly organised by The Municipality of the City of Trondheim, the Diocese of Nidaros, The Church of Norway and ARC this meeting will review progress on the Green Pilgrimage plans presented by 12 pilgrimage sites at the inaugural meeting in Assisi, Italy in 2011 and the development of the network as a whole. More information on this event here .
June 2013
June 2: BBC TV broadcast on Religion and EnvironmentalismMartin Palmer will be a panel member on BBC 1 television's The Big Question, a weekly programme discussing moral, ethical and religious questions. The programme will be looking at the environment and the role of religion in addressing climate change and other issues. The programme is broadcast at 10.00 BST.
June 7-9: Course: "Global Restorative Climate Justice" The principles of restorative justice (repair, stakeholder participation, and community transformation) have an obvious relevance to the challenges and opportunities of sustainability. This weekend course at the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, Birmingham, UK will be led by Pam Lunn and Tim Newel and it aims to explore the potential links between sustainability and restorative justice, following on from Pam's 2011 Swarthmore Lecture "What would restorative climate justice look like, on a global scale?" For more details click here. Note: this is not an ARC organised event
June 19: Discussion: "Feeding the Ten Billion Without Destroying The Planet" ARC’s Faith in Food programme manager Susie Weldon will be one of the speakers in an examination of our faith response to the critical issues of diminishing natural resources and a growing global population. Timothy Gorringe, St Luke's Professor of Theology at Exeter University, will lead the debate which also features Lydia Nash of the IF Campaign, a coalition of international charities working to end global hunger. This event is one of several faith-based contributions to the annual Big Green Week festival of environmentalism. For more information on these faith events, including times, venues and booking information, download the leaflet here.
MAY 2013
May 5, BBC Radio 2 broadcast on Green Pilgrimage: Martin Palmer will be appearing as a guest on Good Morning Sunday, the weekly programme about faith issues on BBC Radio 2 that goes out between 7-8am BST. Martin will discuss Green Pilgrimage with presenter Claire Balding and the programme will be available to listen again for one week after its broadcast.
May 8, Sacred Land book talk: As part of the Swindon Festival of Literature Martin Palmer will be delivering a one-hour presentation and 'Q&A' session on the ideas behind his book Sacred Land.
May 11, Sacred Bristol - Guided Walks: Martin Palmer's contribution to the annual Festival of Ideas in Bristol begins at the Watershed Media Centre with a 20 minute introduction (with drinks and cake) to the ideas behind the Sacred Land book, followed by a 90-minute guided walk around the city to illustrate the 'decoding' principle in action. Due to the high demand for tickets a second walk has been scheduled for the afternoon (2pm).
May 24-26, Faith & Reconciliation: What is the Future of Interfaith Dialogue? (Conference) As part of this important conference in Peja (Pec), Kosovo, Victoria Finlay of ARC will lead a session entitled Shared Space, using the example of Green Pilgrimage to explore the ways in which different faith groups can work together towards a common interest. As well as contributing to a wider inter-faith dialogue the conference aims to contribute to reconciliation in Kosovo by demonstrating how faith can act as a unifying rather than dividing force. You can find out more about the conference here.
May 27-28, HowTheLightGetsIn Festival: Marking the launch of ValuesQuest, a major joint initiative between ARC and influential international think tank The Club of Rome, the partnership will be hosting a series of debates and other events at HowTheLightGetsIn, an annual 'festival of ideas' held in Hay on Wye, UK. ValuesQuest events at the festival will be:
Mon 27, 10.30am: Politics, Power & Religion Europeans are increasingly abandoning the Abrahamic narrative. What role should the world's faiths play in shaping the future of European culture? (debate featuring Shaunaka Rishi/Phillip Blond/Simon Glendinning/Linda Woodhead)
Mon 27, 1pm: HowTheLightGetsIn Lunch
Mon 27, 4pm: Paradise … Lost? Utopian ideas have been displaced by apocalyptic environmental messages and a politics geared to managing the status quo. Would new Utopian stories facilitate meaningful innovation and change or simply provide us with dangerous new totalitarian fantasies? (debate featuring Ian Johnson/Marina Benjamin/Kim Stanley Robinson/Alex Callinicos)
Tue 28, 12pm: The Art of Wisdom Do experiences beyond rational learning - from meditation to mountaineering - deserve to be re-evaluated in our hierarchy of values or would this mean sacrificing hundreds of years of Enlightenment progress? (debate featuring Anders Wijkman/Jenni Calder/Marina Benjamin/Paul Rose)
Tue 28, 4pm: Dreams of Eden Is it an error to see humans as custodians over, rather than a part of, nature? Would a spiritual understanding of man's place in the natural world be an asset to environmentalism or a throwback to pantheistic superstition? (debate featuring Karl Wagner/Rosemary Burnett/Martin Palmer/Fazlun Khalid)
Tue 28, 5pm: Tea, Cake and Philosophy Workshop Martin Palmer and Karl Wagner, on behalf of the Club of Rome, lead a discussion on the evolution of humanity's relationship with the Earth and how this affects our values
For more detailed information about the ValuesQuest debates click here .
APRIL 2013
April 6-12 Iona Retreat, Iona, Scotland: Martin Palmer will be leading a week-long celebration of the 1,450th anniversary of Columba's arrival and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Iona Community. He promises plenty of reflection on the links between Christian theology and the natural world.
April 13, Sacred Places talk in Glasgow: Martin Palmer will be giving a talk on Sacred Places, based on his book Sacred Land, as part of Glasgow's Aye Write! literary festival. The event will take place at 3.30pm in the magnificently panelled Burns Room of the Mitchell Library.
MARCH 2013
March 14, The third Sikh Environment Day: In 2012 more than 1000 Sikh organisations participated; this year how many will join? An EcoSikh/ARC programme.
JANUARY 2013
January 9, Kampala, Uganda: ARC will attend a meeting between leaders and representatives of the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture to discuss how faith groups can work more closely with the government on issues around sustainable land management, particularly conservation agriculture.
January 23-25, Farming God's Way training, Jinja, Uganda: ARC is supporting the participation by several Muslim participants in this Christian-based sustainable agriculture training, as part of work to develop a similar training programme rooted in islam for Muslim farmers.
January 30, Nairobi, Kenya: Meeting with UNEP's Regional Office for Africa to discuss closer co-operation between UNEP, ARC and faith groups.
DECEMBER 2012
December 2, Martin Palmer talk in Bozeman, Montana: Martin Palmer will be giving a talk entitled Stories from the World: Many Heavens, One Earth in the Procrastinator Theatre at Montana State University, Bozeman Ma. Drawing on the experiences of ARC's worldwide network of partners, the talk will give an insight into some of the many inspiring conservation projects undertaken by faith groups around the globe, whether Christians and Muslims in Africa, Daoists in China or Buddhists in Mongolia.
NOVEMBER 2012
November 23 & 24, Rishikesh, India: Indian Chapter of Green Pilgrimage Network to meet: A two-day meeting has been jointly organised by the Bhumi Project and ARC to bring together representatives from up to 20 Hindu pilgrimage sites across India as the Indian Chapter of the Green Pilgrimage Network. The meeting will be held at the Parmarth Niketan ashram on the banks of the holy Mother Ganges river. For more information about the event click here.
OCTOBER 2012
October 9-11, Farming God's Way: Three-day workshop on sustainable agriculture in Kijabi, Kenya, for 50 Anglican and Catholic ministers. Organised by ARC and delivered by Craig Sorley of Care of Creation Kenya, the workshop will teach a faith-based form of conservation agriculture called Farming God's Way, along with the faith mandate for caring for the natural world.
