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AUGUST 2019 NEWSLETTER
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
~ Rumi
(The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks,
Castle Books, 1997, p. 36)
We hope this newsletter supports your own work for the flourishing of the Earth community in these challenging times.
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Journey of the Universe Podcast:
Breakthrough Communities with Carl Anthony
This month one of the new Journey of the Universe podcasts features a conversation on Breakthrough Communities with Carl Anthony, an African American leader and author who shows how the universe story expanded his own understanding of race and environmental justice. With a focus on urban areas, Anthony explains the practical implications of a functional cosmology for sustainable community development. This podcast and his book, The Earth, the City, and the Hidden Narrative of Race, speak eloquently to the issues of racism we are struggling with today. Listen to the podcast here. You can watch the video of this conversation here. Learn more by visiting the Journey of the Universe website. You can sign up for the Journey newsletter here.
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“Thomas Berry and ‘The Great Work’”
(Conference at Georgetown University)
On October 30-31, Georgetown University in Washington D.C. will host “Thomas Berry and ‘The Great Work.’” This special conference will explore the life and legacy of ecologist and theologian Thomas Berry and will celebrate the publication of Thomas Berry: A Biography (Columbia University Press) by Mary Evelyn Tucker, John Grim, and Andrew Angyal. The conference will include presentations on Berry’s intellectual journey, “The New Story,” the “Journey of the Universe,” Laudato Si and the “Dream of the Earth,” and the challenge of “The Great Work.” Speakers include Mary Evelyn Tucker, John Grim, Dan Sheridan, Steve Dunn, C.P., Brian Brown, John Borell, Kusumita Pedersen, Kathleen Duffy, S.S.J., Catherine Amy Kropp, Dan Scheid, Nancy Wright, John Robert McNeill, Kathleen Deignan, Leo Lefebure, Heather Eaton, and Brian Thomas Swimme. This event is free and open to the public. RSVP is required. View the flyer and visit the event website.
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Millions Gear Up for Global Climate Strikes in September
Millions will take part in global climate strikes on September 20th and 27th, and the “Week for Future” in between. Organizers say that it is on course to be the largest global mobilization against climate breakdown, with over 6000 people in 150 countries pledging to organize events to date. The weeklong movement will surround the UN Climate Summit being held on September 23 in New York, which aims to meet the climate challenge by accelerating actions to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Read the press release and watch the video recorded by Greta Thurnberg, Bill McKibben, and others calling on people to join the climate strikes. You can find information about how to organize a climate strike here.
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Radio Program: “Is Divestment Key To Our Climate Future?”
On August 1, Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR) ran a program about divestment of fossil fuels entitled “Is Divestment Key To Our Climate Future?” The show discussed how Yale University has a $29 billion endowment that invests in many things, including fossil fuel companies. This doesn’t sit well with some Yale students and faculty who are concerned about climate change. They’ve called on the school to divest that money from oil, coal, and gas companies. Their protests have led to five dozen arrests in recent months. Meanwhile, similar movements have been taking place at schools across the country. The guests included Mary Evelyn Tucker, Adriana Colón-Adorno, Harry Saunders, and Umair Irfan. Listen to the program here.
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“World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency”
Bioscience Magazine recently published “World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency” Written by William J. Ripple, Christopher Wolf, and Thomas M. Newsome, this article calls on scientists from around the world to sign the statement. The abstract reads as follows: “Scientists have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any great existential threat and ‘tell it like it is’. Based on this obligation and the data presented in this article, we proclaim, with scientist signatories from around the world, a clear and unequivocal declaration that a climate emergency exists on planet Earth.” Read the full article and view the signatories here.
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