Keynote Address:  Bishop William Swing
Founder of United Religions Initiative

Bishop William Swing is the President and Founder of the United Religions Initiative (URI). Bishop Swing had the original vision of URI in 1993 in response to an invitation from the United Nations which asked him to host an interfaith service honoring the 50th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. Bishop Swing served as the Episcopal Bishop of California from 1980 until his retirement in 2006. In that capacity, he was a national and international leader in response to the AIDS crisis, co-founded Episcopal Community Services to address San Francisco’s homeless problem, and co-founded Community Bank of the Bay to support local businesses and the economy.

Is Environmentalism a Religion?

When an individual moves from being indifferent toward the environment and then becomes passionate about the environment, this transformation appears to be similar to a religious conversion experience. One of the words often used to describe a religious conversion is the word “repentance.” Repentance means to turn around and face in the opposite direction. People all over the world are repenting about how they/we have abused the environment and are intent now on saving the planet. Their zeal has an almost religious fervor. Has environmentalism become a religion? Or is it just a close kin?
Are religion and environmentalism coincidentally two phenomenon on parallel tracks or is there a religious dimension to environmentalism? The genesis of religions usually appear with a Creation Story while environmentalists of all stripes understand the created order as foundational in their values system. Is this an accidental overlap in focus or.....is there something religious about environmentalism or something basically environmental about religions? Let’s explore this.

Workshops Include:

• Habitat Gardening with Native Plants
• The Present State of the O.C. Sustainability Community
• National Security & Endangered Species
• Make a Difference 101
• California’s Landmark Clean Energy & Climate Solutions Law (AB 32): Opportunities & Threats
• Transition Town Laguna Beach: A Founding Member’s Story of Personal & Communal Transformation

Conference Schedule:

8:30 Registration
9:00 Welcome
Invocation: Rev. Gary Collins
Special Music: Daniel Nahmod
9:15 Keynote Address: Bishop William Swing
10:15 Break
10:30 Session I Workshops
11:45 Lunch
1:00 Earth Celebration
1:20 Break
1:30 Session II Workshops
2:45 Closing

Download the Conference Brochure Here.

Download the Registration Form Here.

Register On-Line.