Bodhisattvas for the Earth

Bodhisattvas for the Earth - Robert Harrap, General Director of SGI-UK introduces the SGI Buddhist perspective on the causes and resolution to the climate crisis – 1^st October

On 19 November 2020, Following on from SGI-UK’s inaugural webinar on 1 October, the Centre for Applied Buddhism (CfAB) hosts the second webinar in the series, featuring keynote speaker Dr Emilie Parry, a doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford's School of Geography and Environment and founder of Rootbridge Ecosystems, and respondent Sanya Rajpal, SGI-UK Buddhist and youth advocate.

Bodhisattvas for the Earth: Climate action in the community - - Dr Michele Lamb hosts Liz Lorente (Transition Town Marlow), Vieve Richardson (Marine biologist), Sharron Harrison (Gleaning / community engagement) and Franco Zaffanella (Food production) in an inspiring discussion and Q&A. 10^th December

Climate Action and the Need for Transformation Multifaith Webinar – Amandeep Kaur Maan (Ecosikh), Kamran Shezad (Bahu Trust – Muslim), Jamie Cresswell (Centre for Applied Buddhism), Talia Chain (Sadeh Farm – Jewish), Devena Chouhan (Hindu Climate Action) – 28^th January

Creative Ecologies – Chaired by Koichi Samuels with Dr. Arianna Sdei (Architect and Sustainability Consultant – ‘Towards zero carbon architecture), Dr. Louise Squire (Specialist Tutor, University of Portsmouth – ‘Fiction, Ecology, and the Buddhist view of death’), Dr. Emilia Terracciano (Art Historian, University of Manchester – ‘In the company of trees: making sense of learning and living in an ecologically-damaged world’) 24^th February

Economics, Sustainability and the Power of the Simple 
Webinar being led by Centre for Applied Buddhism - 1^st April

SGI-UK  hosted the seventh webinar in the series featuring a speaker from the Soka
Institute of the Amazon on Wednesday 28 April.
Founded in 1991, the Soka Institute of the Amazon is an initiative led by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda with a focus on creating environmental awareness projects and protecting the Amazon region. 

Hope for the Future, a climate charity that works to equip communities & individuals to communicate the urgency of the climate. There are many ways we can speak out as Buddhists. How do we empower ourselves to do that, individually and collectively?

Co-organised with Eco Dharma Network, this webinar will be led by Hope for the Future, a climate charity that works to equip communities and individuals to communicate the urgency of the climate crisis with their local representatives. In this webinar they suggest ways of building strong relationships with MPs and councillors through understanding their values and finding common ground. 26th May

Thinking creatively and taking action in response to the climate emergency.
SGI-UK will host the ninth webinar in the series on Wednesday 30 June at 7pm. Phil Rollinson, head gardener at SGI-UK’s national headquarters Taplow Court, will lead the webinar and describe the actions and vision he and his colleagues are taking to create a sustainable future for the estate
 

Webinar on ‘Racial Justice and Climate Action’ The Centre for Applied Buddhism (CfAB) hosted the tenth webinar in the series on Wednesday 28 July. 

This webinar will explore the ways in which climate change and climate action intersect with racial equity, and the crucial role that racial justice plays in terms of both environmental impact and solutions. We are very excited to hear talks and presentations from some remarkable speakers, including Jan Blake (Storyteller, Plenary Speaker and Storytelling Consultant for brands and businesses), Anita Okunde (17-year-old award-winning activist and public speaker, focusing on issues specifically surrounding intersectional climate justice and feminism), Rehena Harilall (founder of ‘Buddhists across Traditions’, uniting Buddhist and Mindfulness practitioners in service of racial healing, social equity and justice) and Peter deGraft-Johnson (AKA The Repeat Beat Poet, a Hip Hop artist and broadcaster working to capture and extend moments of time, thought and feeling).

“Bodhisattvas for the Earth - Youth and Climate Action”

A group of SGI-UK Youth Division members, known as Youth Climate Change Ambassadors, have been meeting regularly since the beginning of the year to study and discuss climate action. In this webinar, The Youth Climate Change Ambassadors present and discuss various topics and how they take action to combat the climate crisis, as well as exploring ways in which those around us are also taking action; from conservation, to sustainability in business and youth participation, as well as deepening their understanding and practice of Buddhist principles concerning the environment. They also answer questions from the viewers, exploring the Buddhist approach to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which was published on 9^th August 2021.

“How Can We Make COP Count?”

This year’s Climate Conference is arguably our last moment to come together and make lasting changes towards a sustainable future for all life on earth. In this Webinar we hear about what faith communities are and could be doing to make this a turning point in the run up to COP26 in November 2021.
 

Featuring discussions and talks from: Olivia Hanks (Economics and Sustainability Programme Manager, Quakers in Britain) Shanon Shah (Director, Faith for the Climate) and Alexandra Masako Goossens-Ishii, (Programme Coordinator, SGI Office for UN Affairs) on Wednesday 29th September at 7pm (BST) 

SGI at COP26 – Sowing Seeds of Hope – Action for Climate Justice

Wednesday 27 October. This webinar will explore how SGI will be represented and working with other organisations during the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021.
 

Following COP26 in Glasgow, and as we look ahead to COP27 in Egypt, SGI-UK and the Centre for Applied Buddhism (CfAB) will continue the series of webinars looking at the climate crisis.

On Thursday 27 January , we held webinar looking at what was achieved in Glasgow, both in the Blue Zone where the negotiations took place as well as the series of events organised by SGI and the Centre for Applied Buddhism in Websters Theatre as part of the COP26 Climate Fringe, and other events in Glasgow.

An important outcome of COP26 was a growing awareness that the climate crisis cannot be averted without also addressing social justice and protecting human rights. This webinar brings together members of faith-based organisations and experts in human rights to share ideas on how religious teachings and practitioners can contribute to this growing movement for climate justice and human rights. It explores such questions as ‘What is loss and damage?', 'How can we reverse the growing inequalities at the heart of our societies?', 'What tools do we have to support those most effected by the climate crisis?' and 'What can faith-based organisations do to support and protect human rights and climate justice?'

On Thursday 26^th May 2022, SGI-UK hosted a Climate Webinar entitled, ‘Building Futures, why everybody matters’ - Ana Romero and Danaé Espinoza, whose work revolves around climate action and education, gave beautifully in-depth and informative talks on the work that they have been involved in around Citizen’s Diplomacy and around Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE).