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PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION

This year marks the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and Pope Leo XIV calls upon all people of goodwill to renew their commitment to the stewardship of our common home. In his 2025 message, the Holy Father reflects on a decade of ecological conversion, urging us toward deeper solidarity, sustainable action, and prayerful contemplation of God’s creation. Let us help spread this message of hope, responsibility, and unity in caring for the Earth and the most vulnerable among us.

In a world increasingly marked by environmental crisis, conflict, and inequality, our JPIC (Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation) commitment becomes ever more urgent. The theme for this year calls us to cultivate peace, and to deepen our ecological conversion through prophetic action rooted in faith, solidarity, and hope. Let us walk together through this Season with courage, compassion, and creativity—listening to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor. You can read the full message here: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/creation/documents/20250630-messaggio-giornata-curacreato.html

(source: JPIC newsletter)

SEPTEMBER 21 – INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) is observed around the world each year on 21 September. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace. This is a long-established universal website that serves all involved in Peace Day, beginning annually with the 100-day Countdown. Let us all create Peace Day every day! (source: JPIC newsletter)

SEPTEMBER 29 – INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR AWARENESS FOR FOOD LOSS AND WASTE 

The world’s population, currently at 8.2 billion, is expected to grow to close to 9.7 billion people by 2050 (UNDESA, 2024). Ensuring a food secure world – where current and future populations have access to sufficient nutritious food – crucially requires new ways of working, and concerted efforts to improve the sustainability and resilience of agrifood systems globally. (source: JPIC newsletter)

REDEFINING URBAN SUSTAINABILITY IN LAGOS

Amara Nwuneli, just 17, has made history as the first Nigerian to win the Earth Prize for Africa. Her project, Preserve Our Roots, transforms neglected urban spaces into “green sustainability parks” that serve as both ecological sanctuaries and educational hubs. Growing up in Lagos—a city of over 17 million where green spaces make up less than 3% of the land—Amara recognized the urgent need to

address urban heat, poor air quality, biodiversity loss, and health impacts. With the support of volunteers and donors, she launched a prototype eco-park in Ikota using recycled materials. It now stands as a “living classroom,” where youth learn about climate resilience and environmental stewardship. The Earth Prize, one of the world’s top environmental competitions for youth, awarded Amara US $12,500. This recognition includes funding, mentorship, and training to bring her vision to life. With the prize in hand, Amara plans to expand her model by building three more parks in underserved Nigerian communities—reaching tens of thousands with green spaces, sustainable infrastructure, and climate education. (source: JPIC newsletter)

JPIC COMMISSION ASKS TO SIGN A STATEMENT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE

The Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Commission sent out a newsletter. In one of the articles the commission asks its readers to sign a statement for climate justice.

Religious communities around the world are being called to step forward. A campaign, launched during the recent webinar “Religious Life for Climate Justice: Turning Hope into Action” (July 25, 2025), urges religious congregations and ministries to align their spiritual commitments with concrete ecological action.

Grounded in the spirit of Laudato Si’ and in preparation for COP30, the campaign highlights the vital role of religious life in:

– Promoting climate justice rooted in moral responsibility
– Listening to the cries of the Earth and the poor
– Engaging in advocacy, education, and ecological conversion

Available in five languages, the resources and reflections from the event amplify voices from the Global South and offer tools to inspire faith-based action.

Sign the statement here: https://www.ecojesuit.com/ndcs-for-cop30/

RECENT CHANGES IN THIS WEBSITE: ARTICLES FROM KOSMOS JOURNAL

From early on, the end of each module on this website contains a section with articles for further reading and deepening. Recently these sections have been updated. Articles were added and removed. Most articles in these sections are from Kosmos Journal.

Some information about Kosmos Journal: The Kosmos Journal Mission is to inform, inspire and engage individual and collective participation for global transformation in harmony with all Life. This is achieved by sharing transformational thinking and policy initiatives, aesthetic beauty and wisdom, local to global.

The roots of Kosmos Journal are at the United Nations, where a group of globally-conscious, spiritually-oriented people, including NGO staff and ambassadors, integral thinkers and peacebuilders began meeting in the year 2000. This was the beginning of what eventually became Kosmos Journal.

Since that time, a growing community of noted authors, local and global activists, world spiritual figures, economists and ecologists have been speaking urgently of a world in crisis and of a simultaneous awakening across many fields of endeavor to an elevated consciousness, no longer based on greed, competition, and scarcity, but one informed by fresh expressions of cooperation, ancestral wisdom, community-building, sharing, and innovation at all scales from local to global.

Now in its third decade, Kosmos Journal informs, engages and inspires by transformational thinking, practice and policy grounded in spiritual wisdom and aesthetic beauty.

Visit Kosmos Journal at this link: https://www.kosmosjournal.org/article

THE GREAT LADY OF DEEP ECOLOGY DIED

In the last days of July Joanna Macy died.  More than 20 years I learned about the deep ecology activist Joanna Macy ( May 2, 1929- July 19, 2025)

Joanna was an American environmental activist, author of various books on Deep Ecology. She was a scholar and was a spokesperson for anti-nuclear causes, justice and peace issues and environmentalism. Her most known book is Coming back to Life: Practices to Reconnect our lifes, Our World, and the process of the Great Turning. She was a great teacher and created a theoretical framework  for personal and social change, general systems theory and deep ecology.

She died in Berkeley, California on July 19, 2025 at the age of 96.

We remember and honor this great gentle teacher and keeper of the Earth. Thank you Joanna for your great love for the World and all life. You changed my life and the lives of many others.

REFLECTIONS ON RELIGION AND ECOLOGY: YALE ALUMNI SPEAK FROM THE FIELD

We wanted to share with you this new project: “Reflections on Religion and Ecology: Yale Alumni Speak from the Field”. A wide-ranging project featuring interviews from Yale alumni to explore the hearts and minds of those working at the intersection of spiritual leadership and environmental action, faith, ecology, and justice.

It is a first-of-its-kind alumni interview series from the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, featuring over 20 graduates of Yale Divinity School and the Yale School of the Environment.

More information and the interviews can be found here: https://fore.yale.edu/Resources/Multimedia/Video/Reflections-on-Religion-Ecology-Yale-Alumni-Speak-from-the-Field