SPIRET Student Partnership for the Integrated Religious and Ethical Treatment [of the Earth]
With the growing concern for the present and future health of the Earth and all its inhabitants, particularly in relation to global climate change, untraditional partnerships have emerged in the environmental movement. Such partnerships include those formed among faith-based communities, scientists, environmental activists and educators. Religious traditions can offer the theoretical and spiritual foundation for the ethical treatment of nature, human and nonhuman. Furthermore, experience with nature through ecological education, can assist in one's spiritual and moral formation, which includes the development of ethical treatment of all living beings and the biosphere that supports them. SPIRET – Student Partnership for the Integrated Religious and Ethical Treatment [of the Earth] – is a student group started in 2007, designed to provide the FES community with the opportunity to explore the role of faith traditions in the environmental movement.
SPIRET's activities and programs center around four program areas [STAR]:
Solidarity
SPIRET members explore ways of developing the emerging partnerships in the environmental movement, especially those among faith-based communities and secular environmental groups.
Teaching
SPIRET members seek new ways to expose members of the FES community to some of the motivations and dogmatic beliefs of the world's faith traditions, so that all may explore untraditional ways of knowing the natural world which are often employed in these traditions. In this way, students will be prepared to encourage a new environmental consciousness among faith-based and secular agents of change.
Action
SPIRET members act upon opportunities to serve the FES, New Haven, national and even international communities in faith-based environmental campaigns.
Reflection
SPIRET members reflect on their own personal relationship with the Earth (from a faith-based, or non-faith-based perspective), and in doing so deepen their commitment to the protection of the entire biotic community through shared dialogue with other students in the community.
SPIRET welcomes EVERYONE with an open mind.
SPIRET's activities and programs center around four program areas [STAR]:
Solidarity
SPIRET members explore ways of developing the emerging partnerships in the environmental movement, especially those among faith-based communities and secular environmental groups.
Teaching
SPIRET members seek new ways to expose members of the FES community to some of the motivations and dogmatic beliefs of the world's faith traditions, so that all may explore untraditional ways of knowing the natural world which are often employed in these traditions. In this way, students will be prepared to encourage a new environmental consciousness among faith-based and secular agents of change.
Action
SPIRET members act upon opportunities to serve the FES, New Haven, national and even international communities in faith-based environmental campaigns.
Reflection
SPIRET members reflect on their own personal relationship with the Earth (from a faith-based, or non-faith-based perspective), and in doing so deepen their commitment to the protection of the entire biotic community through shared dialogue with other students in the community.
SPIRET welcomes EVERYONE with an open mind.
