16 How Does Faith Influence Pro-Environmental Practice in Schools? …
315
respect for nature, and conservation of nature is emphasized in their teachings”
(p. 224). Acknowledging that Hinduism is a remarkably diverse religious and cultural
phenomenon, Jain (2010) outlines what the diverse theologies of Hinduism suggest
in their teaching on the environment. “The earth can be seen as a manifestation of
the goddess and must be treated with respect, and dharma (duty) can be reinterpreted
to include our responsibility to care for the earth” (p. 1).
Chan and Islam (2015) investigated the environmental viewpoints and behaviours
of six key religions in Singapore—Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Islam, Protestant and
Taoism—and concluded that “while an apparent gap between environmental beliefs
and actual environmental action persists, there is a desire by religious members
for more societal activism and support with regard to protecting the environment”
(p. 177). They also found a striking contrast between Singapore and the level of environmental activism that religions exhibit in the world, which they attribute largely
to ‘environmental activism’ being frowned upon by the Singapore Government. Yet
they did find support for more societal activism: “all six religions felt that the environment can be better protected if religious groups work with each other, that they
should do so, and do more about environmental matters” (p. 184).
Islam does not view nature as being exclusively for human use:
The Quran requires humans to obey what God has ordered. Since all living things were
created by God with different functions they need to be looked after and protected. Humans
are warned against the abuse of natural resources and of consequent imbalances in nature.
(Yencken et al. 2000, p. 224)
Islam also focuses on future generations as its teachings implore that “People
should not abuse, misuse, or distort the natural resources as each generation is entitled to benefit from them but is not entitled to ‘own’ them in an absolute sense”
(Oliver 2008, p. 3). Rice (2006) found support for the presence of an Islamic environmental ethic in Islamic religious teachings in Egypt. Practices such as recycling
wastewater are in keeping with the spirit of Islamic teaching (Farooq and Ansari
1983). After conducting a review of recent research on a number of personal and
social influences on pro-environmental behaviour, including religion, Gifford and
Nilsson (2014) found that overall, only a few empirical studies have been conducted
regarding the importance and potential of faith.
While environmental connections can be dated back to the establishment of a
particular religion, the environmental crisis is acting to drive the momentum to
acknowledge religion’s influence in fostering behaviour change and transforming
societies (Palmer and Finlay 2003; Luetz and Nunn 2020). If we accept the premise
that the environmental crisis is ultimately a crisis of the mind and that “we see, do
and are what we think, and what we think is shaped by our cultures, faith and beliefs”
(Palmer and Finlay 2003, p. xv), we then need to consider how the mind is developed,
engaged, and ultimately persuaded towards particular courses of action.
Environmental Education is broadly defined as “raising awareness, acquiring new
perspectives, values, knowledge and skills, and formal and informal processes leading
to changed behaviour in support of an ecologically sustainable environment” (Environment Australia 2000, p. 3). Luetz et al. (2020, p. 3) have analysed the literature on
315
respect for nature, and conservation of nature is emphasized in their teachings”
(p. 224). Acknowledging that Hinduism is a remarkably diverse religious and cultural
phenomenon, Jain (2010) outlines what the diverse theologies of Hinduism suggest
in their teaching on the environment. “The earth can be seen as a manifestation of
the goddess and must be treated with respect, and dharma (duty) can be reinterpreted
to include our responsibility to care for the earth” (p. 1).
Chan and Islam (2015) investigated the environmental viewpoints and behaviours
of six key religions in Singapore—Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Islam, Protestant and
Taoism—and concluded that “while an apparent gap between environmental beliefs
and actual environmental action persists, there is a desire by religious members
for more societal activism and support with regard to protecting the environment”
(p. 177). They also found a striking contrast between Singapore and the level of environmental activism that religions exhibit in the world, which they attribute largely
to ‘environmental activism’ being frowned upon by the Singapore Government. Yet
they did find support for more societal activism: “all six religions felt that the environment can be better protected if religious groups work with each other, that they
should do so, and do more about environmental matters” (p. 184).
Islam does not view nature as being exclusively for human use:
The Quran requires humans to obey what God has ordered. Since all living things were
created by God with different functions they need to be looked after and protected. Humans
are warned against the abuse of natural resources and of consequent imbalances in nature.
(Yencken et al. 2000, p. 224)
Islam also focuses on future generations as its teachings implore that “People
should not abuse, misuse, or distort the natural resources as each generation is entitled to benefit from them but is not entitled to ‘own’ them in an absolute sense”
(Oliver 2008, p. 3). Rice (2006) found support for the presence of an Islamic environmental ethic in Islamic religious teachings in Egypt. Practices such as recycling
wastewater are in keeping with the spirit of Islamic teaching (Farooq and Ansari
1983). After conducting a review of recent research on a number of personal and
social influences on pro-environmental behaviour, including religion, Gifford and
Nilsson (2014) found that overall, only a few empirical studies have been conducted
regarding the importance and potential of faith.
While environmental connections can be dated back to the establishment of a
particular religion, the environmental crisis is acting to drive the momentum to
acknowledge religion’s influence in fostering behaviour change and transforming
societies (Palmer and Finlay 2003; Luetz and Nunn 2020). If we accept the premise
that the environmental crisis is ultimately a crisis of the mind and that “we see, do
and are what we think, and what we think is shaped by our cultures, faith and beliefs”
(Palmer and Finlay 2003, p. xv), we then need to consider how the mind is developed,
engaged, and ultimately persuaded towards particular courses of action.
Environmental Education is broadly defined as “raising awareness, acquiring new
perspectives, values, knowledge and skills, and formal and informal processes leading
to changed behaviour in support of an ecologically sustainable environment” (Environment Australia 2000, p. 3). Luetz et al. (2020, p. 3) have analysed the literature on