Environmental Humanities Faculty at the UN World Urban Forum

Several faculty in and supporting Environmental Humanities just spoke at the UN Habitat World Urban Forum 12 (Nov. 4-8) in Cairo, Egypt.  Dr. Stephanie Boddie (Social Work, Environmental Humanities faculty affiliate) and Dr. Joshua King (English, Environmental Humanities Director) shared about their work with the Sustainable Community and Regenerative Agriculture (SCRAP) Collective, and Dr. Paul Martens (Religion, Director of Baylor's Ethics Initiative and Interdisciplinary Programs) organized an interdisciplinary panel focused on interfaith human dignity.  

Attended by over 24,000 people from 182 countries, the UN World Urban Forum is the leading global conference attending to sustainable urban development.  Dr. Boddie and Dr. King discussed the SCRAP Collective, formed by Waco non-profits, the City of Waco, and Baylor programs like the Growing Leaders and Learners Project and the Environmental Humanities. SCRAP is co-creating an ecosystem of urban gardens, farms, educational programs, and composting sites to divert food waste from the landfill and nourish healthy food for all while advancing climate resilience.  Dr. Boddie and Dr. King described the roles of faith and faith communities in SCRAP at the invitation of the Faith Pavilion, the first-ever venue hosted by the World Forum for faith-affiliated groups.  Dr. Martens' panel explored interfaith dialogue about human dignity with Mike Waltner, head of Global Capacity Building at KAICID, and Brett Sharffs, Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU Law.  With support from the School of Social Work and the College of Arts and Sciences, the Baylor Ethics Initiative also co-sponsored the Faith Pavilion at WUF 12.

Between meeting with inspiring leaders in urban sustainability, Drs. Boddie, King, and Martens also managed to be interviewed by Nile TV International, ride camels around the pyramids, and follow a determined guide across police barricades to reach ancient churches... :)

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