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Foundation for a Path Forward Presents: Saving Our Planet 3 Faith in Action

Apr 21, 2025

On April 22, 2025—World Earth Day—over 500 faith leaders, environmental advocates, and community members gathered at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church in downtown Vancouver for Saving Our Planet: Faith in Action 3. Hosted in collaboration with the Interfaith Climate Alliance and St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, and led in large part by the Foundation for a Path Forward, the event served as both a moment of reflection and a powerful call to action.

The evening opened with a heartfelt land acknowledgment by Norm Leech, followed by welcoming remarks from MP Terry Yung, Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services. The stage was soon filled with voices from across faith traditions, each offering unique perspectives on ecological responsibility and the moral imperative to act.

The Interfaith Dialogue Panel brought together Imam Yasir Khan, Rabbi Laura, Tamiko Suzuki, Jet Takaoka, and Rev. Rhian Walker, whose dialogue underscored how deeply climate justice is woven into spiritual teachings across cultures. Their insights invited attendees to not only think critically about the climate crisis, but to reimagine stewardship as a shared spiritual duty.

One of the most impactful moments of the event came during the keynote addresses. Imam Yasir Khan, a longtime partner of the Foundation for a Path Forward, delivered a moving talk on the theological and communal imperatives for environmental action within Islamic thought. Filmmaker and activist Avi Lewis followed with a stirring call for systemic transformation, while Norm Leech reminded participants of the ancestral knowledge Indigenous communities bring to climate leadership.

The program closed with a hands-on advocacy panel led by Flossie Baker, Liam Maclure, and Mari Piggott, who facilitated a community workshop on practical next steps. From rethinking local engagement to organizing around policy, the conversation shifted toward implementation—just as the event's theme promised: “Beyond Awareness—Take Action.”

Throughout the evening, the Foundation for a Path Forward played a key role in convening diverse voices, centering racial equity, and supporting interfaith collaboration. With its continued focus on building inclusive, values-driven responses to urgent social issues—from online hate to climate breakdown—the Foundation remains committed to creating bridges between communities and catalyzing collective change.

As the evening concluded with a final call to action under the Green Canopy Initiative, one thing was clear: the seeds of collaboration had been planted. And with continued partnerships rooted in faith, justice, and shared humanity, those seeds will grow.