An analysis of the goals of 162 organizations in the US, UK, and Canada found differences in framing—but also three common themes that could enable collaborations across sectors. Zavit website
By Tomer Atir, Zevit News Agency for Science and the Environment
When was the last time you worked together with people who are different from you for a common goal? As difficult as it may sound, the climate crisis and the desire for a sustainable lifestyle can be a unifying factor and the basis for broad, cross-sectoral collaborations. Building such coalitions often depends on the alignment of goals, values, identities, or ideologies of the partners. study Hadash examined the rhetoric of secular and religious environmental organizations in the United States, Great Britain, and Canada, and tried to find a common path.
"The research literature indicates a clear division between secular and religious environmental organizations," explains Prof. Tanchum Yoreh, who wrote the study together with Ms. Grace King. Yoreh researches the relationship between religion and the environment at the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto, and teaches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as a visiting lecturer.
He says that people are drawn to environmental activism because of their personal experience with the consequences of environmental crises and their desire to be part of the solutions. When it comes to joining one activity or another, one of the factors that will influence their decision about where to act is the vision of the organization and the fundamental principles that define it. Every movement – religious or secular – has a different message. “Organizations know that the wording of their message and the language they use are important: if your message is ‘familiar,’ people will be drawn to you,” he explains.
The diversity of messages provides fertile ground for research, as evidence of what is similar and what is different at the core of environmental organizations’ activities. The article is based on the goals of 162 environmental organizations. Half of the environmental organizations were secular environmental organizations, and half were religious environmental organizations, mainly Christian, Jewish, and Muslim. “The perception is that secular organizations are oriented towards technical solutions and deal with policy, while religious organizations are concerned with values and morality. The argument is that religious environmental movements touch the hearts of the public more and provide a different motive for action.” However, Yore believes that this framing is problematic; “Every type of environmental activity stems from a certain moral position.”
Different messages, similar goal
The study found that while secular organizations talk about wilderness, religious organizations emphasize the connection between the environment and creation. Another surprising difference is the use of the term "sustainability" in its various connotations. The use of the term in religious organizations was twice as common as in secular organizations. "The difference has to do with the way each type of organization used the term: the secular organizations used it as a noun, as a goal to be achieved. In contrast, the religious organizations used 'sustainability' as a verb or as an adjective," he explains. According to him, the difference stems from the different focuses of the organizations. While a secular organization would define sustainability as a goal, a religious organization would adopt it as part of a process of dealing with environmental damage that strives to achieve a goal such as justice.
"We need to pay attention to the differences and the enormous diversity among environmental organizations. Our research points to possibilities for collaboration that are especially important in polarized societies across the globe," explains Yore. As part of the research, three themes were found common to the rhetoric of all the organizations, in which they see potential for creating connections despite the obvious differences. The common themes are: people, community, and life. "Each organization will use them differently, but these are cornerstones of society that people need regardless of political or religious views." According to Yore, these factors sometimes serve as "glue" within the human diversity that exists in environmental organizations, even if they get lost in public discourse.
The study highlights the strengths of each type of organization. Secular environmental movements have the ability to translate science into policy and educate the public. Religious movements are deeply rooted in a strong, networked community, with concentrations of economic and political power. According to the study, using the power and influence of each type of organization will be a key part of promoting sustainability. The idea of bringing together different people to create environmental coalitions is not new, and it may be valuable for other social goals. For example, As she suggested Dr. Gal Hagit Carasso Romano, Head of the Sustainability Division at Tel Hai Academic College and a graduate interface programThe environmental characteristics of the Haredi community can bring together sectors in Israel.
New waste commandments
For Yoreh, too, the environment allows communities to connect into larger groups. "I wear two hats," he explains. "One, as a researcher in academia, who deals with the tensions of the field of religious studies. The other, as someone who cares about these issues and tries to integrate environmental activity into his religious community." In this framework, he and several other community members participate in the sustainability committee of his synagogue in Toronto. "We produce content and bring it to the community. For example, last Rosh Hashanah we did something called 'Reverse Throw.'"
Yore explains that unlike the traditional "tashlich" ritual, in which a person throws bread crumbs into a water source to cleanse themselves of their sins, the "reverse tashlich" had an ecological twist. "We gathered at one of the waterways located throughout Toronto, a group of 30 representatives from the community, to clean the water and collect trash." When strangers passed by and asked what was happening, "we could proudly say that we are part of a religious community and are doing environmental work," he says excitedly. "People from the outside could say after that: 'This community cares about the environment, and these people are trying to make the world a better place to live.'" According to Yore, identifying with such activity can help build environmental coalitions. "We hope to create similar collaborations with other synagogues, different religious communities, and also with non-religious environmental organizations," he concludes.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
