Inspiring Earth Ethics: Linking Values and Action

2 Day Conference, 23-24 November 2017 - Brisbane

The Inspiring Earth Ethics: Linking Values and Action Conference was held over two days, from November 23 - 24, 2017, at the Centre for Interfaith & Cultural Dialogue at Griffith University's Nathan Campus. The conference brought together people from a range of fields - including environmental education, ethics, environmental psychology, indigenous knowledge systems, the arts, deep ecology, science, business and law - to address a central question: how do we inspire and build Earth ethics in Australian society?

A major output from the conference will be a published, edited collection of papers aimed at enabling change makers to understand how best to stimulate and support Earth ethics in modern society.

University of Queensland Associate Professor Mary Graham opened the plenary sessions via a pre-recorded video, providing a grounding discussion of earth ethics from an Australian First Nations' perspective. We are thrilled to be able to share Dr Grahams' video with you here:

(Please note: The opening minute of this video is audio only)

For further information about the conference, please view the following links:

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Climate change and the global ecological crisis are forcing human societies to face ever increasing environmental and psychological challenges. We need highly engaged communities if we are to address these challenges and begin to realise new and exciting alternatives to create a sustainable future in a climate changed world.

This conference explored a central question: how can we nurture Earth-centred ethics and action in present and future generations? After decades of environmental education, are we seeing an increase in eco-literacy among Australian citizens, or do we need to create new pathways to inspire Earth ethics? What role can eco-spirituality, eco-psychology and the arts play in inspiring practical responses to care for the Earth? How can non-indigenous cultures learn from First Nations Peoples laws and culture?

People joined for an important discussion about environmental education, eco-spirituality, Earth ethics and the role of the human spirit in building a brighter future.

Check out an article written by one of our presenters here.

CONFERENCE ORGANISERS

This conference was brought to you by the Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA) in partnership with the Griffith Interfaith and Cultural Dialogue Centre, Earth Charter Initiative (International and Australia), WiseEarth Education and Earthlink.

Conference Committee includes:

Dr Michelle Maloney, AELA
Julia Grieves, AELA
Adjunct Professor Noel Preston, Griffith University
Dr Brian Adams, Centre for Interfaith and Cultural Dialogue, Griffith University
Emma Brindal, WiseEarth Education
Mary Tinney, Earthlink