The latest Parliament of the World’s Religions was convened in Chicago. As a member of the press corps, I covered events at the Parliament from August 14 through 18, 2023. With over 8000 participants from over 95 countries, representing over 210 faith traditions, there was a lot to cover. There were Plenary Sessions, theme focused Assemblies, an Opening Procession, Langar, thousands of workshops, the daily Sacred Fire, worship services, art, dance, and music, kid events, community service, a Sacred Music Night, and awards. That is not to mention all the booths and all the new friendships. To narrow all this down and make it manageable I covered two foci, Indigenous Peoples and Climate Action. My earlier videos each had a specific focus, art, disaster relief, Indigenous Peoples, preparing for the parliament. The video linked to this post is different. It is more eclectic, it covers “special projects”. The first is an ecovillage near Mumbai. It was built using the values of Hinduism. I interviewed Gauranga Das. Gauranga Das is an impressive person. He is a Hindu monk and an author. He serves as a governing body commissioner of International Society for Krishna Consciousness . He also serves as the director of the Ecovillage. He talked about how the village is sustainable, producing energy and food and recycling used materials. It is also an educational institution and a religious ashram. The village, Govardhan Ecovillage, is a model of hope and possibilities. He was my first interview and that is how I discovered I had to be careful where I interviewed people. The Great Hall was visually stunning, but the sound bounced around and made for challenging acoustic recording. My second interview was with Katie Nolan of the Interfaith Vegan Coalition. The coalition includes many organizations that advocate for veganism because it is compassionate, it is earth-friendly, it is animal friendly. The booth had recipes, books, and activities. The presenter was friendly, engaging, and inviting. The booth was resource rich. The focus was expansive from animal rights to education and fun activities. The third project was the Interfaith Power and Light. I knew of this organization because it is active in Fort Wayne. The representative, Sarah Paulos, provided a clear description of the mission of the group. Simply stated, they are a leader in assisting faith communities to be good stewards of the earth and to be effective advocates in addressing climate change. They have 40 affiliates and impact 22,000 faith communities. They are also resource rich and a great way to educate faith communities to make their houses of worship greener but also to work to do the same for their local communities. Green Hope Foundation was new to me. However, the founder, Kehkashan Basu was active in the halls and stages of the Parliament. She is the youngest member of the Parliament’s board of Trustees. She is a United Nations Champion for the Environment. Her organization is active in 28 countries. It engages with half a million people. The Green Hope Foundation has planted over 1.2 million trees. Their list of accomplishments and their focus on sustainability and inclusion is impressive. On the last day of the Parliament of the World’s Religions I met with a representative of a timely and powerful group, Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons. “Jenna” said the group had it’s birth as a reaction to the final days of World War Two. Members include diplomates, former government workers, faith leaders, academics, and youth. The work includes addressing armaments, the pollution of uranium mining, the problems related to nuclear power, and above all, the urgent need for peace. I had not thought of this as an environmental issue. I suppose I saw it as an important political issue. However, most of the issues addressed in the Parliament overlapped, intersectionality was the rule. One nuclear strike would be ecologically devastating. Funding the buildup to nuclear weapon stockpiles diverts monies needed for climate change initiatives, clean water, and food production. This was in fact a very special project. These special projects are only a very small sample of the important activities presented at the 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions. The 2023 PoWR printed program was 304 pages in length. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, and we need to do this work together.
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Carl Jylland-Halverson
I am just a nature lover who struggles not to be overwhelmed or immobilized by the destructive impact humans are having on the planet. My goal is to do my part to reduce my carbon footprint, to celebrate biodiversity, to help heal my tiny part of the earth. Please join me in this endeavor to turn hope into action. Archives
September 2024
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