Upcoming Event: "Building Bridges – Healing Connections in a Broken World"
Hosted by The Episcopal Urban Caucus National Assembly
February 23-26, 2011
Doubletree Hotel – Pittsburgh, PA
Reverence ~ Justice ~ Beauty. Focusing on social justice, creation care, and peace, we will explore in plenary sessions, workshops, and site visits the way so many issues are inter-connected. “The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one.” An awareness of the links between environmental degradation and urban poverty will help us move forward in effective advocacy, strategy, and action for a more just and peaceful world, as agents of hope – motivated by faith – not fear. More Info | Registration Form | Agenda
Special DISCOUNT rate of $70 for college students and young adult leaders are available (though this does not include meals.) Limited number of such scholarships are available. Contact Carol Gonzalez to request the discount.
One of the Eight Workshops Available:
Friday, February 25 at 2:00 pm – Holy Water, Sacred Breath: Eco-Justice & Creation Care: “Do unto those downstream what you wish those upstream had done to you”
Dr. Conrad Dan Volz and Mark Dixon will present and host a conversation on issues around water (the new oil) and Marcellus Shale drilling, an urgent regional issue with links to national & global energy, economic, and environmental issues. The concerns surrounding gas and oil extraction and related water contamination are directly related to both intra- and inter-state political problems and open conflict around the world, making this a serious issue for faith groups interested in environmental justice and peace. Climate change, Transition Town, and other related topics will be included as we connect the dots in our search for sustainability.
Facilitators:
Mark Dixon, Co-Founder of YERT, Your Environmental Road Trip. Mark left a career in Silicon Valley to visit all 50 states and film the weird, wild, and wonderful world of environmental sustainability throughout the country. Now working on a feature film based on that project, Mark is a Pittsburgh resident with an eye on the nation’s environmental movement. (www.yert.com)
Dr. Conrad Dan Volz is Director of the Center for Healthy Environments & Communities at the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), Univ. of Pittsburgh where Dr. Volz is also an Asst. Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at GSPH. With over thirty years experience in occupational-environmental health and having worked in twenty-fours countries, Dr. Volz’ research has primarily been focused on how industrial and municipal toxins and carcinogens move through the air, water, soil, and groundwater to reach people and how to block this movement. Serving on several advisory boards, the author of numerous publications, and a frequent presenter, Dr. Volz is a passionate advocate for the environment. (www.chec.pitt.edu)
Mike Schut, Environmental Affairs Officer at the Episcopal Church Center, will be Final Plenary Speaker on Saturday, February 26 – 9:00 am.
Eco-Justice & Green Faith
The Episcopal Church recently launched a collaboration with Green Faith’s Green Certification Program, a comprehensive, holistic two-year program to express creation-care throughout parish life and ministry, including an emphasis on environmental justice and community outreach. This interactive presentation will describe this exciting opportunity and briefly introduce the eco-justice work of The Episcopal Church. More Info | Registration Form | Agenda
