Interfaith Meeting on the Environment

I attended a wonderful event today at the Turkish Cultural Center (TCC). A rabbi, an imam who works for the New York City government, and Father Mark Arey of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, representing Patriarch Bartholomew, were there. I'd like to see a bigger audience and more religions represented in the future. A United Nations lady was there. She knows a female minster I know involved with Landmark Education: small world. Everyone had wonderful things to say.

I summed them up:

We treat the environment like we treat people: disregard like with the poor and sick.

We need to set an example: The imam had a water bottle. I did tell folks at the TCC though to get recycling bins!

Take action. Start with small steps.

Action can be bottom up, like starting in churches or other centers, or top down, like starting with big religious and government institutions.

We must give back to the Earth. We are not here to be kings of it as much as to live in harmony. Gather Arey said we sin, according to Patriarch Bartholomew, who has presided over six global environmental meetings, from the Arctic Circle to the Amazon, we sin when we hurt the environment, and thus must make amends. Father Arey also said, and the others agreed, starting with youth movements may work.
We must create good habits. A nice Turkish guy later told me his girlfriend got him to start recycling.

The imam had many wise things to say. Like that officials do not care about public protests. They close the windows. LOL We must start with actions. He answered my questions, which he liked, about city recycling: Yes, they do separate subway trash. Logistically, they cannot put blue and green trashcans on corners because of the volume of people and tourists in New York City, even compared to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Our greatest export is trash. A Newark incinerator does not work well, the rabbi said, and pollutes mostly a low-income neighborhood where it is located.

We got together in groups and talked about the event. One leader of each group spoke. I did. I summed up what we'd heard, and said that in places like Greece, Mexico and Turkey, in small town tourists’ spots, tons of bottles and other trash are thrown out each day. Where the consciousness does not exist, laws must be passed.

There will be an interfaith peace event at the TCC at 535 Fifth Avenue on may 4th at 6:00pm.
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