The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment, featuring religious, environmental, political and community organizing experts, will delve into one of the most critical topics for our times in a live webcast on April 21 – the day before Earth Day – beginning at 10 am Mountain (9 am Pacific, 11 Central, noon Eastern). The program will be available at no charge on the Episcopal Church website www.episcopalchurch.org

Originating from the Episcopal Cathedral of St Mark in Salt Lake City, UT, viewers may submit questions to the panelists during the two-hour webcast at publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org.

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will present the keynote address. The event will be moderated by Kim Lawton of PBS’s Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

Panels of experts will focus on two discussion questions: Can Sustainability Initiatives Lift Those in Poverty?; and  Reducing Environmental Health Consequences for those in Poverty.

Watch and learn

The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment is ideal for individual or group watching and discussion, or on-demand viewing, for Earth Day observations as well as Sunday School, discussions groups, community gatherings, and other get-togethers.

A Facilitator's Guide and resources to optimize viewing and participation are available at  www.episcopalchurch.org/intersection.

Participants

The event will begin with the address by Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, who, prior to ordination, was an oceanographer and is well-versed in environmental matters.

The first panel discussion on Can Sustainability Initiatives Lift Those in Poverty? will be reviewed by Bonnie Anderson, President of the Episcopal Church House of Deputies, and author of Spirituality and the Earth; Exploring Connections; Majora Carter, President, Majora Carter Group; Forrest Cuch, CEO, Ute Tribal Enterprises, LLC; and Dr. George Handley, Professor of Humanities at Brigham Young University and contributor to LDS Perspectives on Environmental Stewardship.

The second panel discussion on Reducing Environmental Health Consequences for those in Poverty will be addressed by Cecilia Calvo, Environmental Justice Program Coordinator, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Dr. Gerry Hardison, Chief Medical Officer, Maseno Mission Hospital, Kenya, and Episcopal Church missionary; Jaslyn Dobrahner, Coordinator, Children’s Environmental Health & Environmental Justice Project, EPA; and the Rev. Michael Livingston, Director, Poverty Initiative, National Council of Churches.

Videos

Initiating the conversations will be two timely and compelling videos: Kivalina, from the Episcopal Church’s Wayfarer Series, which looks at the challenges brought by environmental issues facing a 1000-year-old Artic Circle village; and Environmental Health and Justice for Those in Poverty, a video produced by the Diocese of Utah that highlights efforts underway to bring faith-based organizations, the community, and the government together in Salt Lake City to address environmental issues affecting the health of those in poverty.

The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment aligns with the Anglican Five Marks of Mission, specifically “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.”

The event leads the way in implementing the recommendations of the Environment and Climate Change Committee of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to hold regional conferences on engaging faith and community groups in environmental stewardship.

For more information contact Neva Rae Fox, Public Affairs Officer, publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org.

The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org

Diocese of Utah: http://episcopal-ut.org/

Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/

Anglican Five Marks of Mission: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/five-marks-mission

Facilitator's Guide: www.episcopalchurch.org/intersection