Experts will examine the intersection of poverty and the environment on April 21 in a live webcast beginning at 9 a.m. The webcast will be presented at no charge at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church at 5720 S. Perry St. in Spokane, with a program beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Participants will be able to submit questions to the panelists during the two-hour webcast, originating from St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Salt Lake City.
The event will be moderated by Kim Lawton of PBS’s Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly. Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will lead the program with her keynote address. Prior to ordination, Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori was an oceanographer and she is well-versed in environmental matters.
The first panel's topic is “Can Sustainability Initiatives Lift Those in Poverty?”
Participants include Bonnie Anderson, president of the Episcopal Church House of Deputies, and author of “Spirituality and the Earth; Exploring Connections;” Dr. George Handley, professor of Humanities at Brigham Young University, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and contributor to LDS Perspectives on Environmental Stewardship; and Majora Carter, CEO, Majora Carter Group.
The second panel will address “Reducing Environmental Health Consequences for those in Poverty.” Among the participants are Cecilia Calvo, Eco-Justice director, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Dr. Gerry Hardison, chief medical officer, Maseno Mission Hospital, Kenya, and Episcopal Church missionary; and Jaslyn Dobrahner, Environmental Justice Pilot Program director, EPA.
Initiating the conversations will be two timely and compelling videos: Kivalina, from the Episcopal Church’s Wayfarer Series, which delves into the challenges brought by environmental issues facing a 1000 year old Artic Circle village; Environmental Health and Justice for Those in Poverty, a video produced by the Diocese of Utah that highlights efforts underway to bring faith-based organizations, the community, and the government together in Salt Lake City to address environmental issues affecting the health of those in poverty.
This event leads the way in implementing the recommendations of the Environment and Climate Change Committee of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to hold regional conferences on engaging faith and community groups in environmental stewardship.
