The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth. One of the five Anglican Marks of Mission Saturday, April 21, 2012 The Episcopal Cathedral of St. Mark Salt Lake City, Utah
The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment This Episcopal Church-initiated, multi-faith forum reminds us that all creation is good, yet that the worst consequences of environmental degradation often affect the homes, workplaces, and lives of the poor. In the United States, nearly 40 million people live below the poverty line. As recent history has shown, lower-income people are more vulnerable to environmental catastrophes, whether from natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina or human-made tragedies like the Gulf oil spill. This forum is in keeping with the Episcopal Church s actions in passing resolutions regarding environmental racism, environmental justice, and economic justice. Our Church and the faith community at large have unique roles in bringing these principles to life. This forum also leads the way in implementing the recommendation 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. Welcome The Cathedral Choir St. Mark The Very Rev. Ray Waldon Dean, Episcopal Cathedral of St. Mark The Rt. Rev. Scott B. Hayashi Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Utah Anne Rudig Director of Communication, the Episcopal Church
PROGRAM Introductions Kim Lawton, Managing Editor, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, PBS Keynote Address The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop, the Episcopal Church Video Presentation: Kivalina (the Episcopal Church s Wayfarer Series) The Alaskan community of Kivalina, near the Arctic Circle, is facing relocation because rising tides have eroded village land. Wastewater from local mines also has fouled nearby waters, a primary food source. Here, the Inupiaq people, who have inhabited the area for more than 1,000 years, and the community -- including the Episcopal Church -- are collaborating to find solutions. Panel: Can Sustainability Initiatives Lift Those in Poverty? Sustainability is often characterized as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Many people agree that this requires reconciliation of environmental, social and economic needs. Today, scientists and others increasingly recognize that humans contribute to global warming through the burning of fossil fuels and other byproducts of global manufacturing. This has real consequences from rising tides that are forcing indigenous people from their ancestral homes to urban areas where investments in environmental programs seem a luxury to people struggling to meet the demands of daily life. This panel will discuss the importance of engaging people living in poverty as an essential element in planning and creating sustainable environmental improvement efforts beginning at the church and community level. Bonnie Anderson, D.D., President, House of Deputies, the Episcopal Church Majora Carter, President, Majora Carter Group Forrest Cuch, CEO, Ute Tribal Enterprises, LLC George Handley, Ph.D., Professor of Humanities, Brigham Young University Video Presentation: Environmental Health and Living in Poverty Salt Lake City Salt Lake City is one of 10 U.S. environmental justice pilot cities designated by the EPA. Today, collaborative action by government, faith and community groups is seeking to improve children s environmental health. Community members who are working to improve the quality of life in one of Salt Lake City s most poverty stricken areas offer insight into new ideas to tackle this generations-old challenge. Panel: Can We Reduce Environmental Health Consequences for Those in Poverty? Numerous studies have shown that the health of people living in poverty is disproportionately affected by environmental issues compared with the general population. The lower a person s income in the U.S., the higher the likelihood of exposure to toxics at home and on the job. And, the greater the risk of suffering from diseases caused or exacerbated by environmental factors. Children, in particular, can be affected. This panel will discuss the consequences of health issues caused by environmental degradation and how, through collaboration and community problem solving, local faith and community groups can make a positive difference regarding environmental health, including that of children. Cecilia Calvo, Environmental Justice Program Coordinator, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Jaslyn Dobrahner, Coordinator, Children s Environmental Health & Environmental Justice Project, EPA Gerry Hardison, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Maseno Mission Hospital, Kenya Rev. Michael Livingston, Director, Poverty Initiative, National Council of Churches Recessional The Cathedral Choir, St. Mark
Biographies Bonnie Anderson, D.D., is President of the Episcopal Church s House of Deputies and presides over its 800+ members as a fair-minded, skilled parliamentarian, grounded in love for Christ Jesus. She is known as an advocate for the ministry of the laity, a voice for marginalized people, and a skilled community organizer. Her advocacy for the environment and the people most directly affected by environmental degradation earned her a gubernatorial appointment to the Michigan Environmental Review Board. Organizer of the Michigan river clean-up and surface water protection effort, Friends of the Rouge River, she is author of Spirituality and the Earth; Exploring Connections, and Citizen s Guide to the Great Lakes Ecosystem. Cecilia Calvo oversees the Environmental Justice Program at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and advises the USCCB on environmental policy issues, including climate change and children s health. Her prior experience includes research and analysis of environmental and natural resource issues in Latin America, work in the field of mediation and conflict resolution, and management of environmental programs at Target Corporation. She received her bachelor