FORUM2022 Science, Spirituality, Solidarity:

Weaving Interconnections for Change

Online Oct 20, 2022 10am-12:15pm ET

FORUM2022 is a call to action on the global crisis facing humanity and all life on planet Earth. Connecting the variable causes of the climate crisis, our speakers bring together ancient wisdom and modern science to address this time of severe destruction with positive and effective solutions.

Distinguished 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, Chief Arvol Looking Horse, will open FORUM2022 with traditional Native American Sioux prayers.

Chief Arvol Looking Horse was born on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. At the age of 12, he was given the responsibility of becoming the 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, the youngest ever. He is widely recognized as a chief and the spiritual leader of all three branches of the Sioux tribe. He is the author of White Buffalo Teachings and a guest columnist for Indian Country Today. A tireless advocate of maintaining traditional spiritual practices, Chief Looking Horse is the founder of Big Foot Riders which memorializes the massacre of Big Foot’s band at Wounded Knee.

Our dialogue keynote speaker, Dr. Vandana Shiva, writes, “Earth Democracy’s success concerns not just the fate and well-being of all humans, but all beings on Earth. It is not about the next protest or the next world social forum ⎯ it is about what we do in-between. It addresses the global in our everyday lives and creates change globally by making change locally. The changes may appear small, but they can be exponential in impact. They are about nature’s evolution and our human potential.”

Dr. Shiva’s dialogue partner, Bill McKibben, Co-founder of 350org, expresses in his book, Falter, “The fight over climate change is ultimately not an argument about infrared absorption in the atmosphere, but about power and money and justice. Given that industry has most of that money and hence most of that power, it usually wins – unless, of course, a movement arises, one capable of changing hearts as well as minds.”

FORUM2022 presents an overview of the many ways climate change is affecting our planet and how each of us individually and collectively can impact current industrial and governmental practices and policies to bring about the rapid restoration of our biosphere. Our presenters from diverse fields such as religion, science, agriculture, ancient and indigenous wisdom, the arts, and more, expand upon our intimate relationship with the environment and emphasize the interconnectedness of all life.

FORUM2022 Program:

Distinguished 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, Chief Arvol Looking Horse, will open FORUM2022 with traditional Native American Sioux prayers.

"Earth Democracy: Sustainability and Justice" Keynote dialogue between Bill McKibben and Dr. Vandana Shiva will expound upon the era of unrestricted capitalism and inspire us to embrace a moral and spiritual perspective for restoring our bio-system.

Prayers will be offered for the global ecological crisis by several world religious leaders:

The Rev. Sally Bingham, Canon for the Environment for the Diocese of California, or you can use founder and President Emerita, Interfaith Power and Light. (Christian)

Imam Saffet Catovic, Director, Interfaith, Community Alliances, and Government Relations, Islamic Society of North America, Washington, D.C.(Muslim)

Rabbi David Rosen, KSG CBE, International Director of Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee (Jewish)

Pandit Shukla Ji, Hindu Priest, Hindu Samaj Mandir Mahwah, New Jersey (Hindu)

"Sacred Soil & Sacred Forests" panelists examine the relationship between ancient knowledge and current scientific thinking and present practical solutions for the climate crisis. Ray Archuleta, an American soil scientist, is joined by Irish botanist and author Diana Beresford-Kroeger and Patricia Kombo, passionate environmentalist, founder of the PaTree Initiative, and she is a United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Land Hero, to discuss the crucial importance of healthy soil and vibrant forests for life on our planet, balancing the climate, harnessing water and sustaining food supplies.

A short video will introduce Jerusalem artist Beverly Barkat’s “Earth Poetica,” a phenomenal sculpture constructed from plastic waste collected from around the world, which will be exhibited at New York City’s World Trade Center complex next year.

Panelists on "Caring for our Endangered Oceans and Waterways" analyze the many ways to address the trashing of our oceans, create an international water policy, and tackle ocean warming. Dave Ford, founder of the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network, USA, an activist to industry organization, is joined by David Helvarg, executive director of Blue Frontier, and Dr. Kelsey Leonard, a citizen of the Shinnecock Nation, who is a water scientist, legal scholar, policy expert, writer, and assistant professor, University of Waterloo, Canada.

Join us at FORUM2022 and be inspired about how you can address climate change!

Presented by Temple of Understanding in collaboration with Marble Collegiate Church

Thank you kindly to our FORUM2022 Co-sponsors: Association For New Global Thought, Greenfaith, Interfaith Center of New York, Interfaith Power and Light, Islamic Society of North America, Laudato Si’ Movement, Parliament of the World’s Religions, World Interfaith Network.

#interfaith

#climatechange

#climatecrisis

#indigenous

#chiefarvollookinghorse

#siouxnation