(Datos extraídos de la revista "Siete".)

- La iniciativa de Don Justo de construñir la Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Madre de Jesús ( Mejorada del Campo, España) con pateriales reciclados y sin la bendición de la Iglesia Católica.
- Construction de una "eco-cathedral" con una nave de 50 metros por la Iglesia Anglicana de la provincia de Sudafrica South (Kokstad)
- Creacion en 2002de una Red de Earthkeeping Christian Communities en Sudafrica (NECCSA) of which the first group member was the Dutch Reformed Church. The website of the group provides extensive documentation.
- Construcción durante 30 años de una "eco-catedral" por Lous Le Royen Mildam (Holanda), -- conla colaboración de la municipalidad que proveyó 1500 camiones de materiales residuales de construcción de carreterast. Le Roy procesó este material a mano ( sin ninguna ayuda externa) en estructuras diversas, muros bajos, caminos y torres que debido a su ingeniosa construcción pueden servir como plantas de purificación para la lluvia ácida.
- Reconocimiento del mérito del enfoque de Le Roy en otros países de Europa, especialmente Alemania y Suiza.
Broader concerns by religious groups with the spiritual significance of the natural heritage and the Earth as a "church" or "temple" [more]. These concerns extend into preoccupations with the Earth wisdom spirituality.
Creation and clustering of ecosteries as "loved places where ecological values, knowledge and wisdom are learned, practiced and shared" as sacred, respected and honored dwelling places. “Ecostery” is from “ecos,” the ancient Greek word for household extended here to include home, neighborhood and ecological community. “Stery” comes from “monastery,” a place where people live by rules of devotion and respect. Its members share the same values, and work together to live a complete, sacred life here and now. Ecostery principles and values are oriented toward harmony with nature [more]
A much older tradition has ensured the construction of sacred gardens in association with temples (notably in India and Japan), with an estimated 25,000 sacred groves and other sanctified ecosystems in Rajasthan alone [more; more]

These disparate initiatives help in different ways to provide transcendental insight into the mundane processes of recycling in a material world. Perhaps there is a case for creating some form of "Global Eco-cathedral Network" to recognize and support such initiatives. Like the Global Eco-village Network (with which NECCSA is associated) it might help to support similar projects in developing countries where buildings become feasible to the extent that they can use recycled materials.

The challenge is whether any such initiative could bridge across the diversity of belief systems that inspire those that engage in them. Clearly the notion of "eco-cathedral" might already be considered a provocation to those of non-Christian persuasion, whereas "eco" is a provocation to those whose focus is on the spiritual and who consider that ecological and recycling issues are incidental. Those focused on natural ecosystems may have little interest in preoccupations with recycling, and vice versa. Any "network" relating them all would also need to be understood as a conceptual (or mind-map) network that could show the degree of relevance of one to the other -- and the distances between them.

Pero son quizás las iniviativas individuales a largo plazo, como las de Don Justo y Louis Le Roy, las que son más impactantes en comparación con las de comundiades o grupos.

© 2005 Copyright-free Anthony Judge (send e-mail). The memes above would enjoy entering into other patterns with your assistance
-- provided they are appropriately cared for in their journey.