In honor of its 50th Anniversary
the Temple of Understanding hosted an historic
Interfaith Visionary Call To Action Conference
on Sustainable Development
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 • The Pierre Hotel • NYC
The leaders of international interfaith organizations, along
with other eminent interfaith visionaries, convened for the first time in 50 years to explore the role of the interfaith movement in addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development.
The statement from the conference was delivered by Van Jones to Robert Orr, the Under Secretary General of the UN on October 19, 2010 at the 50th Anniversary Gala.
Statement from the Call to Action Conference of Interfaith Visionaries, organized by the Temple of Understanding:
On October 19, 2010, 120 interfaith visionaries, environmental experts, civic and business leaders met in New York City to engage in a creative conversation to explore how they are uniquely positioned and poised to help shape the transformational potential of this intersection of ecology and religion.
This conversation helped define the potential role that the broader interfaith community can play in the effective work of the Interfaith Consortium for an Ecological Civilization (ICEC). We affirm that environmental concerns are moral and spiritual concerns, not just political concerns, and that action must begin locally.
The Interfaith Visionaries who Attended included:
Mr. Macky Alston, Trustee, Hartley Film Foundation
Mr. Jay Banerjei, Co-Founder, One People
Mrs. Molly Banerjei, Co-Founder, One People
H.H. Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Founder and Spiritual Director, Kashi Ashram (represented by Swami Anjani)
The Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham, Founder and President, Interfaith Power and Light
Dr. Josef Boehle, Coordinator, UNESCO Chair in Interfaith Studies University of Birmingham, UK
Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke, President, World Congress of Faiths
Dr. Patrice Brodeur, Canada Research Chair on Islam,
Pluralism, and Globalization, University of Montreal
Dr. Suheil Bushrui, Baha’i Chair for World Peace,
University of Maryland
Ms. Majora Carter, Founder, Sustainable South Bronx
Rev. Paul Chaffee, Executive Director, Interfaith Center
at the Presidio
Mr. Simon Cohen, Founder and Managing Director,
Global Tolerance
Rev. Dirk Ficca, Executive Director, Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions
Rev. James Forbes, Founder and President, Healing of the Nations Foundation
Ms. Tonya Gonnella Frichner, Founder and President, American Indian Law Alliance
Dr. Carolyne Fuqua, Founder and President, Circles of Light
Mr. Homi Gandhi, President, Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York
The Rev. Cannon Charles P. Gibbs, Executive Director, United Religions Initiative
Dr. Daniel Gomez-Ibanez, Founder, The International
Committee for the Peace Council
Ms. Bettina Gray, Chairperson, North American Interfaith
Network
Mr. Herman F. Greene, President, Center for Ecozoic
Studies
Mr. Alex Grey, Co-Founder, CoSM, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
Mrs. Allyson Grey, Co-Founder, CoSM, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
Dr. John Allen Grim, Senior Lecturer and Research Scholar,
Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, Yale University
Rev. Fletcher Harper, Executive Director, GreenFaith
Rev. Dr. Katharine Rhodes Henderson, President, Auburn
Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President, Union Theologcial Seminary
Van Jones, Professor, Department of African American Studies, Princeton University
Fr. Robert Kennedy Roshi, Zen teacher, Morning Star Zendo
Ms. Daisy Khan, Executive Director, American Society for Muslim Advancement
Rev. Dr. Paul Knitter, Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World, and Culture, Union Theological Seminary
Imam Khalid Latif, Director and Chaplain, Islamic Center, New York University
Ven. Dr. Chung-Ok Lee, Executive Director, United Nations Affairs
and Inter-religious Work, Won Buddhism International
Rev. William Lesher, Chair Emeritus, Council for a
Parliament of the World’s Religions
Ms. Kay Lindahl, Founder, The Listening Center
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, National Geographic Fellow,
National Geographic
Professor T.T. Liu, Executive Director, Foundation for World Freedom and Democracy
Mr. Clark Lobenstine, Executive Director, Interfaith Conference of the Metropolitan Washington
Professor Johnny Lu, Founder, Jewelry Institute of America
Chief Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper, Onondago Nation
Dr. Daniel Martin, Founder, International Center for Religion and the Earth
Dr. Thomas Mathew, President, International Association for Religious Freedom
Fr. Paul Mayer, Co-Founder, Climate Crisis Coalition
Ms. Dena Merriam, Founder and Convener, Global Peace Initiative of Women
Rev. Yoshinobu Miyake, Superior General of the Konko Church of Izuo, United Religions International
Dame Dr. Prof. Meher Master Moos, President, Zoroastrian College
Very Rev. James Parks Morton, President, Interfatih
Center of New York
Shri Vivek Muniji Disciple of His Holiness Acharya Sushil Kumarji Maharaj ( represented by Gautam Oswal, Secretary-General , International Mahavir Jain MIssion, India )
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Chairman, The Cordoba Initiative
Dr. Steven C. Rockefeller, Co-Chair, The Earth Charter International Council
Mr. Marc Scheuer, Director, Alliance of Civilizations
Bhai Sahib Dr. Mohinder Singh, Chairman, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha
Ms. Rajinderjit K. Singh, President, East and West Association of Sikh Women for World Peace
Rev. Helen Summers, Founder and Director, The Interfaith Center of Melbourne
Mr. Jake Swamp, President, Tree of Peace Society
The Rt. Rev. William Swin, Founder and President, United Religions Initiative
Dharma Master Hsin Tao, Founder, Museum of World Religions represented by Dr. Maria Reis Habito
Dr. Robert Thurman, Co-Founder, Tibet House
Rabbi Lawrence Troster, Director, Fellowship Program, GreenFaith
Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker, Senior Lecturer and Senior Scholar, Department of Religious Studies, Yale University
Dr. William Vendley, Secretary General, Religions for Peace
The Reverend Dr. Franklin Vilas, Trustee, International Communities for the Renewal of the Earth
Mr. Stein Villumstad, Deputy Secretary General, World Council of Religions for Peace
Mr. Steven Waldman, Co-Founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief, Beliefnet.com
Honorable Yao Eng-Chi, President, World League for Freedom and Democracy
Master Cheng Yen, Founder, Tzu Chi Foundation (represented by Mr. George Chang)
Environmental Advisers who attended included:
Dr. Robert Bell, Chairman of the Economics Department, Brooklyn College
Mrs. Juanita Castaño, Director, New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme
Father John Chryssavgis, Founder, St. Andrew’s Theological College
Rev. Dr. Kurt Johnson, Co-Founder, International Contemplative Alliance
Mr. Dan Miner, Chair, Sierra Club, New York City Group
Mr. Brian Rosborough, Founding Chairman, Earthwatch Institute
Ms. Cynthia Sampson, Freelance editor and writer on environmental peacemaking, religion, and ecology
Mr. James Sniffen, Program Officer, United Nation Environment Programme, NYC
Mr. Tim Toben, Chair, NC Energy Policy Council
Honored Interfaith Visionary — Professor Johnny Lu is the founder of the Jewelry Institute of America and has made great contributions to charity, world peace and environmental protection over the past 50 years. He has met regularly with global religious leaders and was granted a Jubilee 2000 license by Pope John Paul II. He has been awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, recognizing outstanding American immigrants. An active philanthropist, he pioneered the use of jewelry, like the Wish Pearl, to raise interfaith understanding.