News archive

July 22 2008:
Hua Shan to be managed as a DAOIST mountain for the first time in 70 years
In a major about-turn in management policy, all the decision-making bodies on the Chinese Daoist mountain of Hua Shan have decided to build their management programme around the fact that this is a Daoist Sacred Mountain.   

18 July 2008 :
What the media have said about ARC
Features about ARC and its work.   

July 11 2008:
UN/ARC Seven Year Plan for Generational Change
After a year of discussions, consultations and drafts, ARC is proud to announce the launch, with the UNDP, of the Guide to Creating Seven Year Plans. The purpose is to help faith communities to move into a new stage of environmental action, reflection and thought. Many have already done audits and have looked into traditional practices for eco-friendly ways of living. This is the next level of engagement.  

10 July 2008:
Eco-twinning offers a chance for action and understanding
Eco-twinning is a new UN-ARC initiative offering the chance to combat climate change and help (and learn more about) those affected by linking churches globally.   

July 6, 2008:
Churches Together produce new resource pack for Creation Time
The ecumenical organisation Churches Together in Britain and Ireland has put together a programme of resources for use in 'Creation Time', running for five weeks from September 1 to October 4.  

1 July 2008:
Religious leaders remind G8 summit that the eco crisis is a crisis of the heart
The real environmental issue for our generation is the issue of the heart and mind. This was the conclusion of a major meeting of some 150 religious leaders, foreign delegates and scholars in Japan prior to the G8 Leaders Summit.  

27 June 2008:
New eco-faith initiative launched
Interfaith Dorset Education and Action (IDEA) hopes to encourage deeper understanding of caring for our world.  

24 June 2008 :
Catholic Schools Eco Newsletter No.4
How one school celebrated earthday with a full timetable "crash" with every lesson dedicated to the earth, including prayer flags, natural dyes, stream cleanup, willow art. The pupils wanted it to be "Earth Day Every Day."  

23 June 2008:
A New Home and Buddhist Blessing for a Rare Hairy Nosed Otter
Conservation International is involved in a Buddhist Blessing celebrating a new home for rare otter in Cambodia.  

June 19 2008:
Buddhists commit to the environment on UN Vesak Day
A meeting in Hanoi of 600 Buddhist leaders from 90 countries last month emphasised the importance of caring for the natural environment in a major new declaration about Buddhist's role in building a “just, democratic, and civil society”.  

13 June 2008, :
Keynote Address by Rt. Rev. Dr. Nyansako-Ni Nku, AACC President, on Climate Change and Water Consultation
The All Africa Conference of Churches President highlights the effect climate change has on humans through the agricultural sector, health, migration and employment, calling for responsible global leadership to respond.   

June 11 2008:
Cambodian monks make eco-Buddhism video available to all
ARC's sister organisation ABE in Cambodia has just issued its promotional film on Youtube. Not only is it a good way to see some of the wonderful projects Cambodian Buddhists have been involved with, but it also embodies ABE's mission to use new technology to preserve old ways of caring for nature.   

10 June, 2008:
What others have said about religion, the natural environment - and ARC
Comments about ARC's work with faith groups with the vision of caring and protecting our world.   

June 9, 2008:
CSI Synod urges two-yearly green audits - and more ecological awareness
A major ecological meeting of the Church of South India (CSI) in Chennai issued a long term directive to Christians and government officers throughout the country to work harder to preserve the natural environment.  

May 20 2008:
For the first time, a practical Muslim Theology of the Sea
The first Theology of the Sea for Muslims has now been published. Initially compiled to promote conservation among Muslim fishing families in Tanzania threatening the fragile coral environment through their dynamite fishing, most of the theology and teachings are appropriate and useful for any marine conservation programme in Islamic areas.The authors - from IFEES - have waived their copyrights, and this material is available for all.   

May 19 2008:
Revisiting Khalsa wood: a Sikh woodland and a model faith and environment project
In 1999 British Sikhs planted a special woodland on the outskirts of Nottingham to mark the 300th anniversary of Vaiskakhi, the fellowship of baptised Sikhs. Nine years later it is a quiet place, used for walks, picnics, ceremonies and meditation by many communities.  

12 May 2008:
Catholic Schools Eco Newsletter No.3
The third Eco Schools Newsletter contains inspirational articles on spreading an awareness of faith and the environment, and includes a "Meet a Tree" activity.   

9 May 2008:
New eco-Congregation Website Launched
eco-Congregation launches a new website encouraging churches in the UK to protect the environment   

April 29 2008:
ARC on NPR yesterday and in Climate Change debate at Bath Abbey tonight
Link here to listen to yesterday's feature on ARC on National Public Radio (NPR) in the United States.