October 14, Green Pilgrim Cities in India meeting, Hyderabad ICLEI and ARC are partnering to organise a one-day meeting, preceding a Cities and Biodiversity meeting run by ICLEI, for Indian cities with major shrines. Click here for more information about this event.
October 25, Sacred Land book talk: As part of the annual Guildford Book Festival Martin Palmer will be delivering a talk based on his successful 'Sacred Land' book at St Mary's Church, Quarry Street, Guildford. The talk will commence at 7pm and tickets are £5. More details are available here.
October 31, Green Mind Awards, Lebanon Award ceremony for the Green Mind Awards. Open to a wide range of green initiatives in the Middle East this is supported by our long-term partners in Lebanon, AFDC. Deadline is September 31st.
SEPTEMBER 2012
September 1 - October 4, Creation Tide: A time for Creation: This year's theme is 'Sustainable Energy in God's Creation Time - A Time for Prayer and Action'. Resources are available from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
Operation Noah have also prepared sermon notes and prayers for use during Creation Time - which will be the five Sundays in September this year. The notes combine insights from the Bible passages in the Lectionary with themes from Operation Noah's Ash Wednesday Declaration regarding climate change.
Further resources can be found at the Christian Ecology website.
September 17th to 20th, Celebration of African faith plans: ARC will celebrate the launch of long-term action plans on the environment by our faith partners in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The event is held in conjunction with the All Africa Conference of Churches in Nairobi, Kenya. Link here for more details.
September 21st, WWF press conference in Nairobi on faiths and animal poaching: Following on from the ARC Nairobi event, WWF are calling a press conference to be held at 10am on September 21 at the Sarova Panafric Hotel, Kenyatta Avenue, Nairobi. The subject will be the poaching of wild animals and the role faith groups can play in addressing the problem.
Link here for more information about the briefing, including details of speakers and links to useful websites.
September 21st, 11am one hour programme on Good News TV, Kenya: Faith representatives and ARC will participate in a talk show programme about the work of the faiths on the environment. Faith participants include Shaun Cozett of the Anglican South African church and Anita Patel of Hindu Council of Africa.
AUGUST 2012
August 23, Edinburgh Books Festival, Sacred Land walk and talk:
Martin Palmer will give a talk on his 'Sacred Land' book, including intriguing details of why St Andrew's church and the former St George's church in the New Town are placed where they are, and why it is so unusual that the Cathedral is dedicated to St Giles.
JULY 2012
July 7, Dartington 'Ways With Words': Martin Palmer will be giving a talk on his book 'Sacred Land' to the Nature and Environment day of the 'Ways With Words' literary festival in Dartington, Devon, UK. Full information, including how to book tickets, is available here. For more information on Sacred Land projects worldwide click here.
July 20-22, Justice and Peace Conference: Martin Palmer will be one of the speakers in this year's conference, the theme of which is China. It will take place at the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire. Read more here.
JUNE 2012
June 13, Bristol Big Green Week: 'Sacred Land' - a talk by Martin Palmer, Bristol Cathedral, 11am. Part of a week of reflections on the connections between the spiritual and natural taking part at Bristol Cathedral for Bristol Big Green Week - a festival of comedy, music, film, poetry, art and ideas around inspiring change.
June 14, Launch of the Green Guide for Hajj in Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta National University The Bahasa Indonesia version of the Green Guide for Hajj is titled "Haji Ramah Lingkungan: Bagaimana Peserta Haji dan Umrah Dapat Berkontribusi Melestarikan Lingkungan?" It will be launched at a gathering of some 120 invitees including the Director General Hajj and Umrah, Drs Slamet Riyanto, MSi, the Deputy of National Council for Climate Change, Dr Amanda Katili Niode, the Chairman of the Council of Ulama Indonesia (MUI), Dr KH Ma'ruf Amin and Dr Husna Ahmed, OBE who worked with ARC to author the English original. The event will be covered by national press, radio and TV stations.
June 17, ICLEI Green Cities meeting, Belo Horizonte:
Green Pilgrimage Network will be one of the subjects of the ICLEI conference in Brazil, with some 600 to 800 participants. It will be presented by GPN ambassador Naomi Tsur.
June 28, BBC RADIO 4 The Cave 13.45-14.00
This is Day 4 of a week of programmes exploring the Cave. Cave of Faith – written and narrated by ARC's Martin Palmer and featuring Adjoa Andoh reading an extract from a poem by Jay Ramsay.
ARC Closed for Holiday
ARC will be closed for summer holidays for two weeks from June 25, returning July 9.
MAY 2012
May 6, Christianity, the Environment and Art: sermon by Martin Palmer, Dorchester-on-Thames, UK ARC Secretary-General Martin Palmer will be delivering a sermon on the theme of 'Christianity, the Environment and Art' during the morning service at Dorchester Abbey, Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, UK.
May 12, Sacred Bristol - A Guided Walk As part of Bristol's annual Festival of Ideas ARC secretary general Martin Palmer will be leading a guided walk around the city's centre, pointing out the ancient sites that gave it its structure and explaining their spiritual significance and history in the light of his newly published book 'Sacred Land'. The walk begins at 10.30am from the Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol and tickets cost £7 (£6 concessions) and can be booked online here.
May 16-18, Farming God's Way - a three-day workshop on sustainable agriculture in Kijabi, Kenya, for 50 ministers belonging to the Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church of East Africa. The workshop has been organised by ARC and will delivered by Craig Sorley of Care of Creation Kenya. It will teach conservation agriculture techniques along with the faith mandate for caring for the natural world.
May 23, University of Minnesota: lecture by Martin Palmer. Read the advance interview in the University of Minnesota magazine: asking "What would it take for faith communities to become leaders in solving global environmental challenges?".
APRIL 2012
April 22, Earth Day
Some 18,000 schools in Punjab will be celebrating Earth Day this year because they were having exams during Sikh Environment Day. Here is a link to Blessed Earth in the US suggesting how Christians might like to participate.
April 28 'Sacred Land' walk and book signing: Martin Palmer will take visitors to the Stratford Literary Festival on a walk to read the signs of Stratford's sacred history in its landscape. There will be a book signing in the Civic Centre after the walk. 2pm, Stratford Literary Festival, UK. Full information, including how to book tickets, is available here. For more information on Sacred Land projects worldwide click here.
MARCH 2012
March 1, Publication date and launch of 'Sacred Land': 'Sacred Land' is a new book written by Martin Palmer, Secretary-General of ARC, that reveals the sacred history of the British landscape and enabling the reader to see their British surroundings in a new light. The launch event for the book will begin at 6pm in St Stephens Church, Bristol UK and will include film of Martin Palmer 'reading' the sacred significance of Bristol city and an exploration of the sacred layout of St Stephen's church itself. For more information on Sacred Land projects worldwide link here.
March 4 – 12, Education for Sustainable Development Workshop, Nairobi, Kenya: ARC is holding a week-long environmental education workshop in collaboration with the Kenya Organisation for Environmental Education. Teachers from faith schools in Kenya, representatives of our faith partners across sub-Saharan Africa, environmental organizations and Kenyan ministry officials will meet. The plan is to integrate religious wisdom and environmental education, using eco-schools as a strategy. For more information link here.
March 11, Martin Palmer talks on 'Sacred Land': As part of this year's 'Words in Walden' literary festival, Martin palmer will be using his new book 'Sacred Land' to read the cultural history in the Saffron Walden landscape. 2.30pm, Dame Bradbury's School Theatre, Saffron Walden, UK. Full information, including how to book tickets, is available here. For more information on Sacred Land projects worldwide click here.
March 14, International, Sikh Environment Day: To celebrate the New Year in the Nanakshahi calendar, members of the Sikh faith worldwide will be taking part in celebrations and activities aimed at protecting the natural world in accordance with the teachings of the Sikh gurus.
