Dear Reader,​
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Tomorrow I leave for the Vatican Summer Palace to take part in Pope Leo’s Raising Hope Conference.​

It’s humbling — and historic.

Leaders and voices from all walks of life are gathering to say what’s long been needed: solving our social and environmental crises requires more than carbon cuts or new technologies. It calls for an ecological ethical turn — a shift in hearts, minds, and values to safeguard the community of life and all future generations.

🌱 Why this moment matters​
Pope Leo’s gathering brings together a remarkable mix of civil society and faith traditions — environmentalists, Indigenous elders, writers, policy-makers, and spiritual leaders.

Among them is Brazil’s Minister for the Environment, Marina Silva, who — alongside UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Mary Robinson, and others — is leading the call for all people to take part in Global Ethical Stocktake Dialogues for a better world. Communities everywhere are invited to reflect and submit their ethical visions to the UN ahead of COP30 in the Amazon this November.

This Raising Hope conference is historic because, for the first time, it corresponds directly with the UN’s Global Ethical Stocktake process.

It’s not only about policy.
It’s about conscience.
It’s about care for the community of life — and intergenerational justice.

That’s why Pope Leo has opened the Vatican for livestreams, so people everywhere can join. And why Mary Robinson, The Elders, and regional convenors on every continent are inviting communities to host their own dialogues — with submissions due by the end of October.

Your reflection, your voice, can help shape COP30 this November in the Amazon.

👉 You may wish to join Pope Leo’s Raising Hope livestreams
His address to the world, is this Wednesday afternoon, 1 Oct., 2025

(I am especially grateful for this invitation to Pope Leo's conference to: Dr Lorna Gold (pictured left: the new CEO of the global Laudato Si’ Movement, based at Maynooth College in Ireland who has been so involved in organising this celebration of Pope Francis' Laudato Si and bringing so many people together).

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Or you may wish to host an informal Ethical Stocktake with your own community ahead of the UN COP30 climate summit in Brazil this November...

To help amplify the global conversation, you can also share your Ethical Stocktake Gathering on social media, tagging the Dandelion Project and Earth Charter International.
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The Earth Charter, as I have shared previously, has the accumlated wisdom of over 3 decades contributions and real world application in sustainability education and environmental law.
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📄 Suggested Resources:

• ​Read Laudato Si​
• [Earth Charter Ethical Stocktake Dialogue Guide PDF]
• [Earth Charter Dialogue Flyer]
• [Earth Charter Position Paper for the UN Global Ethical Stocktake] (shared in my last newsletter)

As I mentioned above, I’ll also be hosting an online Ethical Stocktake gathering for past and current Haumea Ecoversity members, associates and supporters, on Tuesday 7 Oct at 7pm Irish/UK time. Keep an eye on your inbox for details if you’d like to join us.

Your reflection, your voice, can help shape COP30 this November in the Amazon.​

Now, I’d better start packing my bag for joining others at Castel Gondolfo, in Italy tomorrow… carrying with me how wisdom from many traditions may truly help shift hearts, minds, and values toward a wiser, more peaceful future.

PS At Haumea Ecoversity, we’re sometimes approached by people who dearly wish to join our ecoliteracy learning community but face economic or physical challenges. If you feel able to sponsor a yearly membership (€390), it could open the door for someone who longs to learn.

This Autumn, our members are diving deeply into ecological ethics — a vital area that is still rarely explored elsewhere. Your support could help someone gain access to these conversations at exactly the right time. [More information on sponsoring a learner here] — and thank you. 💚

RAHEEN CROSS, BORRIS, Carlow R95 DC7P
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​Haumea Ecoversity empowers creatives, educators, researchers, and cultural leaders with holistic, transformative ecoliteracy, including ecoethics—helping them respond to today’s ecological and social challenges with clarity, care, and creativity.

Founded by Dr Cathy Fitzgerald, and drawing on her pioneering ecosocial art project The Hollywood Forest Story, her PhD (The Ecological Turn, NCAD 2018), and postdoctoral work with Earth Charter International, Haumea Ecoversity offers peer-to-peer learning grounded in the UNESCO-endorsed Earth Charter.

In collaboration with philosopher and podcaster Dr Nikos Patedakis (California, DangerousWisdom.org), we’ve supported 400+ learners through innovative ecopedagogy and mentoring—many now leading impactful, values-based work across Ireland and internationally.

We believe ecoliteracy and ethical creativity are essential to nurturing regenerative, just, and peaceful futures. Stay connected as we grow this global community​
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HAUMEA ECOVERSITY Hollywood Forest, Killedmond, Borris, Co. Carlow, Ireland
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​Haumea Ecoversity 2019 - 2025