ARC's secretary general Martin Palmer is also on the panel for a debate at Bath Abbey tonight, titled: 'CLIMATE CHANGE: What is happening? What can we do? Can Bath become an eco city?'   

April 22, 2008 :
The 27th Earth Day includes more religious initiatives than ever
Today, Tuesday 22nd April is the 28th annual "Earth Day" in the US. Although there are many such days in the year – as well as the UN’s June 5, many faiths celebrate their own days of creation - some of the material might be useful for the faiths  

April 14 2008:
Southern Baptists Convention challenged on global warming - by its own youth
A small but powerful group within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in the United States has challenged the denomination's official stance on global warming, stating that: "when we destroy God's creation, it's similar to ripping pages from the Bible." The interest in the story by the world's media indicates that religion and environment is now a mainstream issue.  

April 10 2008:
Catholic Schools Eco Newsletter Number 2
The second Catholic Schools Eco Newsletter includes a Lenten Calendar with eco-friendly tasks, and Assembly suggestions.   

April 10, 2008:
The Church of South India becomes ARC's latest partner
"Our aim is to keep this beautiful world beautiful, and not to turn it into a wasteland:" Bishop Thomas Samuel of Madhya Kerala diocese explains eloquently why it is time to take action   

April 9 2008:
Listen to dawn again: the sound of many waters and many birds
The BBC listened to and broadcast the sounds of dawn in the Bishop of Clifton Cathedral's garden in Bristol, England this week, as part of a Catholic year of paying attention to, and caring for nature. If you missed dawn on Sunday, then listen to it here: it is inspiring.  

March 31, 2008:
Year of Catholic Eco Action continues Sunday with Dawn Chorus in Bishop's Garden
As part of the year-long series of environmental events at Bristol's Catholic Clifton Cathedral the Bishop, Rt Rev Declan Lang, is hosting a dawn chorus on Sunday April 6 - in his back garden. It will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 4.  

March 30, 2008:
First Islamic Conservation Guide launched - to help Muslim fishermen protect their seas
The world's first Islamic conservation guide has been launched in Zanzibar by the UK-based Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences.  

March 28 2008:
Switch off your lights for Earth Hour tomorrow night
A year ago, in Sydney, WWF and other activists invited people to switch off their lights and appliances for one hour. More than two thousand businesses and 2.2 million people did exactly that – to demonstrate their support for global action against climate change. Their effort reduced the city's energy consumption by more than 10.2% during that hour – equivalent, astonishingly, to taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year.  

March 24, 2008:
Mexican Huichol protest road passing through their sacred land
For the past two weeks 700 people in the Sierra Madre Occidental region of Central Mexico have sat patiently night and day in the dusty lay-by of a half-begun highway to protest the scheduled destruction of many kilometres of a sacred and ecologically fragile pilgrimage route.   

March 11 2008:
Polluting the environment: one of 7 “new” mortal sins, Vatican says
The Apostolic Penitentiary says it's wrong to pollute in a new list of mortal sins that also includes genetic modification, human experimentation, social injustice, causing poverty, financial gluttony, and drug abuse.  

10 March 2008:
ARC launches Catholic Schools Eco Newsletter
ARC has launched a newsletter to bring Catholic schools together to talk about what they are doing to help the natural environment. The first newsletter was issued in February.  

26 February 2008:
Catholic Schools Eco Newsletter No.1
"This newsletter has come about because so many of you asked for a way of communicating your experiences, reflections, problems and triumphs as your schools and colleges become more environmentally conscious and active."  

February 5 2008:
Innovative faith and forest programme starts in Lebanon
An ancient proverb states that: “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago…. The second best time is TODAY”. With this in mind, ARC’s long-term partner in Lebanon, is starting an innovative ten-year faith and conservation programme to help plant trees and new ideas about careful management of religious resources.  

January 21, 2008:
Jews celebrate the Birthday of the Trees
This evening Jews around the world celebrate the festival of Tu B'Shvat – the Birthday of the Trees.  

January 2, 2008:
Quiet Garden Trust celebrates 15 years... and 300 gardens
In 1993 a British vicar had an idea that private individuals might make their gardens available to others to enjoy sanctuary and stillness for a short time...  

December 18 2007:
Successful event on religions and climate change at Bali COP
“Even if the end of the world comes today, if you have a seed in your hand, then plant it, before you do anything else.” With this strong environmental statement by the Prophet Muhammad, there began a groundbreaking side event on religions and climate change at the Bali COP conference last week – attended by the President of Indonesia, and advised by ARC.  

December 11 2007:
Thought for the Day: climate change a spiritual issue
"At root, the climate crisis isn't just political, economic or even environmental. It's spiritual." Link here for today's Thought for the Day from BBC Radio 4.   

