MCLA’s Green Living Seminar Series Returns with “Nature and Spirituality“
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is hosting a spring 2026 seminar series, “Nature and Spirituality,” exploring the intersection of environmental concerns, religious beliefs, and Indigenous perspectives. All sessions will be held on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in FCSI 121. Presentations will be recorded and made available as podcasts at www.mcla.edu/greenliving.
Seminar Schedule
- February 4: ‘Faith Under Fire: How Religion Shapes Climate Concern in the Middle East’ with Nimah Mazaheri, Professor of political Science and Dean of Academic Affairs, Tufts University.
- February 11: ‘Mindful Birding and the Science of Awe: Improving Our Health & Saving the planet’ with Dave Edson, educator and naturalist.
- February 18: ‘How Religion Influences Our Relationship with the Environment’ with Alexander de Sherbinin, Director and Senior Research Scientist, Columbia Climate School’s Center for Integrated earth System Information (CIESIN).
- February 25: ‘Tribal historic Preservation in the Stockbridge-Munsee Ancestral Homeland’ with Bonney Hartley,tribal historic preservation manager,Stockbridge-Munsee Community. Learn more about the Stockbridge-Munsee Community.
- March 4: ‘Nature,Well-Being,and Indigenous Perspectives on the Interconnectedness of People and Creation’ with Wahieñhawi “Hawi” Hall,assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services and community Liaison for Indigenous Students,Cornell Health. Find more information about Cornell Health’s Counseling and Psychological Services.
- March 11: ‘Emerson’s Transcendentalism and Ecology: Politics Beyond Cynicism’ with Russell C.Powell, research associate, Harvard Divinity School Center for the Study of the World religions.
- March 25: ‘Caring for the Sacred in Nature: The Role of Cultural and Spiritual Values in Landscape Stewardship’ with Jessica Brown, executive director, New england Biolabs Foundation.
- April 1: ‘How the Church Can Engage with the Urgent moral Crisis of climate Change’ with Rev. Jim Antal, denominational leader, activist, and public theologian.
- April 8: ‘How Laws Protecting Birds strengthen Human Communities’ with Meredith Barges, chair, Lights Out Central NY, PhD Student, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Learn more about Lights Out Central NY.
- April 15: ‘The Call of the Ecozoic: Religions Enter Their Planetary Phase’ with Sam King, project manager, Journey of the Universe. explore the Journey of the Universe project.
- April 22: ‘Landscapes of the Secular: Law, Religion, and American Sacred Space’ with Nicolas C. Howe, professor of Environmental studies, Williams College.
For more information, contact Elena Traister at [email protected] or (413) 662-5303.