Scott Hardin-Nieri
Scott Hardin-Nieri is partner, dad, spiritual director, pastor, and sojourner. He is the Director of the Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina and Associate Minister of Green Chalice of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Prior to living in North Carolina, Scott and his family served in the vulnerable cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica. There he learned to how to climb Fig Strangler trees, spot Two-toed Sloths, call like a Mot Mot, and listen to people and nature in a new way. Scott is an ordained pastor with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and enjoys accompanying people during transformative experiences, whether during hikes, spiritual direction, wilderness quests,shared stories, service learning trips, live music concerts, camps or retreats. He continues to be reminded of his true self most clearly in the forests, oceans and deserts and seeks to invite others, particularly faith communities into conversations regarding creation and is most alive when playing outside with Rebecca, his partner and their two children.
A Spirit to Address Climate Change: Interfaith Panel
“I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change… I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that.” Gus Speth U. S. Advisor on climate change.
What we are reading, seeing and hearing about our failing ecosystems is overwhelming. Our panelists will explore how our spiritual lives and the stories within our spiritual traditions offer solid a ground of hope, compassion and love in the midst of waves of fear, selfishness and greed. Faith communities are essential to the ongoing work for climate justice, social justice and creation care and we will explore our individual and collective role in this time and place.