s degree in Environmental Science and Spanish from Wellesley College and her master s degree in International Environmental Policy and International Trade and Commercial Policy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Majora Carter is redefining the field of environmental equality. In 2001, she founded the nonprofit environmental justice solutions corporation, Sustainable South Bronx, whose central tenet was that people shouldn t have to move out of their neighborhoods to live in a better one. Carter was later awarded a MacArthur genius grant and in 2008 started her own firm, which works with business, government, foundations and cities including New Orleans, Detroit and coastal towns of North Carolina. Ms. Carter recently spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative s panel on sustainable infrastructure, and hosted the inaugural TEDx Harlem. She also hosts the Peabody Award winning public radio series The Promised Land, heard on more than 120 stations. Forrest Cuch is recognized for his expertise in education, planning, business, and tribal governance. For 14 years he was Director, Division of Indian Affairs, for the State of Utah. Prior to holding public office, he was Social Studies Department Head, Wasatch Academy, and served as Tribal Administrator, Planner for the Wampanoag Tribe and as Tribal Education Director for the Ute Indian Tribe. His writings include A History of Utah s American Indians, and Power to the Powerless -- Emerging Issues in Tribal-State Relations. He is co-founder, Rising American Indian Nations Trust, a trustee of Swaner EcoCenter, Utah, and served on the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Jaslyn Dobrahner has been with the United States Environmental Protection Agency s Denver regional office since 2003. She has program development, implementation, and policy experience in endangered species protection, farm worker protection, environmental justice, and community-based partnerships, among others. In 2010, Ms. Dobrahner became the EPA coordinator for the Children s Environmental Health and Environmental Justice Showcase Community Project in Salt Lake City. She holds an MBA in Sustainable Business from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, along with degrees in Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, and a certificate in Environmental Studies, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. George Handley, Ph.D., is a Professor of Humanities at Brigham Young University and has often written on topics involving eco-criticism and eco-theology. He has lectured internationally on the intersections between religion, literature, and the environment for the past decade. As an activist, he has argued for the protection of wilderness, legislation to mitigate climate change, and smart growth. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which he has served as a bishop among his other responsibilities. His writings include Stewardship and the Creation: LDS Perspectives on the Environment, and Home Waters: A Year of Recompenses on the Provo River. Gerry Hardison, M.D., is a Harvard-educated physician who has just returned to the U.S. with his wife, Nan, after nine years as Chief Medical Officer and a volunteer for mission at Maseno Mission Hospital in western Kenya. His tenure there revealed an interdependence between community outreach, hospital care and health which he believes are impossible to separate. During his career, he has served as a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and as a Fulbright Lecturer. He has served as a peer reviewer for more than 20 leading medical journals. The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Ph.D., is Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and serves as chief pastor and primate to its members in 16 countries and 110 dioceses. She is vocal about the Episcopal Church s mission priorities, including issues of domestic poverty, climate change and care for the earth, as well as the ongoing need to contextualize the gospel. She is a past member of the Environment and Climate Change Taskforce of President s Advisory Council on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori s career as an oceanographer preceded her studies for the priesthood, to which she was ordained in 1994. She holds degrees in biology from Stanford University, oceanography from Oregon State University, and from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Kim Lawton is an award-winning reporter, producer, writer and editor who has worked in broadcast and print media for more 20 years covering religion, ethics and culture. She is Managing Editor and Correspondent for the highly acclaimed national public television program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, where she oversees news coverage and appears as a regular on-air correspondent. Ms. Lawton is a frequent commentator on issues of faith and spirituality, appearing on outlets including MSNBC, CNN and the BBC. She has worked on assignment in more than 25 countries and her articles have appeared in numerous publications including The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. The Rev. Michael Livingston is the Director of the Poverty Initiative of the National Council of Churches. Throughout his career, Rev. Livingston has maintained a passion for ministry to the least of these among us. He is the former Executive Director of the International Council of Community Churches and former President of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. He has traveled to Vietnam in an interfaith delegation to highlight the continuing devastating effects of Agent Orange. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church, USA, he recently chaired the General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations.
For further information contact: Neva Rae Fox, Public Affairs Officer, the Episcopal Church nrfox@episcopalchurch.org Craig Wirth, Communications Director, Episcopal Diocese of Utah cwirth@episcopal-utah.org