MCLA’s Green Living Seminar Returns with ‘Nature and Spirituality’ Series
NORTH ADAMS — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ (MCLA) popular Green Living Seminar series returns this spring with “Nature and Spirituality,” a 12-week exploration of how faith, religion, and spiritual traditions shape our relationship with the natural world.
The series launches Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 5:30 p.m., in The Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation (FCSI), Room 121 with poet David Crews presenting ‘Land & The Spiritual Journey.’
All sessions are free and open to the public.
“This semester’s theme examines the profound connections between spirituality and environmental stewardship,” said Elena Traister, MCLA professor of environmental studies and the series’ organizer. “From Indigenous perspectives to climate activism rooted in faith, these conversations are more relevant than ever.”
The rest of the spring 2026 schedule is as follows: (All sessions Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in FCSI 121)
Feb. 4: – ‘Faith Under Fire: How Religion Shapes Climate Concern in the Middle East’ with Nimah Mazaheri, Professor of Political Science and Dean of Academic Affairs, Tufts University;
Feb. 11: ‘Mindful Birding and the Science of Awe: Improving Our Health & Saving the Planet’ with Dave Edson, educator and naturalist;
Feb. 18: ‘How Religion Influences Our Relationship with the Environment’ with Alexander de Sherbinin, Director and Senior Research Scientist, Columbia Climate School’s Center for Integrated Earth System Information (CIESIN);
Feb. 25: ‘Tribal Historic Preservation in the Stockbridge-Munsee Ancestral Homeland’ with Bonney Hartley, tribal historic preservation manager, Stockbridge-Munsee Community;
March 4: ‘Nature, Well-Being, and Indigenous Perspectives on the Interconnectedness of People and Creation’ with Wahieñhawi “Hawi” Hall, assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services and Community Liaison for Indigenous Students, Cornell Health;
March 11: ‘Emerson’s Transcendentalism and Ecology: Politics Beyond Cynicism’ with Russell C. Powell, research associate, Harvard Divinity School Center for the Study of the World Religions;
March 25: ‘Caring for the Sacred in Nature: The Role of Cultural and Spiritual Values in Landscape Stewardship’ with Jessica Brown, executive director, New England Biolabs Foundation;
April 1: ‘How the Church Can Engage with the Urgent Moral Crisis of Climate Change’ with Rev. Jim Antal, denominational leader, activist, and public theologian
April 8: ‘How Laws Protecting Birds Strengthen Human Communities’ with Meredith Barges, chair, Lights Out Central NY, PhD Student, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry;
April 15: ‘The Call of the Ecozoic: Religions Enter Their Planetary Phase’ with Sam King, project manager, Journey of the Universe; and
April 22: ‘Landscapes of the Secular: Law, Religion, and American Sacred Space’ with Nicolas C. Howe, professor of Environmental Studies, Williams College
All presentations will be recorded as podcasts available at www.mcla.edu/greenliving.
For more information, contact Elena Traister at elena.traister@mcla.edu or (413) 662-5303.