March 17, EcoSikh Fundraising evening, Maryland, USA
On March 17th at 6:30 pm, EcoSikh will be hosting its first Benefit Dinner at the University of Maryland Shady Grove Campus, to raise money for a number of exciting new environmental projects, based in Punjab and the Sikh Diaspora. Sikh leaders, entrepreneurs and community members will come together for a night of inspiration, reflection, and celebration for a renewed Sikh environmental vision. Special guests include, ‘Violinder,’ Raginder Singh Momi, master violinist and musician, a Punjabi Comedy Act, an a Bhangra/Giddha (folk dance) performance by talented youth, along with world renown leaders focusing on religion and the environment, including Dekila Chungyalpa, practicing Buddhist and director of the Sacred Earth program at the World Wildlife Fund. Tickets are available online, $50 for students and children over five, $100 for adults.
March 31, Earth Hour 2012: The internationally co-ordinated event whereby people the world over are encouraged to switch off their electric lights for one hour, starting at 8.30pm, thus making a symbolic contribution to reducing energy consumption and raising awareness of the ways in which resources are being used worldwide. Full information is available here.
FEBRUARY 2012
February 20-22, agroforestry workshop, Ghana: ARC is collaborating with UK-based Tree Aid to hold a three-day workshop on tree planting, agroforestry and tree conservation in Ghana, Africa, from February 20 to 23. This is the first of three workshops on the subject and participants include the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ghana and Muslim and Christian members of Relbonet - Religious Bodies Network on Climate Change.
NOVEMBER 2011
November 26, St Peter’s Church, Old Town, Bexhill:
The Bexhill World Development Movement group - a coalition of local branches of national charities and agencies, and locally based groups, including CAFOD and Christian Aid, Christian Ecology Link, Operation Noah, Tearfund and the World Development Movement - has invited Greg Barker MP, the UK Government's Minister for Climate Change, to a debate of the climate change negotiations in Durban. The event runs from 11am-12noon. This is not an ARC event.
October 31 to November 3, Sacred Land: Green Pilgrimage Network
See details for October.
OCTOBER 2011
October 15, Fragile Earth, Oxford:
Held in Dorchester Abbey near Oxford with the Schola Cantorum of Oxford andlocal schools singing and playing percussion. The texts are chosen from the six main religions in Britain, showing how humankind should preserve the Earth and its environment. Each faith has its own movement and is introduced by chanters singing the text in its original language. Schools will be involved in environmental projects before this event. This is not an ARC-arranged event.
October 23-25, International Taoism Forum, China
A major Daoist conference on Ecology, attended by ARC's secretary general Martin Palmer who will give a speech on Daoism and Ecology. The forum, co-sponsored by China Taoist Association and China Religious Culture Communication Association, is expected to attract about 200 delegates from more than 30 countries. Click here for more details.
October 31 to November 3, Sacred Land: Green Pilgrimage Network
The world’s first network aimed at greening pilgrimage – the largest movement of people worldwide - will be launched in the presence of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh KG, KT at the Sacred Land celebration, in Assisi, Italy, from October 31 to November 2, 2011, organised by ARC in association with WWF. Sacred Land will also celebrate 25 years of faith action on the environment since the first Assisi gathering in 1986 when Prince Philip invited faith leaders to consider how their beliefs, practices and teachings could help protect the environment. Click here for the press release. And here for the background on the road to Assisi.
JULY AND AUGUST 2011
July 29-30, Dharmic Seva Conference
ARC communications director Victoria Finlay will speak at this meeting in the White House, Washington DC, and at Georgetown University, which will be the launch of a number of exciting Hindu initiatives, including greening temples all over the US, with the hope that this will also assist temples in India to be more environmentally friendly. For more information, click here.
August, Launch of Green Futures supplement
Green Futures magazine has created a beautiful and informative supplement on religions and ecology. More news to follow about its launch in August 2011.
August 1-15, ARC Annual Holiday
ARC closes in the first two weeks of August every year.
August 18-21, Hazon Food Conference, UC Davis, California
Four inspirational days of workshops, cooking sessions, presenters, discussions - and delicious organic, consciously-prepared food, from the New Jewish Food movement. This is not an ARC event, though we have worked with Hazon as a partner for some years. For more information, click here.
SEPTEMBER 2011
September 5-6, "Compassion and Conservation" Workshop, Thimphu, Bhutan.
“Compassion and Conservation” workshop for 80 high lamas and nuns in Thimphu, Bhutan, as the first stage of the creation of a Bhutanese Buddhist Eight Year Plan to protect the environment. Facilitated by The Tributary Fund and ARC, with funding from the Norwegian Government and others.
September 15, (pending grant award from The Asia Foundation). Third Annual “Compassion and Conservation” Conference at the Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar.
Theme: Mining Reclamation and Best Practices (Community Outreach Methods for Monks). Organised by the Tributary Fund, continuing work initiated by Mongolian Buddhists, the Mongolian Government, ARC, the World Bank, the Tributary Fund and others.
JUNE 2011
June 1, Faith & Conservation in Africa
ARC director Martin Palmer will speak at this meeting in Washington DC, US, which will explore the interconnections between faith and conservation in Africa and showcase partnerships and opportunities in the field. It is organised by the Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group - seven US-based international conservation non-governmental organisations working in Africa. For more information, click here.
June 4, 'Mother Earth, Economics and the Fall'.
As part of the 'How the Light Gets In' festival 2011, ARC director Martin Palmer will be participating in a panel on what motivates our newfound environmental consciousness.
The event takes place at Globe Hall, Hay on Wye from 10:30am. Link here for more details.
June 9, Prince Philip at 90
The little-known story of HRH The Prince Philip’s work with the world’s major faiths – including his role in founding ARC – will be revealed in a documentary to be broadcast on BBC1 on Thursday June 9. ARC director Martin Palmer is a key contributor in the film, which has been made to mark Prince Philip’s 90th birthday on June 10. Link here for more details.
May 2011
May 9, 'Route 2050', St. Peter's Church, Eaton Square London
'Route 2050' highlights the Diocese of London’s contribution to the national effort to tackle climate change – also characterising how it is to develop over the next four decades and beyond. It supports the Long-Term Plan of the Church of England, launched at ARC's event at Windsor Castle in November 2009.
May 12, Faith, Food and the Planet, St Stephen's Church, Bristol
Feeding the world - without harming the Earth. Director of ARC Martin Palmer will be one of four speakers on the panel which will then open up to an audience involved debate and discussion. The evening will start at 6pm with a reception in St Stephen's cafe before moving to the church for meditation. Link here for more information.
May 23, Hounslow Friends of Faith Meeting of Faith Leaders.
ARC Director Martin Palmer will give the keynote speech at the fourth Meeting of Priests and Faith Leaders on Monday 23rd May, 12.30 to 4pm. Link here for the Hounslow Friends of Faith website.
May 29, EcoSikh Fundraising Event, Washington DC
Martin Palmer, Director of ARC, will be traveling to Washington DC to attend a fundraising dinner for EcoSikh on the 29th May. The venue is to be announced.
APRIL 2011
April 7, London Workshop for Faith in Food.
ARC's fourth international workshop for its new Faith in Food initiative will be held in MIC in London for faith groups and delegates to discuss issues around how to be faith-consistent and sustainable in the food we eat, buy and grow.
MARCH 2011
March 9-11, Launch of Eight Year Plan, Mongolia.
Press conference, reception in Gandan’s Great Ger, then formal transfer of the Mongolian Buddhists’ Eight Year Plan by Gandan’s Abbott to Mongolia’s President, Prime Minister and Parliament Chair.
March 14, Eco Sikh Environment Day.
