Online Zoom Forum: Environmental Citizenship: Values, Principles, Practices, Vision, and Actions.
Date: Wednesday 10 June 2026.
Time: 7pm-9pm (UK time).
Event Description:
Format: There will be five talks, each of 12 minutes, followed by discussion among the speakers and the chair, followed by Q & A.
Chair:
Simon Barrow:
Bio: Simon Barrow is a writer, commentator, poet, educator and researcher with wide experience in politics, public issues, media, organisational change, ethics and religion/beliefs. He was director of the think-tank Ekklesia from 2005-2024. Before that he worked in media and adult theological education. From 2000-2005 he was assistant general secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. His latest book is Beyond Our Means: Poetry, Prose and Blue Runes (Siglum, 2025) and will be followed by Against the Religion of Power: Telling a Different Christian Story (Ekklesia Publishing, April 2026). He also writes for the Edinburgh Music Review.
Speakers:
Canon Giles Goddard:
Title: Climate and Faith: A Justice Imperative.
Description: What’s the connection between climate justice and faith? In all the great religious traditions, care for our neighbours and care for the cosmos are inseparable. Faith for the Climate brings people together: it’s time to interACT!
Bio: Canon Giles Goddard has been Vicar of St John’s, Waterloo, London since September 2009.
His latest book, “Exploring Spirit – Finding What Matters in a Broken World” was published by Canterbury Press in February 2026.
He is Chair of Faith for the Climate which works to support interfaith work on climate change and is a former member of the Church of England’s Environment Group. He is a prominent supporter of LGBTI+ inclusion. Previously he worked in social housing and at the John Lewis Partnership.
Dr Iyad Abumoghli:
Title: Environmental Citizenship as Sacred Disruption.
Description: This speech argues that the ecological crisis is fundamentally a moral and spiritual crisis, not merely a technical or policy failure. It reframes environmental citizenship as a sacred responsibility rooted in shared religious and ethical traditions, moving beyond rights toward stewardship, restraint, and intergenerational justice. The core message challenges the culture of consumption and calls for a shift in consciousness — from ownership to trust, from entitlement to responsibility — as the foundation for lasting environmental peace and integrity.
Bio: Dr Iyad Abumoghli is a distinguished environmental leader, engineer, and diplomat whose career spans nearly three decades with the United Nations and over forty years of service in environmental sustainability and ethical development. Beginning as a researcher at the University of Jordan, he laid the foundations for a career dedicated to bridging science, policy, and practical action to safeguard our planet.
He held senior roles across UNDP and UNEP, including Global Practice Manager at UNDP New York, Policy Advisor in Beirut, Head of Knowledge and Innovation in Cairo, and Regional Director of UNEP for West Asia. In 2017 he founded and directed the Faith for Earth Coalition, mobilizing multifaith networks, youth, and women leaders to confront the triple planetary crisis, translating scientific evidence into moral and spiritual action. Yet, the true inspiration for his work has always come from local communities, the underprivileged and vulnerable whose rights, dignity, and wellbeing he strives to protect. Currently, Dr. Abumoghli serves as a member of strategic advisory boards of 5 global organizations.
Khushwant Singh:
Title: Interfaith Dialogue and Environmental Citizenship.
Bio: Khushwant Singh works in international development cooperation. He studied ethnology and educational sciences at Heidelberg University (Magister) and social anthropology at Goldsmiths College of the University of London (Master of Research), graduating with distinction in both programs. He volunteers in interreligious dialogue and is a founding member and former chair of the Council of Religions in Frankfurt. Singh collaborates with organizations such as the Weltethos Foundation, the Federal Congress of Councils of Religions, the Abrahamic Forum (religious dialogues), the Working Group on Religions and Nature Conservation, and the Foundation Against Racism. Rooted in Gurmat - timeless wisdom at the heart of Sikhi - Singh is dedicated to youth work and intergenerational nurturing of the heart. He publishes in German and English on ethics, spirituality, behavior change, sustainability and the global challenges facing humanity. Singh speaks at conferences, universities and schools, and produces the WisdomTalk podcast Living with Wisdom – Leben mit Weisheit.
Lucy Plummer:
Title: Youth Engagement to Ignite Hope and Spark Action.
Description: In my talk I focus on how youth members of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) are engaging in social and environmental activities in their local communities and building a culture of peace at the grassroots through SGI’s philosophy of ‘Hope & Action’. Topics I cover in my talk include youth empowerment, learning for empowerment and leadership, and planetary citizenship based on SGI’s stance on Buddhist Humanism.
Bio: Lucy is a Youth Engagement practitioner, scholar, advocate and consultant having over 15 years of experience working with and for young people and with organisations focusing on youth engagement. Lucy’s topics of work and interest include youth engagement in environmental policy-making, youth empowerment and leadership for sustainability and faith-inspired social and environmental action. Lucy is a consultant on Youth Engagement for the Buddhist NGO Soka Gakkai International (SGI) at the United Nations and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Applied Buddhism which she joined in 2021 after organising a panel discussion on Youth Leadership for Climate Action as part of the centre’s series of events in Glasgow for COP26. Lucy is a doctorate student at the University of Bath where she is conducting research on youth participation in the international climate agenda (UNFCCC).
Dr Sachi Patel:
Bio: Dr Sachi Patel is the Hindu Chaplain at King's College.
Sachi has a MPhil in Classical Indian Religion (SOAS) and a PhD in Hindu Theology (University of Oxford), during which he researched the intersection between Politics and Religion in eighteenth-century India. He subsequently produced a book publication for the Routledge Hindu Studies Series, detailing the relations between Jaisingh II and the rise of public theology in the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition.
He was born in London and has previously lived as Hindu monk in the UK and India. He has also served as a Hindu Chaplain at the Olympic games in 2012, the NHS Nightingale Hospitals and other universities.
An archive recording will be made for the EICSP archive.
NB: There will be no refund if you cancel your booking.
Cost: By Paypal:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If you are having a difficulty paying by Paypal, then you can pay by bank transfer instead.
NB: you must also email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so we can send you the Zoom sign-in details.
Here are the bank transfer details:
Account Name: Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace
Bank: Bank of Scotland
Bank Address: Edinburgh Royal Mile Branch
Account Number: 06131159
Sort Code: 802000
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The IBAN number:
GB70 BOFS 8020 0006 1311 59
BIC:
BOFSGB21168