Sustainability and Spirituality

By John E. Carroll
Foreword by Bill McKibben

Subjects: Religion, Environmental Studies, Environmental Philosophy
Paperback : 9780791461785, 204 pages, August 2004
Hardcover : 9780791461778, 204 pages, August 2004

Alternative formats available from:

Table of contents

Foreword by Bill McKibben

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

2. On Sustainability, Religion, and Ecology

3. Outstanding Models of Sustainability

4. Theory Behind the Practice

5. We Will Not Save What We Do Not Love: Sisters of Earth in Our Land

6. Monasticism, Sustainability, and Ecology

7. On Science

8. Social Justice Meets Eco-justice

9. Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Argues that true sustainability must be based in spirituality and looks at religious communities dedicated to the environment.

Description

This groundbreaking book explores the inherent interconnectedness of sustainability and spirituality, acknowledging the dependency of one upon the other. John E. Carroll contends that true ecological sustainability, in contrast to the cosmetic attempts at sustainability we see around us, questions our society's fundamental values and is so countercultural that it is resisted by anyone without a spiritual belief in something deeper than efficiency, technology, or economics. Carroll draws on the work of cultural historian and "geologian" Thomas Berry, whose eco-spiritual thought underlies many of the sustainability efforts of communities described in this book, including particular branches of Catholic religious orders and the loosely organized Sisters of the Earth. The writings of Native Americans on spirituality and ecology are also highlighted. These models for sustainability not only represent the tangible link between ecology and spirituality, but also, more importantly, a vision of what could be.

John E. Carroll is Professor of Environmental Conservation at the University of New Hampshire. He is the author and editor of many books, including (with coeditor Keith Warner) Ecology and Religion: Scientists Speak.