West Michigan Environmental Action
Council (WMEAC) is a non-profit organization dedicated
to environmental education, advocacy, and citizen
empowerment. Among other activities and projects,
WMEAC sponsors working groups on various environmental
issues in western Michigan, including one on Religion,
Ecology, and
Spirituality (RES). The RES Working Group is open to people from any religious
tradition and meets on a monthly basis for discussion and event planning. RES
is currently working toward the following four goals:
- Helping religious communities
in west Michigan see the spiritual dimensions of caring for the earth
- Providing
religious communities with resources that will help them become more
ecologically responsible
- Encouraging religious
communities to model sustainability
- Fostering
global justice by promoting ethical consumer
practices on the local level
Over
the course of its history, the Group has addressed numerous issues, including
land stewardship, sustainable economics, environmental justice, urban sprawl,
climate change, and the role of environmental rituals in religious traditions.
In addition to organizing programs and speakers for local religious groups,
RES celebrates Earth Day by holding environmental
religious services and sponsors
biennial conferences on religion, spirituality, and ecology. The Group
promotes responsible resource use and provides
religious groups with guidelines
for energy conservation. RES also provides educational
materials, such as books, cassettes,
and videos, through its lending library. |
| Inter-religious: Islam |
United States of America
(Michigan) |
| 1997–Present |
| The Religion, Ecology, and Spirituality
Working Group grew out of a series of WMEAC discussions
in 1997 about the relationship between religion
and ecology. The goal in forming RES was to gather
a religiously diverse group of people to work together
toward mobilizing religious communities around
environmental issues. In 1998, RES and the United
Methodist Church organized a “Stewards of
Creation” conference with Bishop Gale White
as the keynote speaker. Calvin DeWitt was the plenary
speaker for the next RES conference, “Jubilee
for the Land,” in 2000. That same year,
RES opposed the construction of a new highway bypass
through farm and forest land by organizing a “Bypass
Pilgrimage” along the route. In 2001, RES
held a “Song, Silence, and Celebration” service
on Earth Day. The third biennial conference, “Spirituality
and the Environment”, was held in 2002 and
featured speaker John Grim. The Earth Day service
that year was titled, “Return to the Garden” and
focused on agricultural issues. In 2003, the interreligious
Earth Day service focused on the theme of “Blessing
Waters” and included readings, songs, and
chants from numerous religious and spiritual traditions. |
| “We affirm that all faith communities
are compelled by their traditions and sacred texts
to be actively involved in the care and nurturing
of the Earth. We aspire to engage and unite faith
communities and environmental groups in promoting
the sustainability of our resources. We provide
support for people of faith to integrate their
spiritual life with their ecological values.” |
Better Understanding of Urban Sprawl
Diocese
of Grand Rapids
Faith in Motion
Grand Rapids
Area Center for Ecumenism
Grand Rapids
Dominicans
Interfaith Dialogue Association
Lakeshore
Interfaith Institute
Michigan Interfaith Coalition
for Creation
The
Sierra Club |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
WMEAC
Religion, Ecology, and Spirituality Working Group
1514 Wealthy SE
Suite 280
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
Ph: 616.451.3051
Fax: 616.451.3054
Email: info@wmeac.org |