This date marks both the Sikh New Year, according to the Nanakshahi Sikh Calendar, and also the Gurgaddi Diwas of the seventh Sikh Guru, Guru Har Rai ji, who in the mid 17th century was preaching that Sikhs must defend all that is vulnerable – including plants and animals.
March 22, Eco-Faith Conference, London
Interfaith Action (Interact) is hosting an Eco-Faith Conference to explore the need for action amongst faith communities to combat climate change and take part in environmental action together. Link here.
This is not an ARC event.
March 21-27, Climate Week, backed by the Prime Minister. Climate Week will see organisations from every part of society run events to highlight the positive steps being taken across Britain to help prevent climate change. It is supported by ARC as well as many faith organisations, including the World Congress of Faiths, Interfaith Action (Interact), The Muslim Council of Britain, The Muslim Association of Britain, Muslim Agency for Development and Enterprise, Islamic Foundation for Ecological and Environmental Studies (IFEES), Board of Deputies of British Jews, Jewish Social Action Forum, Big Green Jewish, National Council of Hindu Temples UK, National Network of Sikh Organisations, National Spiritual, Assembly of Baha'is, Churches Together in Britain & Ireland, Churches Together in England, Operation Noah, Ecocongregation, and A Rocha. Link here. This is not an ARC event.
March 29-30, Seven-Year Plan Workshop Nairobi, Kenya.
ARC is partnering with the All Africa Conference of Churches in Nairobi. This meeting, supported by the World Bank, US Aid, the British Council and the Norwegian Govenment, focuses on new environmental initiatives – recognising the crucial role that faiths have to play in protecting our living planet. Link here for the news story.
February 2011
24 February, Climate and Faith café talk - held by the British Council in Hong Kong.
Speakers from various faith communities will share their perspectives of environmental responsibility. This promises to be a lively and thought-provoking discussion for theist and atheist alike.
This talk will also be broadcasted live via the internet, visit bit.ly/climafaith for more details.
Please note this is not an ARCWORLD sponsored event.
January 2011
January 3-4, New Delhi Workshop for Faith in Food
The third workshop round the world to set up the new Faith in Food movement which emerged as one of the key new programmes coming out of the ARC/UNDP Windsor Castle Celebration in November 2009.
January 14-15, Water Schools Workshop
Steering workshop for ARC's Water Schools programme. See www.waterschools.org for details of the ongoing work.
January 20, The Jewish New Year for Trees
The New Year for Trees is the season for Jewish communities planting and blessing trees and giving thought to the essential role trees play in our lives.
The 2011 New Year for Trees will be particularly poignant, remembering the forest blaze which swept away some 10,000 acres of the Carmel Forest in Israel, taking 50 lives in December 2010.
Past diary entries, from April 2008. are available in the ARC Diary archive
DECEMBER 2010
December 4, Annual Climate March, London
Organised by Christian Ecology Link, the march starts with a mass photograph publicity event at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park at 12 midday. Friends of all faiths (and none) are invited to join in; a meeting of
prayer and music will take place an hour before at the Church of the Annunciation, Bryanston Street at 11 am and will feature a talk from environmental theologian Edward Echlin, author of the book "Climate and Christ".
NOVEMBER 2010
November 2-3, Faith and Food workshop, New York
This will be an opportunity for invited faith representatives to gather to discuss the theology of food and how to develop sustainable policies for the purchasing, production and consumption of food. The first of four international workshops, and part of ARC's food and faith programme. Co-hosted by Hazon.
November 5, One Earth Many Faiths, Oxford
The proposed theme for this year’s conference is 'Spirituality as a Uniting Force for Environmental Action’. Satish Kumar, current editor of Resurgence, founder and Director of Programmes of the Schumacher College international centre for ecological studies and of The Small School will be a main speaker at this year’s event. Read more here.
November 5-6, Sacred Soils Interfaith Conference, Louisville, Kentucky
Martin Palmer of ARC will give a keynote speech, alongside Wendell Berry. The conference brings together leading voices in faith and the environment from around the US. Click here for more information.
November 13, The Tiger in Asian Religions study day, London
A study day at Asia House exploring the tiger's role as a symbol of power and protection in the religions and arts of Asia through the centuries. Speakers include ARCs Martin Palmer who discusses 'Riding the Tiger: gods, exorcism, power and the tiger in Chinese Culture', John Carpenter, Zara Fleming, Anna Dallapiccola and Susan Conway. If friends of ARC are interested in the event you can get a reduced ticket price of £25 by quoting ARC when purchasing tickets. Please click here for more details.
November 22-25, Faith in Food consultation, Nairobi
ARC's Faith and Food Project Coordinator Susie Weldon is taking part in a four-day workshop on food security and food advocacy in Nairobi, Kenya, organised by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance for around 25 faith groups from southern and central Africa. This is an important opportunity to consult faith groups ahead of ARC's planned Faith in Food workshop in Kenya in Spring 2011.
SEPTEMBER 2010
Creationtide
Every year, from 1 September - the first day of the Orthodox Church
year - to 4 October - the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi in the
Catholic tradition - churches are called to become involved in the
'Time for Creation' for the protection of God's creation and the
promotion of sustainable lifestyles. This year, churches are
encouraged to focus on the two theme of biodiversity (2010 is the UN
Year of Biodiversity, and on Africa. Sermon notes, prayers, and other materials
are available in different languages from the World
Council of Churches, the European Christian Environmental Network and the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) .
September 7-8, 2010: Faith and Biodiversity Meeting, Chennai, India
The Church of South India is organising this workshop for followers, leaders and friends of the Church as part of their ongoing programme to alert people to the importance of looking after this beautiful and diverse world. Attendees and speakers from Kerala, Chennai and elsewhere in southern India. ARC's head of communications, Victoria Finlay, will attend.
September 18, 2010: Growing Organically; Using church land as a model for environmental change This conference will cover the importance of church land management. It will also give practical examples of projects and open up opportunities to see what conservation potential church land may hold. The main speakers will be Professor Sir Ghillean Prance and Bishop James Jones, followed by informative and interactive workshops. Click here. Not an ARC event.
JULY 2010
July 15, 2010: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association hosts 3rd international conference on Climate Change
Martin Palmer will be speaking at this event entitled “Global to Local: Climate Change Post-Copenhagen”, which aims to support parliamentarians to influence the formulation and implementation of climate change policy at local, national and international levels. For more info click here.
July 16-18, 2010: National Justice and Peace Conference
ARC consultant Mary Colwell will be attending this year's 32nd Annual Conference in Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire. It is hosted by the National Justice and Peace Network.
July 30, 2010: Sacred Bristol
Martin Palmer leads a guided tour of the city of Bristol and teaches how to read the religious landscape, from Churches to rivers he explores the rich symbolism that can be found all around us. More details to follow.
JUNE 2010
June 6, 2010 Environment Sunday
Faiths around the world celebrate the day of the environment. What is your faith community doing?
"Good Morning Sunday" BBC Radio 2 programme discussing ethical and religious issues, with guests and spiritual music - today features Martin Palmer of ARC and Dan Walker, BBC 1 Sports Presenter. Listen here or read programme details here
June 8, 2010, 6:00-7:40 pm: London zoo hosts talk on conservation, values and religion
Martin Palmer will be one of the speakers in an event about the ‘greening-of-religions’, focusing on the practical conservation benefits of engagement with faith partners. This event in the 'Wildlife Conservation' series will begin at 6.00pm (doors from 5.00pm) and talks are scheduled to finish at 7.30pm; admission is free and open to everyone (no advance booking or registration required). ZSL Meeting Rooms. Click here for more information.
June 18-27, 2010: Cherishing Churchyards Week
Several workshops will take place in Ludlow, Shropshire, with facilitators from Caring for God's Acre. Topics in this year's Flora locale training programme include: Community farming and landscape restoration; Managing churchyards and burial grounds for conservation; Ponies, wildflowers and wonderful landscapes; Restoring a lowland river; Creating new woods from seed and much much more. This is not an ARC event, but it stems from the Living Churchyards programme we were involved with some years ago.
