Educating for transformation to ignite wonder and awe for our living planet
Elizabeth Allison, PhD is an environmental social scientist studying the intersection of religion and ecology.
Dr. Allison studies the convergence of religion and ethics with environmental policy and practice through researching traditional ecological knowledge in mountain regions, particularly as it relates to biodiversity, waste, ecological place, and climate change.
She is Professor of Ecology and Religion at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, where she founded and chairs the graduate program in Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion and created the Religion & Ecology Summit series of annual conferences.
Upcoming and Recent Events
Photo by Thomas Haas on Unsplash
Foundations and Fluidity
October 10-14, 2026
At the 20th Anniversary Conference of the
International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture (ISSRNC) in Venice, Italy, Dr. Allison will discuss “Limnology and liminality: High elevation lakes and wetlands as monitors and mediators of environmental relations.”
Celebrating 30 Years of Religion & Ecology
October 16, 2026
This conference will celebrate 30 years of Religion and Ecology as a growing academic field and moral force in society. Dr. Allison will speak on a panel on “Ecotheology and Ecojustice in Graduate Programs.”
American Academy of Religion
Nov. 21-24, 2026
At the American Academy of Religion annual meeting in Denver, Dr. Allison will speak on “Collective Karma in Lived Himalayan Buddhism: Weaving together the fate of sentient beings for flourishing futures” in the Collective Karma seminar.
Finding the Way: Religion, Ecology, and the Future of the
Applied Humanities
March 2-4, 2025
Dr. Allison discussed “Transformative Possibilities of Environmental Humanities in Graduate Education” at Stanford University.
American Academy of Religion
Nov. 23-26, 2024
At the American Academy of Religion annual meeting in San Diego, Dr. Allison spoke on “Dragons of Fortune: Glaciers as resource sentinels and portals” as part of the Energy, Extraction, and Religion Seminar.
Waste & Value Conference
University of Copenhagen
April 25-26, 2024
Dr. Allison discussed “Refusing Modernity: Bhutan’s journey from consumption colonialism and disposal dilemmas toward Zero Waste” at this conference hosted by the Department of Cross Cultural and Regional Studies.
Harvard Conference on Ecological Spiritualities
April 27-30, 2022
Presentations and workshops explored the evolution of earth-based spiritual traditions and highlighted innovative spiritual practices emerging in response to the painful realities of climate change, mass extinction, biodiversity loss, and the disruption of local and global ecosystems. Dr. Allison presented two workshops on Contemplative Practice for Climate Resilient Educators and Activists and participated in a panel discussion on Scholarship and Spiritual Practice in Troubled Times.
Sacred Forests of Asia
April 22-24, 2022
This three-day conference and associated book represent the first cross-cultural, multidisciplinary study of sacred forests in South, East, and Southeast Asia, forging new scholarly dialogues on the nature of sacred space, place, landscape, and ecology in the context of the Anthropocene. Dr. Allison spoke on April 22 on Sacred Forests as Sites of Bio-Cultural Resistance and Resilience in Bhutan.
Sacred Landscapes: Solastalgia and spirituality in a melting world
Oct. 17, 2021
Meredith Lake of Australian Broadcasting’s program Soul Search interviews Dr. Allison about melting glaciers, climate change, and the social and spiritual consequences of life without ice.
Graduate Theological Union Sustainable Societies Conference II
March 19, 2021
Visions for a Viable Future: In a Time of COVID and Climate Calamity
SESSION III: The Ethics & Justice of Ecological Consciousness: Local & Global Perspectives includes Dr. Allison’s talk on Communitarian Values and Care Ethics for Climate and Covid Resilience.
Religion & Ecology Summit
March 15-19, 2021
The 5-day online Summit explores the restoration work of Indigenous communities in the Bay Area territories and around the world. Indigenous approaches to biocultural stewardship and sacred sites offer insight to the inquiry of Religion and Ecology, which explores how spiritual beliefs and practices affect the natural world. Dr. Allison speaks on March 18 on Sacred Natural Sites as Nodes of Resistance and Resilience.
FORE Spotlight interview
March 2, 2021
Sam Mickey of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology interviews Dr. Allison about ecology, spirituality, and religion.
Work with Dr. Allison
Study
The ecological crisis represents a crisis of human consciousness and requires a fundamental re-visioning of cultural values. Join a nurturing community dedicated to revitalizing human relationships with Earth.
Research
Integrate religious, cultural, and ethical aspects into your research on ecological sustainability through expertise in ethnographic research methods.
Speaking & Writing
Help your conference attendees or readers expand their understanding of the intersections of ecology, spirituality, religion, ethics and justice, as related to environmental sustainability.
After the Death of Nature
Carolyn Merchant and the Future of Human-Nature Relations
Edited by Kenneth Worthy, Elizabeth Allison, and Whitney A. Bauman
