ARC and EMF to attend major conference on faith and the environment in China

	Professor Tu Weiming from the International Confucian Environmental Alliance giving a gift of works by Confucius to Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in Trondheim, Norway.

When Martin Palmer from ARC addresses the Song Shan Forum on Chinese and World Civilisation on September 8, 2013, it will mark yet another step forward in what has been a remarkable year for the growing partnership between ARC, Chinese faith groups and the Chinese authorities. In May an ARC delegation visited the West China city of Louguan, revered by Daoists, and now being developed as a model 'sustainable city', while in July 2013, the Confucian tradition issued their first ever statement on the environment at ARC's international meeting in Trondheim, Norway.

Entitled 'Green Pilgrimage as a Model for Faith Based Action' Martin's presentation will show how lessons learned through the development of the Green Pilgrimage Network can be used as a template for productive partnership between faith groups and public authorities to achieve real gain for the environment.

The Song Shan Forum is a highly significant national conference that takes place in Henan Province among the Five Great Mountains of the Daoist tradition. Mount Song (Song Shan) itself is famed for Daoist and Buddhist temples, including the Shaolin Si famously associated with the martial art of Kung Fu.

	A fine crop of locally grown organic fruit and vegetables reflecting the greening of Louguan, a revered Daoist site in China.

On September 9, following their involvement in the conference, Dr Stikker and Martin Palmer will attend the first meeting of the International Confucian Ecological Alliance where they will assist the Confucians in drawing up their 8-year Plan for Protection of the Living Planet. Dr Stikker will present 'Reconnecting the Economic, Ecological, Social and Cultural Pillars of Chinese Society' which lays out a perspective on how the Confucian tradition can contribute to restoring ecological balance in China.