June 19, 2010: Finding the Spirit in a Secular Age. Oxford, St Columba's United Reform Church, Alfred Street.
Martin Palmer of ARC will be speaking on The Ethos of Spirituality at 11:00 am. Other talks in this all-day conference include Spirituality in the Arts by Prof. Lord Harries of Pentregarth and Beyond Secularism - Science, Consciousness and Spirituality by David Lorimer. AHS/WT members: £20, non-members: £25, students: £10.
MAY 2010
May 19-20, 2010: Compassion and Conservation 2010, Mongolia
This conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, helps local monasteries plan conservation programmes. ARC's Victoria Finlay will discuss the Mongolian Buddhist 8 Year Plan to Protect the Living Planet, which hopefully will be launched in 2011. It is funded by the World Bank, hosted by the Gandantegchinleng Monastery, organised by the Tributary Fund, and facilitated by the Gandan Monastery, ARC and The Tributary Fund.
APRIL 2010
April 15, 2009: Launch of Shanghai Buddhists' 8 year plan
ARC is attending the launch of the Shanghai Buddhists' Eight Year Plan at Jade Buddha Monastery in Shanghai. In attendance will be the abbots from the major Buddhist Monasteries of the Greater Shanghai area - around 60 monks - who have been exploring Chinese Buddhist beliefs and values with regards to the environment, as well as practical action plans. ARC's role is to help put that into an international context. For the Buddhists' 8 year plan click here.
April 22, 2010: Earth Day Celebration
It has been 40 years since a barrage of assaults on our natural environment motivated the first Earth Day in 1970, which marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. The presence of the religions in this movement are evermore on the increase, and several groups are seizing the opportunity to raise environmental awareness by celebrating Earth Day this year. For example, the St Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor was launched one year ago by the Catholic Church. Interfaith Power and Light's website contains numerous ideas and resources, including sermons and examples of how to act in the community on this day.
MARCH 2010
March 4, 2010: 'Praying with Creation' at Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral is planning a Lent School of Prayer entitled 'The Beauty of Holiness' taking a series of topics on Thursday evenings through lent. Martin Palmer of ARC will be talking on March 4th about 'Praying with Creation', beginning at 7:30 pm in the undercroft. This (and other evenings in the series) will balance a lecture with group activities and conclude with something prayerful.
Mid-late March, 2010: Educational talks in and around Bath
During March Martin Palmer will be talking at Bath Spa University to the cultural and historical department about faiths and the environment. He will also be giving a talk on March 29 to year 11 students at Cotham School, Bristol, along similar themes.
March 27, 2010: Earth hour
ARC is participating in Earth Hour this year, for the second time.
We invite our friends and partners to join us in this, by turning off all lighting and electric appliances in your homes for an hour or more on the 27th March, and also during the weekend of March 28th and 29th, when it is safe to do so. Please also see details about last year's Earth hour here.
FEBRUARY 2010
February 7-9, 2010: Interfaith meeting in Nigeria
Christian and Muslim leaders in Africa with the British Council, ARC and an array of Muslim and Christian environmental organisations such as Operation Noah and IFEES, met to discuss the impact of climate change on Africa and the role that Islam and Christianity are playing now and in the future.
February 11, 2010: St Ethelburga's Centre talks We live in uncertain times surrounded by economic recession and the threat of environmental catastrophe. How do we respond to this spiritually? Are there opportunities within the crisis to change our quality of consciousness and our relationship with life? In a series of inquiries, St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace invited the wisdom of different faith traditions, and ARC's Martin Palmer, to bear on these questions, and create a reflective space to explore the inner dimensions of our most pressing global issues. For more details click here.
JANUARY 2010
January 1, 2010: World Peace Day: "If you want to cultivate peace, protect the creation", Benedict XVI
The theme, chosen for Benedict XVI's Message for the 43rd World Day of Peace, "aims to raise awareness about the strong bond that exists in our globalised and interconnected world between protecting the creation and cultivating peace. For more details, click here.
DECEMBER 2009
December 7-18, Copenhagen (COP15)
ARC are not going to Copenhagen, but United Nations Secretary General, His Excellency Mr Ban Ki-moon will be taking the message from Windsor to the COP15 summit.
NOVEMBER 2009
2-4 November 2009: Many Heavens, One Earth: Faith Commitments for a Living Planet, Windsor Castle, England ARC and the UN will co-host a very special Celebration at Windsor and Windsor Castle, England, courtesy of His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, from the 2nd-4th November, attended by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. As the world prepares for the climate change gathering of nation states at Copenhagen in early December, the Windsor Castle Celebration will offer another way of mobilising people to help protect the environment. This will be a wonderful and important event in a truly spectacular setting. ARC invites the major faiths to announce their Long Term Plans to Protect the Living Planet, and major secular organisations to make commitments to work with the faiths on natural environment and climate change issues. The weeks before the Windsor event will be the chance for many faiths around the world to celebrate their long term plans in festivals and events at home. Link
here
for more details about the Seven and Eight Year Plans and how your faith community can create one. If you are a faith group or community which has made a long term plan for generational change, please contact us at: info@arcworld.org
15 November 2009: BBC Radio 4, 8.10am Sunday Worship - Hearing the Voices of Creation During three days in early November leaders from many world faiths, hosted by the Duke of Edinburgh and attended by the Secretary General of the United Nations, gathered at Windsor Castle to announce their own commitments to long term environmental action. This Sunday Worship, specially recorded at the Alliance of Religions and Conservation celebration is led by Martin Palmer and Sally Magnusson with Bishop Richard Chartres, Producer Stephen Shipley. It will be available to play again, via the internet, for one week after transmission.
November 4, 2009: Many Heavens, One Earth: Faiths, the Environment and Copenhagen. Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, 7pm.
A public meeting in this historical meeting house, to announce new commitments by faiths to protect the environment, and new partnerships with secular organisations to assist that process. Features presentations by senior faith leaders and UN officials, as well as music, dance and prayer. Download the details of the public forum on "Many Heavens, One Earth - Faiths, the Environment and Copenhagen":here. Free ticket registration.
OCTOBER 2009
October 7, 2009: Faith and Science - an opportunity for faith leaders to meet representatives of the science community to consider the issues of the Copenhagen Climate Summit The Dana Centre, Science Museum, Queen's Gate, London SW7 5HD,
18.30-22.00. An initiative of the Church of England and the Dept of Energy and Climate
Change supported by the British Council for representatives of all faiths. Hosted by Prof.Chris Rapley
October 17, 2009: Mary Colwell, ARC's Catholic consultant: Keynote speaker at Deanery Day near Manchester.
Sunday, October 25: Special feature on BBC Sunday Programme, Radio 4, on the Windsor event. Link here and
here to listen - starting just after the 6th minute, and available until November 1 2009.
SEPTEMBER 2009
September 20th, or the first sighting
of the new moon: Eid-ul-Fitr: the end of Ramadan in Islam, a 3 day festival of remembering your duties to your fellow human beings and to God.It involves the giving of zakat - compulsory charity tithe on all Muslims to support the weak and vulnerable.
September 19: Rosh Hashanah: the
Jewish New Year also known as the "Birthday of the World" and a time of reflection upon our role here on earth. Ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of
Atonement on 28th Sept when all sins are reflected upon and forgiveness
sought.
September 18th - Start of the Hindu festival of Navaratri - Nine Days: the festival of Durga, the female aspect of the Divine in her many manifestations - as fighter against evil forces; compassionate
mother etc.
