The Environment Meditatio held in Sydney 22-24 April was a ‘transformative’ experience for the 350 people who attended. Bringing together significant speakers from the various disciplines of theology, philosophy, science and spirituality, it was both a sobering reminder of the ecological crisis we currently face and an inspiring call to action. Two FEN members, Mona Javam and James O'Brien, share their thoughts

By Daniel Mostovac – presenter at PathWays Coalition for Diversity Education

“Humanity is endangered.”

So says Shaykh Taner, a Teacher of the Ansari Order of Sufis based in New South Wales. Originally from Turkey, Shaykh Taner and his wife Shaykha Muzeyyen have lived in the United States for the past 30 years and have recently toured Melbourne and Sydney, offering talks, meditations and healings. Sufism is a movement that originated in Islam some thousand years ago, often called the mystical interpretation of Islam. However, Sufism today can be practiced in a secular way. The Ansari Order makes no discrimination based on sex, gender, religion or politics, but welcomes anyone in search of peace and truth.

On 18th April 2016, an interfaith statement calling for urgent action on climate change will be presented to the President of the UN General Assembly in New York. FEN welcomes this call for action, and we encourage members of the public to sign the statement here.

"Food needs to be included in the strategy to alleviate global climate change
and biodiversity decline". Read more in the slide presentation by Dana Murty on the International Year of Pulses here.

Old One   

Old one

Living sculpture,
Hail melts at your base
And your curling bough-hand
Caresses the sky.

The wisdom of ages
Is engraved as scripture,
Each calligraphy stroke
An insect’s life history.

I keep thinking
‘You have lived so much …’
And we must seem
So ephemeral,
Such frantic mayflies
Here, then gone.

FEN members and staff from the Columban Mission Institute attended the launch of the FoodFaith Interfaith Community Garden on Wednesday 9 March.

Image Credit

2016 has been declared by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as the International Year of Pulses.

Pulses are a type of dried legume which include split peas, lentils and chickpeas. They have been praised for their array of benefits not only for human health, but for hunger alleviation, food security, agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability - hence the decision to dedicate 2016 to these small but impressive crops (http://iyp2016.org/).

What have Ethics and Faith to say on Population and Consumption?
- A blog by Anne Lanyon

On Saturday 21^st November, 2016, the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales hosted a Seminar on Population and Consumption – the Sustainability Dialogue.

In the lead up to COP21 in Paris this December, leaders from various religious communities have released statements on climate change. FEN has a list of the available statements here. These statements may be of use for individuals or groups to use within their own faith communities.

On Wednesday 27th October, 61 prominent Australians signed an open letter calling for a moratorium on new coal mines ahead of the upcoming COP21 climate talks in Paris. FEN's Coordinator Anne Lanyon was among the signatories who addressed the letter to French President, Francois Hollande and other world leaders, in an effort to put coal on the agenda of the COP21 summit in recognition of the role of coal in contributing to climate change.