Event description

Join us for our July “Kinship” Webinar, when we are joined by four fascinating speakers from different faith traditions - First Nations, Catholicism, Baha'i and Islam - who will be sharing their insights about human-nature kinship.

Our Webinar Series: “Kinship: exploring human-nature connections” features speakers from around Australia and around the world, who share their insights into how they connect with and celebrate ‘nature’. Human beings are (of course) part of nature, but by reflecting on the cultural, bioregional, linguistic and practical ways that humans engage with, celebrate and care for ‘nature’, we can enrich our understanding of what it means to be part of the Earth community.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

LISA BUXTON

Lisa is from Bundjalung and Yugambeh Country. She is the Executive Officer of Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in the Archdiocese of Sydney and has been involved in Aboriginal Education with children and adults for almost 30 years, developing with Oomera (Coral) Ewards, Guyunggu: An Aboriginal Way of Being, and in 2020, Yurunnhang Bungil Nyumba: Infusing Aboriginal ways of being into teaching practice in Australia for her Doctor of Education.

SALLY NEAVES

Sally is the Integral Ecology Animator and mission, ministry resource coordinator of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea. She has a background in leading ecological theology programs, facilitating retreats and teaching permaculture. She coordinates education and on the ground projects supporting the Papal Encyclical 'Laudato Si’. This includes the following projects: “10,000 for 10” which has the ambition of tree planting and tree protection across all Catholic Religious land in Australia, the post-disaster ecology project “Slow the Flow, Eugowra” and creating the Blayney Eco Hub in the parish of Blayney, NSW.

DALLAS CAMPBELL

Dallas Campbell has been a member of the Baha’i community since the age of fifteen, and has been engaged in Baha’i-inspired community-building initiatives, with a focus on raising the capacity of children and youth to participate in processes of social change. She is passionate about discovering and sharing the intersections between Faith and the natural world with others. She is a specialist in aquatic ecology and has recently worked in the consulting industry. She is currently serving as the Grounds Coordinator at the Baha’i House of Worship in Mona Vale, Sydney. She studied environmental science at Murdoch University in Western Australia and graduated with an Honours in nutrient cycling of freshwater streams.

MEHMET OZALP

Mehmet is a Professor of Islamic Studies and a Muslim community leader in Australia. He founded and directs the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation at Charles Sturt University. He also established the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy (ISRA) and is its Executive Director. With 48 publications, including four books and in the role of editor-in-chief of the Australian Journal of Islamic Studies, he is a prolific writer. Mehmet's leadership extends beyond academia, as he is spearheading the Museum of Islamic Art -Australia and its establishment.

WEBINAR HOSTS
DR MICHELLE MALONEY

Dr Michelle Maloney is an Earth lawyer and advocate for ecocentric governance. She is recognised for her work advocating for Earth centred law and governance, including First Laws and the Rights of Nature. Michelle is Co-Founder and Director of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA), and Co-Founder and Director of Future Dreaming and the New Economy Network Australia. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science and History) and Laws (Honours) from the Australian National University and a PhD in Law from Griffith University.

ANNE LANYON

Anne is the volunteer Co-ordinator of the Faith Ecology Network and has been involved since it began as a work of the Columban Mission Institute's Centre for Peace, Ecology and Justice in 2003. She has a strong belief that now is the time for the faith traditions and the ecological sciences to listen and learn from and collaborate with each other as we move rapidly into the technological age.

ABOUT THE FAITH ECOLOGY NETWORK

The Faith Ecology Network (FEN) is an Australian hub for strengthening an interfaith dialogue between science and religion in the interests of advancing ecological consciousness and care for the Earth. We encourage action between different faith communities regarding ecological insights through holding events, producing publications and sharing information through our networks and on social media. Visit the website here - https://www.faithecology.net.au/

ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN EARTH LAWS ALLIANCE (AELA)
AELA is a not-for-profit organisation working to increase the understanding and practical implementation of Earth-centred (ecocentric) governance, with a focus on systems change across law, economics, education, ethics and community participation in Australia. AELA's work includes education programs and project support for people, communities and organisations working to create ecocentric systems change.

For more information, visit our website: www.earthlaws.org.au or email us anytime: aela@earthlaws.org.au

ABOUT THE UTS TRANSDISCIPLINARY SCHOOL

Transdisciplinary School is a world-leading pan-university unit at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Transdisciplinary thinking seeks to build bridges between fields of study and expertise, so diverse perspectives can intersect, ideas can be shared more fluidly between industries, and people can thrive through exposure to new ways of thinking in order to find novel approaches to the challenges of our time.
For more information: https://www.uts.edu.au/about/faculties/transdisciplinary-school

ABOUT FUTURE DREAMING

Future Dreaming Australia is a not-for-profit, Indigenous and non-Indigenous partnership organisation that works to share cross cultural ecological knowledge to build a better future for all of us.

For more information: www.futuredreaming.org.au

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE KINSHIP SERIES

If you have questions, or would like to suggest future topics or speakers for the kinship series, please email us anytime: aela@earthlaws.org.au-
Updates about the kinship series will be shared on AELA's website - https://www.earthlaws.org.au/our-programs/human-nature-connections/