AUGUST 2009
Sunday, 30 August 2009, 1430-1600 hours: Climate Camp: Muslims & the Climate Movement: Values Hopes
Location: London, exact venue tbc.
LINE (London Islamic Network for the Environment) is organising a workshop at the Climate Camp during the month of Ramadan. Within the workshop, LINE hopes to explore some of the following questions: How do Muslims and Islam view climate change? How does the climate movement view Muslims? What are the values that we share? How can we hope to work together?
For more details, to www.climatecamp.org.uk or www.lineonweb.org.uk, telephone LINE on 0845 456 3960.
August 10-15, 2009: Faith and Forest meeting, Bak, near Ratzeburg
As part of ARC’s programme with the Shinto of Japan and the Church of Sweden to develop a Religious Forestry Standard, we have partnered with the German based Ecumenical Foundation for the Integrity of Creation and Sustainability to hold a major meeting to discuss the relationship between religions and forests – historically, culturally, spiritually, economically and environmentally. Speakers and participants from across Germany and the Baltic are coming as well as ARC and the Shinto, plus the Church of Sweden. There are still a few places left for what will be a fascinating meeting in a beautiful location. If you are interested in the relationship between faith and forests, or the history of that relationship or how it might shape a new future for forests, this will be a great event to attend. It takes place at the lakeside village of Bak near Ratzeburg in Germany and costs Euros 350 for all food, accommodation and fees. Contact Dr. Arnd Heling at Stiftung@schoepfungsbewahrung.org or call +49 4541 805877.
August 8, 2009: BBC Radio 4 Morning Service
ARC's Secretary General Martin Palmer is the presenter on this Morning Service Programme, recorded in Syria in July.
August 10, 2009: "Beyond Belief"
Theologian Mary Grey, who recently participated in ARC's Faith in Water Conference appears on this BBC Radio 4 programme at 4.30pm British Summer Time.
JULY 2009
July 4, 2009
ARC's Communications Director Victoria Finlay will give a keynote speech at a key meeting of Sikh leaders and thinkers in New Delhi to draw up an EcoSikh Five Year Plan to protect the Natural Environment for the Sikh community worldwide.
July 5-7, 2009: Faith in Water Workshop, Sarum College, Salisbury
The Faith in Water Workshop is organised by ARC and partners IRC (International Water and Sanitation Centre) and EMF (Ecological Management Foundation). The workshop will focus on faith schools, water, sanitation and hygiene with a view to creating a guidebook on ‘Faith in water: Ideas, Inspirations and Stories’.
Link here for more details. We regret this conference event is not open to the public. However there will be a very special meditation in the Lady Chapel of Salisbury Cathedral on Monday June 6 at 6.30 to 7.30pm with prayers from seven traditions about our place in nature and our relationship with water.
July 6-7, 2009: Conference for Muslim 7 Year Plan Declaration, Istanbul
ARC is co-sponsoring a 2-day meeting in Istanbul at which the Muslim 7 Year Action Plan Declaration will be presented to 60-80 Muslim Scholars. It is hoped these key scholars from across the spectrum of the Islamic faith will endorse the plan and declare it to be the Muslim 7 Year Action Plan to respond to climate change. Link
herefor further details.
JUNE 2009
June 17: Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, Washington DC
Presentation by our partners SCORE of the draft EcoSikh Plan at a mini-summit, attended by key Sikhs in the US. Following that session,
the Guidebook and Plan to the EcoSikh Five Year Plan will be finalised in preparation for the July 4 meeting in New Delhi.
June 5, 2009, 1930: Mary Colwell: "Church and the Environment", Corpus Christi Parish Hall, Weston-Super-Mare
Clifton Cathedral parishioner and award-winning natural history TV and radio producer Mary Colwell will be visiting Weston to talk about the Church and the environment. Mary will explore our relationship with nature to reveal how complex it is and how we need to regain a sense of the sacred. If we succeed in re-balancing the way we use and connect with the natural world then the future will be much better than today. This is a time of opportunity and creativity, not doom and gloom. All welcome. Further information from Chris Davies.
Link to Clifton Diocese.
MAY 2009
May 21, 2009: Presentation of the Islamic Seven Year Plan and preparation for the Copenhangen COP 2009
ARC and Earthmates gave a follow-up presentation in London to representatives of Islamic Governments. For details of the draft Islamic 7YP, link
here.
May 12-14, 2009: "An Ignatian Retreat on the Natural World", Emmaus House, Bristol: Led by Mary Colwell & Sister Margaret Harlock
Mary Colwell, ARC's Catholic Programme Advisor, led three days of Ignatian reflection on our response to nature and the environmental issues we face today. Mary will be joined by Sister Margaret Harlock from La Retraite who has experience in retreat work. The event ran from 1030 hours on Tuesday, 12 May until 1600 hours on Thursday, 14 May. For more details please link
here.
May 13, 2009: Faith in Conservation & 7 Year Plan meeting, Beirut
ARC attended a meeting hosted by our sister organisation, AFDC (Association for Forests, Development and Conservation) in Beirut, Lebanon to discuss faith in conservation and 7 Year Plan. For more details link to the
AFDC website.
May 8, 2009 at 1930 hours: Mary Colwell: "Can Christianity Save the Earth?"
Held at Abbeyfields Community Centre, Winchcombe, Cheltenham. Sponsored by Churches Together in Winchcombe and Area, Chair. Revd. Steve Ward. Admission free, with a collection to defray expenses. Please contact the Secretary, Peter Massey on 01242 602903 for more details.
May 5, 2009 at 1100 hours: Mary Colwell on Radio 4:
"The Future of the Amazon".
A natural history programme on why we need to keep the Amazon as intact as possible and why the rainforest is so special. The programme will be repeated again on Wednesday 6th May at 2100 hours.
APRIL 2009
April 27, 2009 at 2115 hours: Martin Palmer: Radio 3's Night Waves
Matthew Sweet discussed Buddhist influences in culture with Martin Palmer and asked whether Western interpretations of the religion are simply Buddhism lite.
For more details, link to Radio 3's Night Waves.
And for details of a Buddhist arts festival organised by the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, link to
"The Many Faces of Buddhism: Arts, Talks, Dance & Film" from 25 April - 17 May in London. (Please note the festival is not an ARC event.)
April 23, 2009: Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies
ARC will attend a meeting for Hindu Studies in Oxford bringing together representatives of the main UK Hindu temples and environmentalists in the British Hindu community. The meeting will initiate a plan of action on the environment for each temple. These plans will be taken to National Hindu bodies in the UK and America.
April 23, 2009: God is Green
There will be a screening of God is Green, a Channel 4 documentary at Tilehurst Methodist Church on 23 April and 30 April at 1930 hours. It will be followed by the Christian Aid DVD "Countdown to Copenhagen - Time to make a difference". The DVDs should last about an hour. Then there will be refreshments and a chance to collect literature from Christian Aid, Christian Ecology Link and Operation Noah. Everyone is welcome. For more details go to:
One World Week. Please note this is not an ARC event.
April 22, 2009: EARTHDAY
How are you going to mark it?
April 17, 2009
ARC will attend the Jewish Social Action Forum's roundtable discussion on current environmental challenges. At the discussion, the Jewish 7 Year Plan for action on Environment - drawn up for ARC by Nigel Savage, Executive Director of Hazon and Rabbi Julian Sinclair, co-founder of the Jewish Climate Initiative, will be presented and discussed.
April 2-6, 2009: Schumacher College Course on "How to Communicate Climate Change: The business challenge".
A course to look at the practice of communication around climate change — what works and what doesn’t and the knotty question of the role and responsibilities of business in reaching the public. Participants will identify the keys to powerful advertising and the means to communicate effectively about low or zero carbon products while teachers and participants will explore ways of communicating creative approaches to sustainability.
