religion

Wait, wasn’t there supposed to be a rabbi in there somewhere?

Tonight was the Time 100 Gala, where Time Magazine celebrates 100 of the most influential people in the world today. This year, three religious leaders are included.

Earth Day fell during Passover this year causing Jews to reflect on how an important tradition offers some wisdom about environmental challenges.

Speakers discuss national green infrastructure initiatives, local environmental programs underway in Alexandria, Va., including smart growth and transportation alternatives, as well as the growing involvement of religious organizations and members in the issues of environment and climate change.

Some churches will be a little more green this Sunday, and not just because it falls on the eve of St. Patty’s Day.

Thanks to Dean A. Current, who has spent years developing methods for sustainable palm harvesting, churches now have a green option for buying palms.

The Boston Globe published an article today about Nina M. Scott, a retired University of Massachusetts Amherst professor of Spanish Literature.  Instead of chocolate, Scott has chosen to give up carbon this Lent.  She is doing a few extra things to reduce her carbon footprint, such as hanging her clothes up instead of using a drier and carpooling to use less fuel.

Many Christians sacrifice a personal pleasure such as chocolate, liquor, or cigarettes to mark Lent, the period of penance and prayer before Easter.

This year, Nina Scott is giving up carbon.

These actions will do little to slow global warming – at most, Scott will probably reduce her “carbon footprint” by 1 or 2 percent during Lent – but she says it’s important to do nonetheless.

Known as the “Green Patriarch,” Bartholomew I, the leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians, celebrates his 17th birthday this Leap Day. At age 68, his health has been slowly declining for decades. This has led supporters of his environmental achievements to begin speculating about whether his successor will continue his green legacy.

More and more people each day are joining the sustainable table. I am not referring to the wonderful website about healthy and ethical food choices, but heck it’s worth a mention anyway. By “the sustainable table,” I mean the conversation about how to bring the vision of a greener world into reality.

“We cannot ignore deforestation by loggers who violate the country’s laws and … threaten tribal Indians and others who depend on (the Amazon),” he said.

I received an environmental petition in the mail the other day. I assumed it was from one of the environmental organizations, such as Union of Concerned Scientists, which regularly sends me petitions.

Roger Gottlieb,Professor of Philosophy, Worcester PolytechnicInstituteGottlieb, dubbed "a true spiritual guide for our day" by theologian John Cobb, is the author of A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and our Planet's Future,Joining Hands: Politics and Religion Together for Social Change and The Oxford Handbook on Religion and Ecology.

Gore's acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize and a recent press conference interview were both enlightening of his views: "We face a true planetary emergency.