December 10, 2007:
A sweet world and verdant green: faith quotes for Bali
This week representatives of the world's governments meet in Bali to discuss the post-Kyoto Protocol. To aid them in their deliberations, ARC has put together a booklet of quotations from the four main faiths represented in Indonesia   

December 7 2007:
UN and ARC launch programme with faiths on climate change
The UN has asked ARC to help launch an innovative programme for faiths to tackle climate change. This is the first time the UN has involved the faiths at this scale.  

December 6, 2007:
THEY MUST HAVE FAITH: poem about faiths & forests conference
"They have come here to help their trees,/Who could not attend the meeting./ The forests may provide material for conference tables/ But they never get to sit around them... They must have faith." An incisive poem by Swedish artist Bosse Carlgren about the Faith and Forests meeting in Gotland.  

November 26 2007:
Humane Society in America begins working with faiths
The Humane Society has employed a religions officer as part of its increased commitment to engage with faith communities in animal protection.   

November 23 2007:
Leading Huichol expert John C Lilly dies
ARC is sorry to announce the death last week of the American ethno-cinematographer John C Lilly Jr. - a great supporter of, and authority on, the culture of the Huichol people of Central Mexico.   

November 20 2007:
World's first “green Bible” is published in the USA
This month a “green Bible” was launched in the USA by leading publisher Thomas Nelson.It is the first Bible intended for wide-scale distribution to have been printed on recycled and FSC-certified paper.  

November 21, 2007:
“Eco-Sikh” leads Indian campaign to save the Kali Bein river
A Sikh “eco-baba” has sent an SOS to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a bid to protect holy rivers from pollution by vested interests.  

November 16, 2007:
Bahá’ís in PNG improve their villages' health and education
In a simple but striking example of grass roots development, Baha'i villagers on a remote island have built their own medical aid station. Meanwhile in the south, Baha'i converts are building schools.  

October 29, 2007:
Sierra Club director pledges for first time to work with religions
The head of the influential Sierra Club made a commitment last month to working with religions."I was part of the generation that made the choice – the horrendous strategic blunder – of situating ourselves outside the institutions of faith," said Carl Pope. “Now we have a chance to repent of, and reform from, that error."   

October 26 2007:
The Story of a Box
Last month a wooden box containing a block of stone was passed, with great ceremony, from a representative of the Swedish Lutherans to a Druze Sheikh - via ARC's secretary general and a Shinto priest. Thus continued an extraordinary ecologically-inspired journey.   

October 9 2007:
Christian leaders in PNG protect mountain from quarry plans: save precious streams
PNG Christians are resisting plans to remove part of a mountain to get road building materials. The green Christian movement in PNG stems partly from an ARC/World Bank initiative to help create a PNG theology of the environment.  

October 1, 2007:
PRESS RELEASE for St Brendan's eco challenge
St Brendan’s College in Bristol to Launch Year-Long Environmental Campaign for Schools in the southwest. Other UK Schools are challenged to join in  

October 1, 2007:
Year of Catholic Eco-Action launched in the UK
A year-long exploration by UK Catholics of our need to care for our environment was launched on Saturday evening (29 September) in Clifton Cathedral, Bristol.   

September 28 2007:
Catholic
Bishop Chris Toohey, world leader in Catholic environmental action on the environment, will launch The Sound of Many Waters year of action at Clifton Cathedral in Bristol tomorrow, Saturday.   

September 24, 2007:
Ancient Yews celebrated in new book
Three ancient yews in a Northumberland churchyard, one of which is said to have protected St Cuthbert when he preached underneath it in the seventh century, have inspired a new book of writing and poetry written by the visually impaired.   

September 21 2007:
Bishops go to Parliament to urge care for the Earth
“People in so-called ‘developed’ countries have missed the plot on the long-term future,” Bishop Chris Toohey of Catholic Earthcare Australia told more than 50 representatives of Christian organisations and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference. His UK visit culminates in the launch of the Sound of Many Waters year of Catholic action assisted by ARC and starting on 29 September at Clifton Cathedral. All welcome.  

September 18 2007:
Millions of hectares of religious forest managed ecologically by 2013
The inaugural Faiths and Forests meeting in Visby, Sweden culminated late last month in a unanimous agreement to go forward and create a Religious Forestry Standard to be launched at Ise in Japan.  

September 17 2007:
World Water Week recognises religions can make splash
“Don’t underestimate the ability of religions to mobilise and motivate authorities and social assets to get things done,” one participant at the World Water Week event in Stockholm told the gathering.  

