Australian Religious Response to Climate Change: Conference 2024

Earth Wisdom
Hope in Action

4 to 6 October 2024
Santa Sabina College
90 The Boulevarde
Strathfield, NSW 2135

The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) warmly invites you to participate in our second national Conference.

ARRCC has a unique role in Australia in bringing together diverse people of faith as witnesses to both our common humanity and respect for the earth.

Groups and communities in many different parts of the country have supported ARRCC’s work on Faiths 4 Climate Justice, ethical investment, solidarity with First Nations people and challenging new coal and gas projects.

Come along and meet like-minded people of faith who have been taking action on the climate crisis.

The Conference will be an opportunity to hone our skills and capacity to do this more effectively.

What will you get from coming?

The conference will:

• Create a better shared understanding of ARRCC’s strategy & how we collaborate with partners to achieve change
• Strengthen networks among people who live near each other & could work together
• Include more people from diverse faiths & communities
• Build up skills & confidence to organise at a local level

We will share and learn with the help of inspirational First Nations leaders, skilled community organisers, faith leaders and experts in their fields.

Catering

We are pleased to let participants know that we have organised catering by the House of Welcome, a social enterprise creating employment pathways through fusion-inspired global cuisine.

All meals and morning and afternoon teas will be provided, except breakfasts. Food will be vegetarian or vegan. Strictly kosher or halal food can be arranged on request. No alcohol will be served at the venue. Please inform us of your dietary needs for either medical or religious reasons.

Some of our wisdom speakers so far

Prof Anne Poelina	Aunty McRose Elu	Tim Buckley
Dr James Whelan	Sophia Walter	Prof Mehmet Ozalp

Professor Anne Poelina, Nyikina Warrwa community leader, human & earth rights advocate, researcher

Aunty McRose Elu, advocate for Torres Strait communities and climate action

Tim Buckley, Founder & Director, Climate Energy Finance

Professor Mehmet Ozalp, Head of School, Centre for Islamic Studies, Charles Sturt University

Sophia Walter, Deputy Director, Solutions Team, Climate Action Network Australia

Dr James Whelan, strategist, researcher & climate activist

Bhante Sujato, teacher in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, climate advocate

Steve Biddulph, best-selling parenting author of twenty-first century, climate advocate

 

     Spacious grounds at Santa Sabina, which includes rose gardens.

Conference outline

Conference participants are welcome to arrive after 4 pm and mingle.

Each morning and afternoon of the conference will begin with prayer or meditation in one of the great religious traditions.

Friday night

• Welcome. Before dinner, we hope to hold a brief ceremony called “Kiddush” to welcome Shabbat.
• Welcome to Country, introductions
• Multi-faith prayer
• Local ARRCC groups share highlights and challenges.

Saturday

• Keynote address by Nyikina Warrwa woman, Professor Anne Poelina, “Listening, Feeling and Healing through Ancient Wisdom”, followed by other wisdom speakers.
• Small group sharing, where possible among people located near one other
• Concurrent workshops
• Saturday evening
• Informal conference dinner, musical performances & poetry from diverse communities at the venue

Sunday

• Prayer and meditation
• Wisdom speakers
• Concurrent workshops

There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions and contribute, with breaks in which people can network with each other. When you leave, you will have had a chance to think about where you might best contribute in your own local context.

Prayer space

A Prayer and Meditation space will be available on site. Conference participants are very welcome to take time out for prayer or meditation at any time, in accordance with their religious observances.

Getting there

Have a look at the GoogleMap here. Please consider low-carbon travel options, or off-set air travel via Greenfleet.

We will endeavour to facilitate ride-sharing for people travelling to Sydney by car. See the relevant questions in the  Google form at the bottom of this page.

As a rule of thumb, travelling by car is less carbon intensive per person once there is a second person in the car sharing the trip. 

Accommodation

The conference does not have any hotel accommodation deals. For low-cost options, you could try Airbnb or Stayz.

We can offer some billeting, but cannot guarantee availability. If you can either offer a bed or if you need one, please contactinfo@arrcc.org.auby September 25 and also let us know when you fill out the form below to register.

 

How to register and pay

There is a registration form at the bottom of this page. 

It gives you the option to pay by credit card, PayPail or bank transfer.

Registrations are not considered complete until payment is received. The closing date for registrations is 1 October 2024. Contact info@arrcc.org.au if you want to register after this date.

The fees include all meals except breakfasts. When you register, please select one of the following options:

• $290 passionate supporter
• $250 full fee
• $130 concession
• $120 (including Conference dinner) – Saturday only
• $80 – Sunday only

There is also the option to add an extra donation to enable participation by people on low incomes.

Sorry, Conference fees are not tax-deductible. However, any additional donations are.

ARRCC recognises that some people are being unduly squeezed by cost-of-living pressures. If the ticket costs are too much for your circumstances, please contact the organising team via info@arrcc.org.au.

Likewise, if you can offer a donation above your own ticket cost, it would enable us to subsidise students, renters and other people struggling with disadvantages.

 

Register here

(scroll to bottom of page)