Conference to examine ecosystem, nonviolence

The day will include a vegetarian box lunch.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University and EverGreen Ministries will sponsor a conference that will focus on treating the ecosystem, soil, animals and each other in a nonviolent way, and creating a future that is sustainable.
The conference, titled Eco-Justice: Seeking a Nonviolent Future, will run from 10 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. on Nov. 5 at YSU's Kilcawley Center. It is sponsored by the James Dale Ethics Center, WYSU-FM, Rayen College of Engineering and Technology, and the Sisters of the Humility of Mary.
"Eco-Justice means seeking a right relationship with each other and with our ecosystem," said Sister Barbara O'Donnell, HM, who directs the EverGreen ministries at Villa Maria. "People can relate to each other as humans, and we can relate to the earth."
Featured speakers
James Quilligan, author of "The Brandt Equation: 21st Century Blueprint for a New Global Economy," will speak on "Impact of Globalization on Sustainability."
Coleen LeDrew will speak on "Eco-Villages: A Seed Vision for a Sustainable Future." An eco-village is a community where people exist in cultural, economic and spiritual harmony and sustainability. This may include common gardens and other shared responsibilities for the good of the people and planet.
Following that, all participants are invited to share in vegetarian box lunches.
After lunch, YSU faculty member Chris Bache, who teaches Eastern religion and thought, and also specializes in consciousness research, transpersonal studies, and reincarnation, will speak on "The Eco-Crisis and the Future Human."
Dean Cynthia Hirtzel will share her views on "Animal Rights in a Disposable Society."
From 3 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., there will be 45-minute conversation circles. There are 10 topics, so people may choose two. They include "Voluntary Simplicity," "Organic Gardening," "Media" (how the media impacts society), "Youth and the Future," and "Environmental Racism."
The conference is free and open to the public, but the sponsors ask for a count for the box lunch, which costs $5. Call (724) 964-8920 ext. 3387, or e-mail cfanfer@humilityofmary.org.