Faith communities committed to cherishing living earth..

MISSION:

We are an institute of people of many faiths, united in our diversity through our common commitment to earthkeeping.  Our aim is to support the faith communities in fulfilling their environmental & socio-economic responsibility.

 

 

OBJECTIVES:

In the spirit of our respective faiths, through collaboration, networking, research & action, our objectives are to:

1. raise environmental awareness

2. engage in formulating policy & ethical guidelines within our faith communities

3. facilitate environmental responsibility & action

4. confront environmental & socio-economic injustices

5. support environmental training and learning.

 

We uphold as core values the principles of the Earth Charter:

 

I.                    Respect and care for the community of life

Following these four broad commitments:

1.      Respect Earth and life in all its diversity

2.      Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion and love.

3.      Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.

4.      Secure Earth’s bounty and beauty for present and future generations.

II.         Ecological integrity

Protect and restore the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life.

III.        Social and economic justice

Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative.

IV.        Democracy, non-violence and peace

Strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, and provide transparency and accountability in governance, inclusive participation in decision making and access to justice.

Treat all living beings with respect and consideration.

Promote a culture of tolerance, non-violence and peace.

HARTBEESPOORT DECLARATION

We, the delegates to the South African Council of Churches Environment Conference meeting at Hartbeespoort, March 14-17, 2005, agree that nation-wide and global environmental degradation is One of the most urgent moral concerns of our century.

We note with dismay:

1. The destruction of our ecosystems;
2. The ever widening gap between excessive wealth and abject poverty:
3. The injustices of the global economy that are a direct cause of contemporary socio- economic problems and environmental destruction;
4. The rampant consumerism that is eroding our spiritual values and threatening God’s creation;
5. The underhanded promotion of Genetically Modified Organisms and the monopoly of trans-national corporations in food production;
6. The destruction of biodiversity and degradation of habitats through monoculture agriculture and forestry;
7. The devastating impact of global warming and climate change;
8. The long term consequences of the use of nuclear energy and fossil fuels.

We believe that faith based communities have a significant role to play in the nurturing and protection of God’s creation. We call on religious leaders to place environmental justice at the forefront of their agenda, to promote a value based economic system and take steps to safeguard the future of our children and planet earth.

We call on our government, and the governments of the world, to establish a just economic system, favouring people before profits.

We affirm our responsibility towards God’s creation because of our love for the Creator and in obedience to the scriptural imperative to love our neighbour which must include future generations.

We ask all South African faith groups to support the establishment and development of a South African Faith Communities’ Environmental Institute to promote the care and nurturing of all of God’s Creation.

17th March 2005