September 6 2007:
Druze publish a theology of the forest
For the first time ever, the Druze of Lebanon have announced their theology of the forest. Sheikh Sami Abilmona, the Secretary General of the Druze IFRAN schools in Lebanon, presented a statement on the Druze and the Environment at the Visby Faith and Forestry Gathering, organised by ARC in August 2007.  

September 3 2007:
Church of Sweden Pledges to Protect Ancient Meadows
The Church of Sweden pledged Wednesday to protect its ancient meadows of Gotland, treasure houses of rare flowers and calm green oases among commercial forests. It is part of the Faiths and Forests initiative that ARC is assisting.  

August 21 2007:
Faiths protect Forests: English press release
An unlikely alliance between Shinto priests in Japan and the Lutheran Church of Sweden has led to a meeting next week that will lead to millions of hectares of forests around the world being managed according to ecological principles.  

August 20, 2007:
Cow dung to cooking gas: an Ethiopian nunnery converts
Work has begun on an ARC-funded project to build a bio-digester at Sebata nunnery outside Addis Ababa. The methane produced from waste organic material will fuel all meals for more than 1200 children and nuns.   

August 10 2007:
Cambodian Monks Join Efforts to Preserve the Cardamoms
Deep in the heart of Cambodia’s Central Cardamom Mountains, monks and conservationists are joining together to protect the region’s endangered flora and fauna.   

July 30, 2007:
PNG pastors clear rubbish where others have failed
An initiative by an evangelical Christian group in a remote area of Papua New Guinea has led to a “transformation” of their township through community rubbish collection and is a natural continuation of awareness-raising activities throughout the area, supported by ARC since 2003.  

July 27 2007:
Making Muslim Brum Beautiful
Young Muslims in Birmingham, UK are joining together this summer on a “people action” to make their city greener. The “clean medina campaign” includes rappers, film crews, coffee, music, jingles, and a lot of brushes and dustbin bags.  

July 6 2007:
Buddhist film is audience's choice at Cambodian festival
ARC’s sister group ABE has won audience choice prize in the Cambodia Environment Film Festival. It includes footage of a new tradition of ordaining trees to protect them.   

June 26 2007:
Major stakeholders to attend Visby meeting
Representatives from Lutherans, Russian Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, Catholic, Maronite, Shinto, Druze, Buddhist and other religious-owned forests, as well as WWF, CI, the UN, the World Bank will attend the Visby discussions on faith and forests in August. A list of FAQs about the meeting is now available online.  

June 18 2007:
The sage Lao Zi to be Daoist God of Ecological Protection
The great Daoist sage Lao Zi has been adopted by some of China's most prominent Daoist temples as China's God of Ecological Protection, heralding a new role for Daoists throughout the country.  

June 11 2007:
Photographs of the opening of the Daoist Ecology Temple
At the foot of the great pilgrimage trail of Tai Bai mountain there is a tree, said to be 3,000 years old. The Chinese call it the "armour" tree because its wood is as tough as metal, and the Daoist pilgrims drape it with lucky red banners, for good luck and wise thoughts, before they make their journey...  

May 31 2007:
Archbishop Tutu leads Environment Day prayers at Arctic Cathedral
For some Christians, World Environment Day this year will start two days early – with a special service held on Sunday at the Arctic Cathedral in Tromso, Norway, led by South Africa’s former Archbishop Desmond Tutu. World Environment Day is Tuesday June 5.  

May 31 2007:
Daoist Ecology workshop hugely oversubscribed
The first full-scale workshop at ARC’s new Daoist Ecology Temple at Taibaishan this weekend is four-times oversubscribed.   

May 14 2007:
Whales, turtles and timber: news from Indonesia
It is saving whales in Nusa Tenggara Province, it has protected rare turtles on Bali Island, and it is encouraging the use of sustainable timber in Aceh Province… The “religions approach” is being applied to conservation projects all over Indonesia, and it seems that in many places we are beginning to see successes.  

April 30 2007:
UNESCO recognises relevance of faiths in sustainable development
For the first time, UNESCO recognised the critical role of faiths in both education and development, in a conference held in Barcelona last month, hosted by UNESCO-CAT.  

April 27 2007:
ARC urges action at the International Dao De Jing Forum
More than 500 delegates attended China's first ever major Daoist forum this week - including leading priests and scholars, and the Chinese Minister for Religions. The programme included a strand that explored Daoism's role in nature, and ARC was invited to present one of the key speeches.  

April 21 2007:
ARC's consultants edit new ATLAS OF RELIGION
Did you know that each year around 125 million New Testaments are printed, making them the world's best-selling books? Or that since 1974, over 300 Islamic Banks have been created, handling $250 billion in assets? Or that Christian giving in 2005 was £297 billion? Or that all these facts and more can be found in the new Atlas of Religion?   

