Comments on: A Baha’i at Windsor Castle faiths and environment summit http://www.leithjb.net/blog/2009/11/08/a-bahai-at-windsor-castle-faiths-and-environment-summit/ Personal diary of John Barnabas (aka Barney) Leith Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:25:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Barney http://www.leithjb.net/blog/2009/11/08/a-bahai-at-windsor-castle-faiths-and-environment-summit/comment-page-1/#comment-27025 Barney Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:35:51 +0000 http://www.leithjb.net/blog/?p=1901#comment-27025 Thank you all for your very kind comments. It was such a wonderful thing to see the faith communities, secular environmental NGOs and the UN all working together to make these pledges. Great work by ARC to pull it all together. Faith communities are big players: more than 50% of education in the world is provided by faith communities. Faith communities are the third largest operators in the markets for goods and services. They have real clout! Now the challenge is to deliver. Thank you all for your very kind comments. It was such a wonderful thing to see the faith communities, secular environmental NGOs and the UN all working together to make these pledges. Great work by ARC to pull it all together.

Faith communities are big players: more than 50% of education in the world is provided by faith communities. Faith communities are the third largest operators in the markets for goods and services. They have real clout!

Now the challenge is to deliver.

]]> By: Lev Rickards http://www.leithjb.net/blog/2009/11/08/a-bahai-at-windsor-castle-faiths-and-environment-summit/comment-page-1/#comment-27022 Lev Rickards Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:21:43 +0000 http://www.leithjb.net/blog/?p=1901#comment-27022 Great job, Barney. The BWNS was surely enlivened by your contributions, and the ARC-UNDP publication is beautiful: http://www.windsor2009.org/Windsorcommitmentslayoutfinal.pdf.pdf The Training Institute is bringing a new creation into existence. Men and women who can more clearly reflect on both their individual development and their contribution to society's development. As we begin to perceive the organic unity between individual utility and the common good, we may see the emergence of new types of discourse on environmental problems. A commenter on the New York Times' dot.earth blog (which also covered the ARC-UNDP summit) said that our environmental problems fundamentally come down to a problem of selfishness. If so, then the Training Institute is uniquely able to address the roots of the environmental crisis. Great job, Barney. The BWNS was surely enlivened by your contributions, and the ARC-UNDP publication is beautiful: http://www.windsor2009.org/Windsorcommitmentslayoutfinal.pdf.pdf

The Training Institute is bringing a new creation into existence. Men and women who can more clearly reflect on both their individual development and their contribution to society’s development. As we begin to perceive the organic unity between individual utility and the common good, we may see the emergence of new types of discourse on environmental problems.

A commenter on the New York Times’ dot.earth blog (which also covered the ARC-UNDP summit) said that our environmental problems fundamentally come down to a problem of selfishness. If so, then the Training Institute is uniquely able to address the roots of the environmental crisis.

]]> By: Tess http://www.leithjb.net/blog/2009/11/08/a-bahai-at-windsor-castle-faiths-and-environment-summit/comment-page-1/#comment-27020 Tess Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:48:17 +0000 http://www.leithjb.net/blog/?p=1901#comment-27020 This piece about the environment is very hopeful. Thank you. (And I think you'd be a really good journalist!) This piece about the environment is very hopeful. Thank you. (And I think you’d be a really good journalist!)

]]> By: Peter Adriance http://www.leithjb.net/blog/2009/11/08/a-bahai-at-windsor-castle-faiths-and-environment-summit/comment-page-1/#comment-27019 Peter Adriance Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:10:43 +0000 http://www.leithjb.net/blog/?p=1901#comment-27019 Hi Barney - Thanks for these observations which are making the rounds through your loyal readership here in the US and elsewhere. (A link was passed on to me from a Baha'i friend here.) Who says you're not a reporter? Keep it up. I like your reporting style! Yes, it is exciting to see the faiths rallying around the issues of the environment in new and renewed ways. And it is essential that they do all they can. Working together creatively within and across sectors is the only way we'll be able to turn around the dilemma we've created. By the way, your readers may be interested to know of a study course on "the scientific and spiritual dimensions of climate change" created by a Baha'i, Christine Muller, and available here: http://www.bcca.org/ief/climate/ssdcc0.html. It takes a multi-faith perspective on the issue and integrates it with the science. It's been posted on the International Environment Forum (IEF) site with the hope that folks will use it and provide feedback for its continual improvement. It fits nicely into the scheme of things coming out of the Windsor events. Also, related stories and links on faith and environment can be found on the 2009 IEF conference blog, which not only contains reports and comments from the conference but occasional related posts made since then: www.iefconf2009.wordpress.com. Best, Peter Hi Barney – Thanks for these observations which are making the rounds through your loyal readership here in the US and elsewhere. (A link was passed on to me from a Baha’i friend here.) Who says you’re not a reporter? Keep it up. I like your reporting style!

Yes, it is exciting to see the faiths rallying around the issues of the environment in new and renewed ways. And it is essential that they do all they can. Working together creatively within and across sectors is the only way we’ll be able to turn around the dilemma we’ve created.

By the way, your readers may be interested to know of a study course on “the scientific and spiritual dimensions of climate change” created by a Baha’i, Christine Muller, and available here: http://www.bcca.org/ief/climate/ssdcc0.html. It takes a multi-faith perspective on the issue and integrates it with the science. It’s been posted on the International Environment Forum (IEF) site with the hope that folks will use it and provide feedback for its continual improvement. It fits nicely into the scheme of things coming out of the Windsor events.

Also, related stories and links on faith and environment can be found on the 2009 IEF conference blog, which not only contains reports and comments from the conference but occasional related posts made since then: http://www.iefconf2009.wordpress.com.

Best,
Peter

]]> By: Bushra http://www.leithjb.net/blog/2009/11/08/a-bahai-at-windsor-castle-faiths-and-environment-summit/comment-page-1/#comment-27017 Bushra Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:38:19 +0000 http://www.leithjb.net/blog/?p=1901#comment-27017 FYI Love, Dixie FYI

Love, Dixie

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