| Spirit in Nature (SpIN) Interfaith
Path Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization that
brings together people of diverse religious traditions
to promote reverence and care for the earth. Through
education, dialogue, and spiritual reflection in
nature, SpIN seeks to awaken people to environmental
problems, promote environmental action that is
spiritually or religiously rooted, and provide
a replicable model for engaging diverse religious
traditions in caring for the earth. Seeking to
create an opportunity for people of diverse traditions
to meet, meditate, walk and worship in a setting
that is conducive to spiritual reflection on nature,
SpIN established a network of eleven “faith
paths” in the foothills of the Green Mountains,
near Ripton, Vermont. Nine of the paths represent
different religions (Bahai, Buddhist, Christian,
Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, Quaker, and Unitarian
Universalist), while the other two, including the
children’s path, are inter-religious. The
paths meet at a sacred circle, highlighting the
interconnections between different religious traditions
and between humans and the environment. SpIN encourages
reflective walking along the paths, which are marked
with “nature notes” indicating special
points of interest in the natural surroundings.
The paths have benches and quotes from each religious
tradition about connecting with the Earth. Located
on seventy acres of land, the Vermont path center
now has six to eight miles of paths with more than
6,000 feet of
river and brook frontage. In addition to maintaining
the paths, SpIN sponsors public events geared toward
stimulating dialogue and action on behalf of the
Earth, such as its Bread and Soup Speaker Series,
Earth Day Fair, discussion groups, guided walks,
and experiential activities at the path center.
Each year SpIN publicly recognizes a person who
has contributed to the connection of religion and
ecology with its annual Eco-Spirit Award. “Spreading
the Seeds” workshops are available for people
interested in starting SpIN path centers at other
locations, and the quarterly Spirit in Nature newsletter
keeps readers informed about events, activities,
and political issues related to religion and the
environment. The Spirit in Nature Handbook, which
contains information about SpIN and the Vermont
path center, is available in print and on-line.
At present, SpIN has over 270 members nationwide,
about one third of whom are not affiliated with
any particular religious organization. New SpIN
groups are forming in Boston and western Massachusetts;
Norwich, Vermont; and Saratoga Springs, New York. |
| Inter-religious: Indigenous Tradition |
United States of America
(Northeast) |
| 1998–Present |
| Spirit in Nature was founded in the
beginning of 1998 by a religiously-diverse group
of local environmentalists and naturalists in Vermont,
who came up with the idea of forming both a community-based,
inter-religious, environmental group and an inter-religious,
environmental “path center” in the
Green Mountains. SpIN leases its seventy acres
of land from Middlebury College, and attained its
501(c)3
status in 1999. SpIN honored Bill McKibbon, John
Elder, and Stephanie Kaza with Eco-Spirit Awards
in 2001, 2002, and 2003 respectively. There are
thirteen members on the Board of Trustrees, representing
six different religious traditions. Five of the
Trustees are Middlebury College students. In 2002,
the Board
of Trustees joined with the Middlebury Area Clergy
to endorse the Global Warming Action Coalition’s
program to reduce fossil fuel consumption locally
by ten percent within five years. In October, 2002,
Skidmore College opened a Spirit in Nature Sanctuary
on its campus in Saratoga Springs, New York. At
present, a path center is being developed in East
Hampton, Massachusetts. SpIN is also affiliated
with other nature centers in Ipswich and Plainville,
Massachusetts, and
Norwich, Vermont. Spirit in Nature intends to expand
the activities at the Ripton, Vermotn path center
with the aim of creating a “total creation
and earth connecting learning center” and
to facilitate the establishment and expansion of
other
SpIN path centers as well. |
| “A place of interconnecting
paths where people of diverse spiritual traditions
may walk, worship, meet, meditate, and promote
education and action toward better stewardship
of this sacred earth.” |
Crystal Spring Center for Earth Literacy
Fieldstone Foundation
In the Alley Bookstore
Jefferson Legacy Foundation
Mailboxes Etc.
Middlebury
Area Clergy
Middlebury College
Moser Foundation
New England Grassroots Environment Fund
New Road
Map Foundation
Cuvilly Arts and Earth Center
Skidmore College
St. Stephen’s Church
Vermont Community Foundation |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
Spirit
in Nature
Reverend Paul Bortz
P.O. Box 253
464 E. Main Street
East Middlebury, VT 05740
Ph: 802.388.7244
Email: questions@spiritinnature.com |