April 20 2007:
Untimely death of our colleague, Tony Poulter
All of us at ARC would like to announce our sadness at the sudden death of Tony Poulter, at the age of just 49. He had been one of the guiding forces behind the Eco-Coffins project in South Africa, run by the Working for Water Project. He was one of the first people to make use of an eco-coffin: an irony that he would have appreciated.   

2 April 2007:
Churches begin to go green for Palm Sunday
It is a multi-million dollar business, it is threatening the world’s forests and rare bird populations, it stems from a procession of peace… it is Palm Sunday, and churches around the world - with the support of ARC, CI and other NGOs - are beginning to do something about it.   

February 26, 2007:
Climate Change documentary wins two Oscars
For some in America it might be a most Inconvenient Oscar, but last night former US vice president Al Gore picked up an Academy Award for his shocking documentary on Climate Change, with another award picked up for the film’s original theme song.  

February 12 2007:
God is Green and the Religions are too
Tonight Channel 4 is broadcasting a programme in the UK called "God Is Green”, presented by former Catholic seminarian Mark Dowd, who criticises religions for not doing enough to reduce climate change. While we welcome the debate, we at ARC really believe that religions are greening their act.   

February 9 2007:
CI works with Colombian Catholics to save parrot from extinction
Five years ago, Conservation International and its partners forged a partnership with the Roman Catholic church in Colombia to save the yellow-eared parrot and the tall wax palm from almost guaranteed extinction. Today, the alliance is lauded as one of the most successful biodiversity conservation campaigns in Latin America - and the parrots and wax palms are multiplying  

February 5 2007:
ARC features in UNEP's Tunza Magazine
The United Nations Environment Programme this month featured an article on ARC’s flagship programme with the Daoists in China – rebuilding a ruined temple in Shaanxi Province as both a temple and a centre for environmental education.   

February 1 2007:
The Big Green Jewish Website
A wonderful new environmental resource was launched today in the form of The Big Green Jewish Website, created by the Noah project and the Jewish Board of Deputies with ARC's help. "It's the first environmental website I've seen which starts with a good joke."  

January 15 2007:
Benedictines listen to the Earth
Benedictine sisters of Lake Erie in Pennsylvania have published an eco-handbook for Benedictine communities in Latin America. "More than ever, the earth is calling to us. Are we listening?"  

January 5, 2007:
Powerful vision statement for AMEN
AMEN has now published its mission statement, including a powerfully stated vision of: “African Muslims helping African Muslims helping the earth.”  

December 18 2006:
WWF and ARC publish book highlighting sacred protected areas
WWF and ARC have published the ground-breaking book Beyond Belief exploring how faiths can protect sacred forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, seas and deserts.  

December 13, 2006:
Pope tackles issues of ecology and energy use
The Pope yesterday spoke out about how peace can only be attained by respecting the natural environment as well as the human environment.  

December 14 2006:
Australian Climate Institute asks faiths about climate change
Australia’s Climate Institute has sponsored a powerful document asking 16 faith groups to advise on climate change  

November 16, 2006:
It's time to ask faiths to be partners: major donors say
European governments and international agencies last week asked why faith communities were not automatically considered as civil society partners in development. And they agreed to rethink.   

October 20 2006:
New bid to protect full 400km Mexican pilgrim route
The Huichol Indians have started talks with the Mexican government to protect the length of their 400K pilgrimage route, including forests and wetlands: places where shamans have performed ceremonies for centuries.   

October 19 2006:
The Religion Approach works for Turtles in Indonesia
Leading Balinese environmentalist yesterday received a major international award for his work with local Hindu leaders to protect tens of thousands of rare turtles killed for ceremonies every year. Today Balinese finding turtles on the beach make a ceremony for them, and return them to the sea.  

September 25 2006:
With Deep Sadness
It is with deep sadness that we announce that Jill Bowling, trustee for ARC, head of conservation for WWF-UK and friend to many of us here, died on Saturday, in a helicopter crash in Nepal where all 24 passengers and crew were killed.   

September 22 2006:
Mongolians clean up sacred hillside
Ulan Baatar has its first "clean-up" day with monks and students removing hundreds of plastic bags, bottles and other debris from one of the city's most sacred sites.  

August 22, 2006:
Daoists pledge to protect sacred landscapes
Last month Daoist monks and nuns representing ten major temples in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces declared formally that they would protect the environment around their sacred lands and buildings.  

August 8 2006:
Al Gore tells An Inconvenient Truth
It has been called "the scariest movie of the summer"... The former vice president of the US shares a starring role with the global warming issue in a controversial new eco-documentary. An Inconvenient Truth comes out in September, after a succesful preview at Sundance.  

