SUSTAINABILITY and SPIRITUALITY

(This text introduces a public forum that will be offered as part of UBC's Research Week (theme = Sustainability), 7-9pm on Tuesday, 11 March, 2003 at UBC's Robson Square Campus)

The sustainability project is a vast undertaking that exceeds human comprehension. When considering central challenges such as wealth inequity, loss of ecosystem functioning, and the extinction of cultures and languages, more fundamental questions of justice, compassion and ethics emerge. For many, these inquiries stir us towards still deeper questions: What does it mean to be human? What propels the seemingly insatiable material consumption of industrialized society? How can each of us reconcile spiritual hunger and material wants? Is the sustainability crisis an invitation to enlarge our spiritual experience and accomplish ecological and social justice in our time? In this workshop, we assemble individuals with different perspectives, to more deeply contemplate the nexus of humanity, nature and spirit, in service to the sustainability project.

BIOGRAPHIES

Dr. Kurt Grimm is an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Ocean sciences, where he is exploring the material and mysterious interfaces of Earth system science, complexity theory, and deep ecology. Sohalia Javed is a graduate student in the Faculty of Education, with many rich experiences as a teacher of English Literature in her native home of Pakistan; her interests include sacred poetry and prayer-inspired transformational learning and living experiences. Dr. Richard Vedan, an associate professor in UBC's School of Social Work and Family Studies, is the Director of the First Nations House of Learning; his activities integrate traditional holistic views and practices in addressing issues of social justice for aboriginal peoples. Maureen Wild is a member of the Sisters of Charity and is an impassioned educator at the interface of environmental education, agroecology, and mystical science of The Universe Story.