This is not an ARC-sponsored event.
28-29 MARCH
ARC is participating in Earth Hour this year, for the second time. And we invite our friends and partners to join us in this, by turning off all lighting and electric appliances in your homes for an hour or more during the weekend of March 28th and 29th - and indeed on any otherdays in the year that you can safely do so. Link
here for ARC's news story about Earth Hour 2009 and here for more details about Earth Hour.
March 2009
Clifton Diocese Environmental Working Group finalise the Faith and Conservation document. This will be available for Schools and Colleges to access from Clifton Diocese's website. More details to follow.
March 8: 1000-1700 hours: An Introduction to Islam and the Environment
With Shaykh Muhammed Afifi Al-Akiti (Oxford), Mawlana Sulaiman Ghani (London), Imam Abdassmad Clarke (Norwich), Ustadh Fazlun Khalid (IFEES) and Sidi Ayman Ahwal (IFEES).
Venue: SOAS, Thornhaugh St, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG
The course gave participants the chance to get involved in Islamic environmental projects around the Muslim world such as:
- Misali Marine conservation & Mangrove Rehabilitation in Zanzibar, Tanzania - Coastal Rehabilitation in Aceh and Reforestation in Sumatra, Indonesia - Sumatran Tiger conservation, Indonesia - Water conservation in Yemen - Canal rehabilitation and Kashmir Valley reforestation, Pakistan - Desert reclaimation, Nigeria - Sundarban conservation, Bangladesh - Greening the Mosque, UK and worldwide .
All these projects require sincere people from all backgrounds and a wide range of skills and professions. Visit www.islamiccourses.com/
. Not an ARC event.
FEBRUARY 2009
February 26: GREEN YOUR MOSQUE with Dr Fuad Ali (IMASE)
16.00 to 18.00 - Garrod Building, The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Turner Street, London, E1 2AD. A workshop exploring the prospects of making your local mosque and the Muslim community more eco-friendly. All welcome. Tel: 07956 983 609 E-mail: mzakariyya@googlemail.com. Not an ARC event.
February 24: SURAH AR-RAHMAN & CLIMATE CHANGE with Dr Mustafa Omar (IMASE)
17.15 - Room V211, School of Oriental & African Studies, Vernon Square Campus, Penton Rise, London, WC1X 9EW.
A brief overview of Surah Ar-Rahman. We shall be reflecting on some of the main themes running through this well known chapter of the Quran and linking them to Climate Change and the environment. Free admission. Tel: 07092 032 763 E-mail: info@imase.org . Not an ARC event.
February 7-14, 2009: Seven Year Plan: Meetings in New York & Washington.
Focussing on ARC's Seven Year Plan, meetings include a "brown bag" lunch with UNDP staff and a dinner to celebrate Tu Bishvat with Hazon and the AJWS-AVODAH Partnership. Link
here for the latest news on ARC's Seven Year Plan.
February 5, 2009: 2115 hours: Martin Palmer participated in a roundtable discussion on Radio 3's Night Waves
Radio 3's "Night Waves" hosted a debate on Salman Rushdie’s "The Satanic Verses", presented by Matthew Sweet. "... the debate examined what the controversy showed about the role of Islam within Britain, about multiculturalism and free speech, as well as the British political reaction, the nature of the book itself and the response to the work across the globe." Link
here for more details.
JANUARY 2009
January 24 - February 1, 2009: Jesuit Meeting World Social Forum: Brazil.
Link
here to read Mary Colwell's thoughts on the future of the Amazon and the Catholic Church
And link
here for details of a BBC interview following Mary's meeting with the Jesuits in Belem.
2008 EVENTS
NOVEMBER 2008
November 24, 2008: Presentation of the Islamic Seven Year Plan and preparation for the Copenhangen COP 2009
ARC and Earthmates gave a presentation in London to representatives of Islamic Governments.
November 22, 2008: "Transport: A Journey to a Fairer Future", Milton Keynes
The Christian Ecology Link Conference organised by the Milton Keynes Christian Environment Group took place from 1100-1630 hours at Church of Christ the Cornerstone. Contact David Miller on 01908 377376 or link
here for more details.
November 19, 2008: "One Earth, Many Faiths" Oxford
A gathering of major faith communities in Oxford to discuss environmental programmes focussing on developing Seven Year Plans. ARC was represented by Martin Palmer and Alison Hilliard.
November 11, 2008: Reclaim Christmas Campaign by Operation Noah, London
The campaign will be officially launched in London on November 11th, which is Remembrance Day in the UK, with a talk on Christianity and Climate Change by the thought-provoking Abbot of Father Christopher Jamison. Link
here for details of the campaign.
Early November 2008: China
ARC attended the second Buddhist forum in November 2008 in the city of Wuxi. ARC introduced the Seven Year Year Plan to Chinese Buddhists.
November 5, 2008: "The Teachings and Philosophies of Confucius and Lao Tse", Milton Keynes.
Taking place at Granby Mosque in Milton Keynes, ARC's Martin Palmer will give a talk at 1930 hours at an Interfaith MK event.Link here to access the Milton Keynes Community Channel website for other events.
October 27-29, 2008: “Dao follows the Natural Path --- China Ecological Daoist Temple Forum”
Held in Maoshan Daoist Temple in Jurong city, Jiangsu, hosted by the Daoist Association of Jiangsu Province, with ARC, EMF, UNDP and WWF International as international supporter. The event is co-organised by Maoshan Daoist Temple and Taibaishan Tiejia Ecological Daoist Temple with the help of ARC. Between 60 and 80 Daoist masters will be coming from major Daoist temples throughout the whole of China to discuss the Seven Year Plan, the teaching of ecology to monks and nuns, the successes and challenges of the Daoist Ecology Temple and other issues.
October 23-24, 2008: “Compassion and Conservation: A workshop in Mongolia joining Buddhist leaders in community conservation.
”
Sixty senior monks attend this conference at the Mongolian Buddhist Center, Gandantegchinlin Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, to discuss:
1. Empowering monks to be conservationists
2. Ecological issues that threaten Mongolian landscapes
3. Buddhist ecological beliefs
4. Resources and opportunities
The conference was arranged by the US-based Tributary Fund and built on ARC's work in 2005 when we held the first Mongolian Buddhism and Ecology conference. ARC's Victoria Finlay will give a presentation on creating a vision for change, through creating Eight Year Plans for Generational Change.
October 19, 2008: "One World Week", Westbury-on-Trim Catholic Church
Mary Colwell, ARC's Catholic Programme Adviser will be a speaker at the evening event.
October 4-12, 2008: "IUCN World Conservation Congress"
"More than 8,000 of the world’s leading decision makers in sustainable development... The objective: ideas, action and solutions for a diverse and sustainable world." ARC is sponsoring a workshop on religions and the environment to talk about the Seven Year Plan on October 7, in the evening. Martin Palmer gave a presentation, and the IUCN officially recognised sacred sites for the first time. Link here for information.
October 4, 2008: End of Sound of Many Waters
Clifton Cathedral marked the end of Sound of Many Waters with a mass and celebration, at the end of which Martin Palmer gave a presentation about the increasing importance of the Catholic role in conservation.
September 1 - October 4, 2008: Creation Time
An opportunity for Christians to focus on the environment during worship. Churches are encouraged to do something special about Care of the Environment during this period, which has only been celebrated since 2007, when the Third European Ecumenical Assembly recommended that the period from from 1 September to 4 October be dedicated to prayer for the protection of Creation. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland have an exellent compilation of free resources. See also CEL's pages on Creationtime and Harvest
September 28, 2008: An afternoon with Bishop Chris Toohey at Emmaus House Retreat Centre, Bristol
From 1400-1600 hours, Bishop Chris Toohey from Australia will hold an informal question and answer session about faith and climate change, particularly drawing on his experience as Chair of Catholic Earthcare.
