Conference: October 7–8, 2009
Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, Penn State

The Rock Ethics Institute and the Jewish Studies Program will convene a conference on October 7 and 8, 2009, on "Stewardship or Sacrifice? Religion and the Ethics of Climate Change." The conference will be held at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on Penn State's University Park campus.

The purpose of the conference is to explore the role of religion in helping solve the climate change crisis. A panel of climate scientists will provide the latest understanding of how climate change impacts our world; theologians will reflect on the scriptural bases for an ethical response; members from congregations across Pennsylvania will describe concrete actions that they have taken to reduce their carbon footprints; and workshops will focus on how Pennsylvania religious institutions can mitigate threats to human health and the environment from climate change.

Keynote addresses from the Rev. Canon Sally Bingham, founder of Interfaith Power and Light, and Michael E. Mann, a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report, will detail the scope of the ethical challenges we face and the urgency of immediate action to build a more sustainable future. The conference invites wide participation from members of Pennsylvania faith communities interested in responding to climate change or simply learning more about this issue. For more information on the conference contact Jonathan E. Brockopp, Department of History and Religious Studies.

This conference is part of a week-long series of events at Penn State, including a co-sponsored conference on "Educating for Sustainability" October 5 and 6, 2009, at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, organized by the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, Schreyer Honors College, the Center for Sustainability, and the Rock Ethics Institute.