Author Archives: Jonas

Earth Day April 22, 2024

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Jonas

New England is known for its unpredictable weather, but thankfully it’s blue skies today here in Boston on Earth Day. Celebrations and activities are happening around the globe. Here’s an excerpt from today’s edition of historian Heather Cox Richardson‘s Substack … Continue reading →

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Ecospirituality

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Jonas

Throughout the history of religions, spiritual practices have been sources of compassion, empathy, and hope for individuals and communities, especially in turbulent times. In this time of climate crisis, people are turning to new forms of spirituality or ecosprituality as … Continue reading →

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The Oak Tree

Posted on September 22, 2023 by Jonas

Paul Harvey begins Howard Thurman and the Disinherited: A Religious Biography, his biography of the African American philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader, with the following description: As a boy growing up in a small black community situated by … Continue reading →

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“Whether wings and feathers or hands and fingers”

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Jonas

It’s Earth Day today and I’m thinking about J. Drew Lanham, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University, the subject of a post I wrote a couple of years ago. I was happy to see that he received … Continue reading →

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Personhood, Intelligence, and Happy the Elephant

Posted on March 16, 2023 by Jonas

The November 16, 2021 issue of The Atlantic contained an article by the journalist and Harvard University American History professor Jill Lepore titled “The Elephant Who Could Be a Person.” According to the article’s lede, “The most important animal-rights case … Continue reading →

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The Rights of Nature

Posted on December 6, 2022 by Jonas

“Enough about Human Rights!What about Whale Rights? What about Snail Rights?What about Seal Rights? What about Eel Rights?What about Coon Rights? What about Loon Rights?What about Wolf Rights? What about, what about, what aboutWhat about Moose Rights? What about Goose … Continue reading →

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Are Modern Science and Indigenous People’s TEK Compatible?

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Jonas

A recent article in The Guardian * described efforts of scientists working with members of New Zealand’s indigenous people, the Māori, to save the kauri (Agathis australis). It’s a species of tree native to New Zealand which can grow to over … Continue reading →

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Jane Goodall – A Messenger of Hope

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Jonas

Some days I find it hard to be positive about our planet’s future. A recent front page headline in the Boston Globe (5/21/27) read “Early heat a sign of what’s to come.” The forecast for that day was 92 degrees or … Continue reading →

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“This is a fossil fuel war”

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Jonas

On February 28th, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its sixth assessment. According to Conservation International CEO M. Sanjayan, “This IPCC report marks a turning point in the fight against climate change. It forces us to reckon … Continue reading →

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TEK

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Jonas

In 2015 at the conclusion of the UN Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) COP21, the 196 participating nations produced a treaty aimed at addressing climate change. Called the Paris Agreement, it was the first time a COP document stated that the … Continue reading →

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