Organised by Mary Colwell, who said: “We are all being challenged with the knowledge that the climate is changing because of our use of fossil fuels. So what does faith say to us about our responsibilities and our relationship to the natural world? What is happening in Australia, which has experienced 10 years of unprecedented drought? How does Bishop Chris view his role in this changing world?”This will be a thought provoking, entertaining afternoon in the beautiful gardens of Emmaus House.” Contact Angela Groves or Fiona McDonald on 0117 907 9950 for more information.
September 30, 2008: Liverpool Catholic Cathedral
Bishop Declan Lang and Mary Colwell, Catholic Programme Advisor for ARC, will give a joint presentation.September 20-21, 2008: "Sacred Bristol"
On 20 September Martin Palmer led a walk around the sacred geography of Bristol, showing how the city grew up around its population's notion of what it was to be a Christian. Sunday, 21 September focused on sacred Bristol's plans for the future. Link here for details about St Stephen's Church, Bristol
September 20, 2008, 1000-1600 hours: "Facing the Challenge - Faith and the Environment", Hallam Diocesan Justice and Peace Day 2008
Mary Colwell, ARC's Catholic Programme Advisor, was the keynote speaker at All Saints School Granville Road, Sheffield S2 2RJ. Registration from 9.30am. For more information ring 0114 2343580.
September 12-13, 2008: London's Thames Festival
ARC and our sister organisation IFEES
were involved in this year's popular Thames Festival, on the magically decorated (and sustainably built) Green Man Stage in Potter's Field. The programme aimed to raise deep environmental and social awareness through world music, inspirational speakers and artistic performances. The theme this year was "Cultural Diversity, and its importance for Humanity and the Earth."
On September 12, 2008 at 1730 hours, Fazlun Khalid, a leading voice on Islam and the Environment spoke at the Festival.
And on September 13, 2008 at 1530 hours, Martin Palmer, Secretary General, Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC)gave a talk.
Ranchor Prime represented ARC at a conference sponsored by the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights held in association with One World in Dialogue. The conference focussed on concerns about sacred sites in a major meeting in which over fifty religious leaders from countries including Armenia, Turkey and the Holy Land attended. Link here for more details about the conference.
July 26-27, 2008, a weekend of Islam and Environment at the Muslim World League, 46 Goodge Street, London W1P 1FJ
“Muslims comprise at least one fifth of the human
community and they can contribute much to the thinking that is vital to re-evaluate the future direction of the human community and save its home
for itself."
*** July 26, 2008: Fazlun Khalid, director of IFEES, presented a workshop on the Qur’an, Creation and Conservation .
*** July 27, 2008: screening of "Greener Medina" campaign in Birmingham as part of a meeting with most UK Islamic Environmental groups to discuss activities and strategies. Tel: 079092032136 or e-mail: info@ifees.org.uk
www.ifees.org.uk
July 21-25 2008, Schumacher College, Dartington, Devon:
Course on the emerging alliance of religion and ecology for sustainable well-being. Link here for more details of this and other courses at Schumacher. This is not an ARC event.
July 20, 2008, 2pm to 5pm: "Many Heavens, One Earth"
Mary Colwell, Catholic Programme Advisor, ARC, organised a multi-faith walk across Clifton Suspension Bridge with a Jewish Rabbi, a Christian Bishop and a Muslim Imam. A shared dialogue on faith and the environment in Islam, Christianity and Judaism was followed with light refreshments at Emmaus House gardens.
July 13, 2008: BBC Songs of Praise: Canterbury Pilgrimage
Link here to download the latest BBC Songs of Praise Programme featuring Martin Palmer.
June 30, 2008: Religious G8 Summit, Japan
For the past three years the G8 Summit has been preceded by an event for Religious Leaders, to discuss the ethical and spiritual dimensions of the subjects to be discussed by the political leaders. This year the environment and climate change was one of the key issues. ARC had an observer present. Link here for our report.
June 20, 2008: "Living Stones", St Mary's Church, Bitton, Gloucester UK
The launch of the Restoration Appeal for St Mary's Church included a presentation about the ancient stones by Martin Palmer.
June 10, 2008: "The Big Hope", Liverpool
Keynote address on Faith & the Environment from ARC.
"The Big Hope" was a congress of listening, learning, discussion and sharing,
action, performance, service, prayer with young people
from many cultures, countries and every continent. It included a major workshop with local and international perspectives on the question of how the narratives and practices of faith bring particular insight into our relationship with the environment.
Link here for more details.
June 5, 2008: "Saints and Sustainability", Bristol, UK
Martin Palmer gave an interesting and engaging talk at Bristol’s Clifton Cathedral on Saints and Sustainability as part of the Sound of Many Waters year of Catholic eco-action. It marked the UN’s World Environment Day.
for Sound of Many Waters. Link here for details of the talk itself - and here to download the poster (2.7MB).
June 3-4, 2008: All Africa Council of Churches, Nairobi, Kenya
ARC's Alison Hilliard attended the AACC Southern and Eastern African consultation on climate change and water, and gave a presentation on climate change and the role of churches in the conservation of the natural world. ARC also finalised and announced the development of a new eco-twinning programme. Link
here for the keynote address on Climate Change and Water Convention by the AACC President.
May 16, 2008: BBC World Service: "Heart and Soul", 0930 hours
A BBC World Service programme featuring ARC's initiative on Faiths and Forestry was rebroadcast May 16th, and was available online until May 22nd. It featured the ARC-Shinto-Lutheran programme to develop a Religious Standard of Forest Management to be launched in Japan in 2013, with extensive footage recorded by ARC at the conference on Faiths and Forests in Visby in August 2007 - including interviews with Lutheran forester Goeran Allerd about the Swedish church's decision to protect the meadowlands of Visby in perpetuity. It was first broadcast in November last year.
May 9, 0900 hours: LBC
Contribution to a programme on the Church of England's participation in the debate on London Heathrow's proposed 3rd runway.
April 28, 2008: NPR
America's National Public Radio (NPR) today broadcast a major feature on ARC's work in its acclaimed series on climate change. The feature includes a series of short interviews with ARC's secretary general Martin Palmer, talking about the religions' major role in combatting climate change and the natural environment as well as a little about his own journey - and a tour to see the astonishing ancient yew tree of Ashbrittle churchyard in Somerset: a tree which has already seen, and adapted to, many times of climate change during the 3000 or more years since it was a seedling. Link here for the NPR story and to listen to the broadcast.
April 29, 2008: BATH ABBEY DEBATE
Martin Palmer was one of five speakers on the panel for a debate on Climate Change, in Bath Abbey tonight (Tuesday, 29th April) with the title: 'CLIMATE CHANGE: What is happening? What can we do? Can Bath become an eco city?'
The evening was been organised by Churches Together in Bath to give people of the city a chance to hear authoritative views on this, the most urgent issue of our lifetime. The other speakers were Professor Anil Markandya of Bath University; Andrew Pendleton, Climate Change Adviser, Christian Aid; and Sarah Pugh, working with Transition Bristol. The chair is Rev Roger Nunn, Executive Secretary of Churches Together in Bath.
ARC at a glance ARC is a secular body that helps the major religions of the world to develop their own environmental programmes, based on their own core teachings, beliefs and practices.
How ARC was formed From its beginnings in Assisi in 1986, and later as a separate charity in 1995, how ARC grew into a worldwide network
June 27, 2019: ARC has closed after 23 years ARC has closed after 23 exciting years brokering links between the world's major faiths and organisations working on environment programmes. We have made this decision for the best of reasons: we have done what we set out to do. THIS WEBSITE IS NOW ARCHIVED.