UPDATED August 9 2006:
AFDC helps refugees in Lebanon
ARC’s partner in Lebanon is marshalling its forest teams and protecting refugees from the Israel-Hizbollah conflict. Meanwhile the environmental devastation becomes clearer. Find out how to help.   

July 25 2006:
Major Religion and Development Conference scheduled for Oslo
The Norwegian government is working with ARC, UNDP and the World Bank to host a conference to help encourage - and maintain - strategic partnerships between faiths, governments and major funders.   

July 22 2006:
Prince Andrew visits Mongolian eco-ger
During his visit to Mongolia last week, Prince Andrew visited a model "eco-ger" in Ulaan Baator - part of ARC's extensive environmental projects with Buddhists in Mongolia, sponsored by the World Bank and the Dutch Government.  

July 1, 2006:
ARC joins Sacred Orchid Project in Mexico
ARC has begun work with Mexican environmental charity Pro Natura, on a project to conserve rare and endangered plant-species, particularly those used in religious ceremonies.   

June 22, 2006:
Daoists announce first ecology workshop on sacred mountain
Daoists will hold their first conservation workshop at the end of July 2006 - on the pilgrimage mountain of Taibaishan in central China.  

June 14 2006:
Faiths and Forests
In terms of forestry protection, the faiths might be said to have the Four P's. Production; purchasing; preservation; persuasion. ARC gives presentation at major forest conference in Portland, Oregon.   

May 11 2006:
BBC works with ARC for special climate change Songs of Praise
As part of the BBC’s groundbreaking “Climate Chaos” season this month, Songs of Praise is broadcasting a special programme on May 28 to explore the Christian contribution to the environment debate. It includes an interview with ARC’s Martin Palmer about how caring for nature is integral to Christian thinking.  

May 8 2006:
Buddhists in China issue two major environment agreements
A groundbreaking Buddhist conference in China has issued two major agreements encouraging Buddhists to take practical steps to improve and protect the environment. Many found ARC's presentation inspiring.   

April 19 2006:
Buddhists run inspirational projects in Cambodia
ARC talks to one of the most inspirational and effective Buddhist organisations in Cambodia.  

March 21, 2006:
Prince Charles visits Sacred Gift project in Egypt
The Prince of Wales began his five-day visit to Egypt yesterday with a visit to the Al-Azhar Park in Cairo, built on the site of a 500-year-old rubbish tips and one of the Sacred Gifts presented at the WWF/ARC Kathmandu meeting in 2000.   

March 17 2006:
Mexican faith leaders back the carbon trading initiative
The Inter-Religious Council of Mexico this month announced that a coalition of religious leaders would work together to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions of their houses of worship and to “offset” its impact by investing in clean energy and forestry projects.   

March 16 2006:
New Mongolian calendars include ancient no-hunting guidelines
A unique calendar has been published in Ulaanbaatar for circulation amongst monasteries, Buddhist schools, herder families and local settlements, detailing those dates that are inauspicious for hunting, cutting trees or eating meat.  

May 4 2005:
An Orthodox Monastery in the Shropshire Hills
Father Silouan speaks of a ruined cottage below the Stiperstones, which has been transformed into a small, peaceful monastery  

March 2, 2006:
World Council of Churches holds Ninth Assembly
Last month the World Council of Churches (WCC) introduced several exciting new events to its General Assembly to underline the increasing concern for ecology being expressed by Christians around the world.   

February 16 2006:
New vision statement and new offices
ARC prepares for the next ten years  

February 14, 2006:
West African Benedictines to adapt Eco Handbook
A decision by the superiors of West African Benedictine monasteries is an exciting example of model projects extending to other communities.   

February 6, 2006:
ARC invites the faiths to conduct their own energy audits
Can you make more efficient use of your place of worship? Have you insulated the roof? Do you switch off the lights? Use long-life bulbs? ARC invites all faiths to fill in a questionnaire and find out how to make their footprints lighter.  

December 21 2005:
Thousands respond to ARC campaign against toxins
Thousands of faith representatives all over Europe sent letters to MEPs last month about their concerns that the REACH legislation – requiring testing of all chemicals – should be passed in the European Parliament. Now the campaign needs even more support.   

November 3, 2005:
Daoists dedicate temple and ecology centre on Taibaishan
Through astrological dances, chanting, processions, invocations and offerings, the three great gods of Taibaishan blessed the site of a Daoist ecology centre on their sacred mountain.  

November 1, 2005:
Churches around Europe gear up to counter toxins
A deeply moving service was held today at St James's Church, Picadilly in London to launch the official ARC liturgy designed for use across Europe in preparation for the REACH legislation debate at the end of this month.   

All invited to 1-11 anti-toxins service in London
ARC and WWF are holding a service at St James' Church Piccadilly at 1pm on November 1. All supporters of both charities, or interested members of the public are invited to attend.  

