Sustainability and Spirituality

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

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.

“…a useful documentation of some contemporary and truly radical counter-cultural models.” — Missiology

“John Carroll has written a thought-provoking and important book. Carroll … shows that individuals and groups who have a strong spiritual connection to the earth often have a very high level of commitment to ecology … he explores specific principles and practices of sustainability within religious communities, which can serve as useful models for broader application within our society.” — Academia

"Carroll begins his journey looking for examples of environmental sustainability, and I think he has found them—more convincing examples than people who have looked in more obvious and secular places. But along the way he has found something related, and just as important: examples of human sustainability, hints about ways that we might reshape our attitudes as compellingly as our kitchens and gardens and boilers." — from the Foreword by Bill McKibben

"Carroll clearly addresses a key topic for those interested in the relationship between ecology and ethics, and makes clear that sustainability is not possible without a deep change of values and commitment to a lifestyle. It cannot be achieved simply as an expression of economic functionality nor as an expression of ideology alone." — Rosemary Radford Ruether, coeditor of Christianity and Ecology: Seeking the Well-Being of Earth and Humans

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.