@conference {1496256, title = {Countering the Eco-abuses of Dominant Societal Paradigms}, booktitle = {Uses and Abuses of Power in Alternative Spiritualities}, year = {2023}, address = {Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA}, abstract = {Abstract: When we live in a system that is fundamentally abusive of Earth{\textquoteright}s systems and marginalized peoples, how do ecocentric religions and spiritual communities acknowledge and counter these abuses? How have eco-religions grappled with this question{\textemdash}both in their scriptures and statements as well as their practices and activism? This panel includes a variety of perspectives from Paganism, Gaianism, and other ecospiritualities that provide an exploration of this question as well as an opportunity to learn from each other and cross-fertilize.

Presenter bio: Erik Assadourian is the director of the Gaian Way, an eco-religious philosophy and community founded in 2019. He has been a sustainability researcher, writer, and communicator since he started his career in 2001 as a researcher with Worldwatch Institute. He worked with the Institute until it wound down in 2017. He directed or co-directed seven books, focusing on consumerism, eco-education, global security, and economic degrowth. He writes a weekly Gaian Reflection at Gaianism.org and helps coordinates the Gaian community.

Presenter affiliations: The Gaian Way (Assadourian); GreenSpirit (Mowll), and Novasutras (Merrill).}, author = {Assadourian, Erik and Mowll, Ian and Merrill, Michelle} }