Green Spirituality with Dr. Hal French

WHAT: Green Spirituality with Dr. Hal French
WHEN: 7:30 PM, Wednesday, February 15, 2012
WHERE: Room 101 (The Lounge), Learning Center for Sustainable Futures, Sustainable Carolina, Green Quad
WHO: Dr. Hal French, Religious Studies, Distinguished Professor Emeritus; Ph.D. McMaster University, 1972, Comparative Religion

Sustainable Carolina and the Greening the Mind project team is pleased to welcome Distinguished Professor Emeritus; Dr. Hal French to the Learning Center for Sustainable Futures for an examination of green spirituality.

Dr. French, former long-time department chair, renowned author, and current religious studies professor has authored or edited eight books, mostly on Asian religion. He has held offices and presented in conferences in several professional and interfaith associations, including the American Academy of Religion, the Association for Asian Studies, the North American Interfaith Network, the World Congress of Faiths, the International Association for Religious Freedom, the International Interfaith Centre and the World Parliament of Religions.

A thumbnail sketch or Dr. French's approach to writing and instruction comes from the publishers description review of his "Zen and the Art of Anything"

"Zen is not exotic or difficult to attain. Rather, Zen is basic and available to anyone wishing to have a more fulfilling life. Think of everyday activities: breathing and speaking, waking and sleeping, moving and staying, eating and drinking, working and playing, caring and loving, thriving and surviving. If we are truly mindful in our daily living, thereby practicing Zen, we can elevate the most fundamental activities to art forms.

"Through Dr. French’s charming and mindful writing, you can actually find the keys to a more authentic and meaningful life. The simple act of reading his thoughts and words, filled with so many elegant and artful insights, enables Zen." Source: http://www.praxisontheweb.com/zen.htm

Each semester, Sustainable Carolina sponsors events on environmentalism and spirituality. Past events have included interfaith panels comparing and contrasting the ecological traditions of Judaism, Islam, mainstream Protestantism and other faiths. Sustainable Carolina's Greening The Mind project team organizes religious and other speakers in order to explore Ecological Thinking (or "Systems thinking").

Ecological or Systems Thinking is an approach to problem solving that recognizes the interconnectedness of many areas of life that sometimes get compartmentalized. A common tool used in visualizing this kind of approach is the three spheres of sustainability: The idea is that you can't solve social, economic or environmental problems unless your solution addresses all of these issues.

Spheres of Sustainability