October 13 2005:
ARC launches liturgy to combat toxins
Churches launch a liturgy in support of REACH anti-toxins legislation, acknowledging the toxic forces let loose in the world and the powers of good that can overcome them.  

Ethiopia, September 30, 2005:
Ethiopian Church Launches Organic Farming Programme
A new organic farming training programme run by the Orthodox Church in central Ethiopia is introducing farmers, clergy and community leaders to alternative and improved methods of caring for the earth  

Nairobi, September 22:
Plans to boost eco-training for clerics in Africa
Meetings with Africa Muslim and Christian groups have led to plans to introduce environmental training to clergy in both faiths.   

September 22 2005:
Vacant Position in ARC - Communications officer wanted
ARC is currently advertising for a consultant to work as communications officer until May 2006.   

September 13, 2005:
ARC offers ideas for the Harvest Festival
Our increase in harvest is often the result of eliminating wildlife, and of subsidising surpluses. ARC offers a liturgy that recognises this but still finds space for celebration.   

1995-2005:
ARC celebrates tenth anniversary with stories
ARC’s key partners tell stories about a decade of projects, and of building relationships.  

July 2 2005:
Northern Buddhists agree 12 major environmental initiatives
The Northern Buddhist Conference on Ecology and Development agrees major initiatives including starting traditions to plant a tree for everyone who dies, founding an organisation to help Russian and Mongolian Buddhist monks protect nature, to offers to fund Chairs of Buddhist Ecology in every Asian Buddhist University.  

Ulan Baator: June 20 2005:
Northern Buddhists launch new ecological network
As the sound of chanting spread across a room full of several hundred Buddhist monks in Ulan Baator this morning, the newly elected President of Mongolia launched a unique event.   

April 19 2005:
3iG launches with 27 founder members and partners
Twenty-seven organizations representing members of seven world religions and an array of banks, philanthropies and SRI organizations, became the founding members of 3iG  

April 14 2005:
BBC Thought for the Day on faith-consistent investment
"By using our power to vote where our money goes we together can make a very different world using powers most of us didn't know we had." Martin Palmer. Today Programme, BBC Radio 4.  

April 11 2005:
Bishop of London urges religions to invest positively
"We have to balance our fiduciary responsibilities with a spiritual imperative to be faith-consistent investors and to learn by being engaged in the debate." Bishop of London at the launch of 3iG.  

April 8, 2005:
International Interfaith Investment Group launches on April 11
PRESS RELEASE: Seven world religions have decided to redefine what makes an investment “good” and to put that into practice.   

February 21, 2005:
Formation of new Africa Muslim Environment Network
An ARC gathering of Muslim leaders in Kenya earlier this month is expected to lead to Islamic micro-financing projects; revival of traditional fishing practices and a new African Muslim Environment Network.  

By Daniel Dickinson, BBC News, Feb 17, 2005 :
Eco-Islam hits Zanzibar fishermen: BBC STORY
The BBC reports on an ARC-assisted project to help stop dynamite-fishing in Zanzibar  

February 3 2005:
Cambodian monks create environmental association
The first official assembly of a new association of Cambodian monks dedicated to environmental conservation will be held in Pnomh Penh in March 2005.   

January 12, 2005:
Website for International Interfaith Investment Group (3iG)
3iG has now opened a website, www.3iGnet.org

January 3, 2005:
ARC advises BBC on religious angle to tsunami disaster
In the wake of the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean this week, ARC has been pleased to be able to help the BBC to contact spiritual leaders from different faiths.  

December 25, 2004:
Queen's Christmas speech features ARC
"The idea that the churches and the AID agencies might talk together a bit more and get together a bit more is a very good idea." HM The Queen. African Christian Leaders Gathering November 2004, quoted in the Queen's Christmas Broadcast.  

Martin Palmer: November 19 2004:
Africa's well-kept secret revealed
The secret is this. That the welfare, education, development and environmental well-being of Africa is largely reliant upon the Churches and Mosques of Africa.   

October 18 2004:
Six new grants for ARC
ARC has secured major new funding from several sources, ensuring not only that it will be able to continue its projects with faiths around the world, but that it can now initiate major new programmes.  

September 1 2004:
African–Christian Leaders' Gathering held in November
The work of the churches in development and ecology projects in Africa is a well-kept secret. Sometimes so well-kept that they don't know the full extent themselves.  

June 24, 2004:
3iG to be launched in April 2005
The International Interfaith Investment Group will bring together world faiths and financial bodies to invest in socially and environmentally responsible investment  

June 19 2004:
Church of Sweden establishes sustainable forests in Mozambique.
An innovative project started by the Church of Sweden, plans to reforest 46,000 hectares in Mozambique – as a profitable and ethical business venture.  

