Symposium on Spirituality and the Environment 2026
Climate Grief, Spiritual Resilience, and Hope
Sunday, February 1st; 1:30-3:30pm
No longer can we think of climate change as something that’s off in the future — scientists’ prediction of something that is coming. We are living in a climate-changed world. Where shall we find the wisdom we need for the living of our days? How shall we think about hope now? And what practices might we embrace to nurture the spiritual resilience we need for this season that is so fraught with challenges and so filled with opportunity?
During this year’s Symposium on Spirituality and the Environment, Rev. Dr. Allen Ewing-Merrill, Executive Director of The BTS Center, will invite us to explore the psycho-social-spiritual dimensions of the climate crisis, the array of climate emotions — climate anxiety, ecological grief, and moral injury — as well as the invitation to practices of gratitude, wonder, and hope. We’ll consider how Creation invites us into relationships as healer, teacher, and friend.
We hope you join us as we navigate this turbulent & uncertain time in all our lives.
We'll be gathering together in person. This program will also be livestreamed on our YouTube channel.
We gratefully acknowledge that this Symposium is underwritten by the Bachrach Endowment Fund at Congregation Har HaShem.
Past Symposiums
2023 – Symposium on Spirituality and the Environment: Leadership Lessons from Moses for Facing Up to Climate Change
Watch the recording here.
Speakers:
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Dr. Mirele B. Goldsmith: Environmental psychologist, educator, activist and founder of Jewish Earth Alliance.
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Jennifer Pitt: Colorado River Program Director at the National Audubon Society.
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Grant Fuku Couch: Co-Founder of the Conservative Caucus of Citizens Climate Lobby.
2022 – Spirituality and Environmental Stewardship: A Conversation with Two Scholar Activists
Watch the recording here.
Speakers:
- Professor Tink Tinker (he/him/his) is Professor Emeritus of American Indian Cultures and Religious Traditions at Iliff School of Theology.
- Dr. Oakleigh (Oak) Thorne II (he/him/his) is founder and honorary president of Thorne Nature Experience.
2021 – Food Justice and Faith: Nourishing Our Bodies and Our Souls
Watch the recording here.
Speakers:
- Becca Gan Levy (she/her/hers) is the Farm and Sustainability Director at the Boulder JCC.
- Hayden Dansky (they/them/theirs) is a cofounder and Executive Director of Boulder Food Rescue.
- Dina Coates (she/her/hers) is the Chief Development Officer for Community Food Share.
2020 – Fighting Climate Change
Watch the recording here.
Speakers:
- Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Founder and CEO, Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action
- Senator Steve Fenberg, CO State Senator & Majority Leader
2020
Watch the recording here.
- Dr. Amanda Baugh, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at California State University, Northridge and Director of the Program in Civic and Community Engagement
- Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre, Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at Iliff School of Theology and Director of the Center for Eco-Justice
2019
- Rev. Susan Hendershot is President of The Regeneration Project and Interfaith Power & Light
- Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap, National Organizer and Spokesperson for Young Evangelicals for Climate Action
2018
- Suzanne Benally, (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa) the Executive Director of Cultural Survival
- Dr. Scott Powell, Catholicism, the Aquinas Institute for Catholic Thought
- Prof. David Robert Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism
- The Reverend Fletcher Harper, GreenFaith’s Executive Director
2016
- Rabbi Marc Soloway, Congregation Bonai Shalom, Boulder
- Rev. Fletcher Harper, Executive Director, GreenFaith
- Gopal Patel, The Bhumi Project
- Nana Firman, Green Market Solution
We gratefully acknowledge that this Symposium is underwritten by the Bachrach Endowment Fund at Congregation Har HaShem.