The Center for Environmental Literacy (CEL) and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life have joined forces to present Faith and the Environment, a series of events that will explore the connections between faith, spirituality, and environmental issues. The series began February 6 with a discussion titled "Environmental Sustainability and Friends' (Quaker) Testimonies" and will continue through May.

The next event in the series will be held March 6, when Sue Darlington will lead a lunch discussion titled "The Spirit(s) of Conservation in Buddhist Thailand." On April 1, the series will leave campus, when participants take a field trip to Sirius Community in Shutesbury, Massachusetts. "Experiential Jewish Environmental Education" is the topic of the next luncheon discussion, which will feature Judith Helfand, an award-winning independent filmmaker and environmental activist. On April 3, there will be a screening of the Peabody Award-winning film A Healthy Baby Girl, a DES daughter's diary about drugs and rude awakenings. It will be followed by a discussion with Helfand. At an interfaith prayer lunch April 18, the topic will be "The Heart of the World: Religion, Spirituality, and the Environment," and Susan Grant Rosen, founder of the Environmental Task Force of Hampshire Interfaith Council, will be the guest. On Earth Day, April 22, there will be an Earth Day Catholic liturgy titled "Care of the Earth." The final luncheon of the series on April 24 will address "From Theory to Practice" and will feature Jeff Clearwater of Sirius Community and Daniel Greenberg of Living Routes. The events will conclude May 1 when students will reflect on the series.

Says Aaron Ellison, Fisher Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and CEL director, "The Center for Environmental Literacy is pleased to be partnering with Eliot House on this interdisciplinary series. We feel that this look at faith and the environment will draw people from many sectors on campus and encourage broad-based learning and healthy debate."

For more information on the series, call x2054 or visit the Center's web site.