A Conversation on Religion and the Environment: Academia, Community, Activism
The planetary ecological crisis impacts every dimension of human life, not least the religious and spiritual. This event will feature flash-talks and panel discussion from six speakers whose academic research, environmental activism, and faith-based community building are informed in distinct ways by concern for life on our planet. Their backgrounds span the humanities and STEM, and blend community leadership inside and outside academia. This event seeks to speak across disciplines, and to build bridges between the university community and the broader public. All are welcome; food and drinks provided!
This event is open to the general public. To park on campus, we recommend either the Danforth University Center (DUC) Garage or the Millbrook Garage. Visitor parking is free after 5 pm. The Ann W. Olin Women's Building is a short walk from these parking garages; the Formal Lounge is on the first floor near the main building entrance.
This event is organized by the Religion and Literature Writing Group (RLWG), which is housed in the Department of English. It is made possible by support from the Center for the Humanities, the Center for the Environment, the Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, and the Department of English. See below for information about our speakers!
Top Row: Beth Gutzler, Suzanne Loui, Bernadette Myers
Bottom Row: Rachel Penczykowski, Josh Richardson, Jay Turner
Beth Gutzler is the Lead Environmental Justice Organizer for Metropolitan Congregations United in St. Louis, Missouri. As a faith based community organizer for five years, she has been able to put her own faith into action working for justice in the Midwest. She has combined her Gamaliel organizing training and International Institute for Restorative Practices certification to align people around shared air, water, and land. As board Treasurer for SAVE Leadership, Beth continues to combine her psychology degree and Masters in Business Administration to develop non-profits in the St. Louis Region and bring about policy change in communities.
Suzanne Loui began teaching at Washington University in 2004 and is now a senior lecturer in the Environmental Studies Program. Her field of study is environmental humanities. She has designed courses in keeping with her passion for bridging the humanities with scientific inquiry around topics and challenges of climate change. She has collaborated with colleagues in the fields of physics, ecology, biology, and engineering.
Bernadette Myers is an Assistant Professor of English at WashU, where she specializes in Shakespeare and early modern literature. Her research and teaching often explores how writers from Shakespeare's era understood and wrote about the natural world, and what their perspectives can teach us about our relationship with the environment today. Her current book project, The Nature of London: Urban Ecology and the Early Modern English Stage, argues that early modern plays portray cities not just as human-dominated domains, but as collaborative creations between human and nonhuman forces. Her articles and reviews have appeared in Shakespeare Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies, ISLE and MLQ.
Rachel Penczykowski is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology and Environmental Studies Program. Her lab studies the ecology and evolution of plant-pathogen interactions, including across gradients of climate and urbanization. She also has a special interest in collaborations around urban heat and its mitigation.
Josh Richardson is the Founder and Executive Director of Brugmansia Ministries, an interfaith nonprofit organization that works with faith communities, religious denominations, and other faith-based nonprofits to help prepare local faith organizations for the impacts of climate change and climate-induced migration through physical, emotional, and spiritual resilience. Josh holds a Master of Public Ministry from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University and a Master of Science in Geological Sciences from Ohio University. He also serves on the religious cabinet of the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis, the board of the Creation Justice Network, as pastor of St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship, and is a fellow with Invested Faith and a missional co-creator with the American Baptist Home Mission Society.
Jay Turner is a Professor of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis. He also serves as the James McKelvey Professor of Engineering Education, Vice Dean for Education, and inaugural Head of the Division of Engineering Education. Jay’s research focuses on air quality characterization – including field measurements, lab analysis, and data analysis–for air quality planning and management and exposure studies. Jay is a past president of the American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) and served six years on the EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB).
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