June 16 2004:
Monks and nuns in Southeast Asia pledge to save their forests
A groundbreaking meeting on Buddhism and the Environment in Phnom Penh revealed a firm commitment among Buddhists to manage natural resources in a sustainable way.   

May 5 2004:
Pagodas become eco-campaigners
Monks in Cambodia and neighbouring countries are taking a leading role in protecting the natural environment: and they are combining forces to do so.  

May 10-14 2004:
Cambodian conference schedule
A unique conference, encouraging networks between Southeast Asian Buddhists and international NGOs - to benefit the environment.  

May 5 2004:
Membership drive to save Bagmati River
NGOs and local communities in Nepal will club together to save the sacred Bagmati.  

April 20 2004:
Funding hopes for Cistercian Way
A relic from a 17th century Welsh Saint has become one of the factors in hopes for European funding for a new footpath around sacred Wales.   

March 4 2004:
WWF writes major series of features on ARC
WWF recognises the importance of working with the religions on environmental issues in their latest magazine, distributed to hundreds of thousands of people.  

February 11, 2004:
Looking for Mongolia's lost temples
In a dramatic sign of the recovery of religious identity in Mongolia, a team is seeking to identify the remains of temples that were lost under communist rule.   

January 15, 2004:
Welsh local authorities pledge to create Cistercian Way
After nearly five years of discussions, the longest footpath in Wales is about to become a reality - opening up ancient spiritual sites and monastic pathways to modern pilgrims and walkers.   

January 12 2004:
Return of the Pilgrims to Wales
THE Western Mail reports how ARC is helping the sacred and often secret history of Wales to be celebrated with the mapping of a 650-mile pilgrimage route around the nation.   

December 15 2003:
Reflections for Christmas
As Christians around the world prepare for Christmas, ARC offers some relevant and inspiring readings from other faiths as well.  

November 26, 2003:
Manchester becomes an Eco-Diocese
The Diocese of Manchester has made a landmark decision to become the leading “Environmental Diocese” in Britain.   

November 14, 2003. World Bank, Washington:
ARC and World Bank launch book
"Life without values is no life at all". World Bank President James Wolfensohn launches Faith in Conservation with ARC in a unique partnership.   

November 1, 2003:
Holy Valley Protected
The future of an endangered holy valley was made more secure this week when a Maronite church leader presented a landmark document to HRH the Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace.  

24 October 2003:
Religions Should Teach About Money too: Patriarch urges
The Ecumenical Patriarch urges us all to use all our resources as forces for good... and that includes our money: "After all we are stewards too, of our financial resources".  

17 October 2003:
International Interfaith Investment in Istanbul
Investors from eight religions will meet in Istanbul next week to give new meaning to the term “good investment”.  

September 10 2003:
“Sacred Site” to be recognised term
WWF and ARC have launched a programme for sacred site to be internationally recognised. This will help protect environmentally important sacred places such as mountains, holy rivers and pilgrim routes.   

8 September 2003:
The Prince, the Prime Minister and the Patriarch
HRH Prince Philip has invited Mongolian Prime Minister and President of ARC, Mr Enkhbayar and the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to Buckingham Palace in October to discuss urgent conservation projects.  

25 July 2003:
Papua New Guinea Christians restore forest
The Hogave Conservation and Retreat Centre, situated in an important nature reserve, will train pastors and laypeople in forest management.  

15 July 2003:
Prime Minister of Mongolia to be first International President of ARC
Nambaryn Enkhbayar, prime minister of Mongolia is ARC's first International President. Enkhbayar is a Buddhist who grew up as a communist – and he has drawn upon his faith to rebuild his country.  

13 July 2003:
East Timor Christians join the Conservation cause
The Catholic Church in Dili has launched a pilot project to plant native trees and plants on parish land - concentrating on species that will help the local community. If it works, the initiative will be adopted island-wide.  

13 July 2003:
Laos set to join the Asian Buddhist Network
Buddhists in Laos are to join the Asian Buddhist network. ARC will offer seed funding for conservation projects in monasteries throughout the country.  

24 December 2002:
Indonesia’s religions meet for first time since Bali bombing
Faith is vital to the majority of people in the world – for some of the poorest it may be all they have. At a meeting in Bogor, funded partly by the World Bank and ARC, representatives from Muslim, Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian faiths, as well as NGOs talk about how to heal the problems of the environment.  

25 November 2002:
Religions to challenge the definition of “good” investments
At a unique meeting held in New York, representatives of 22 major international religious funds agree to move towards creating an organisation to mobilise a proportion of the enormous financial resources of some of the major faiths, in a way that is consistent with their core values.