Introduction to IEF

Do You Know about the Baha'i-inspired International Environment Forum ?

More and more people are becoming aware of the urgent and impending environmental crisis and are searching for solutions. Scientists and many people informed about the widespread decline and loss of animal and plant species as well as the serious implications of climate change, are in a state of despair, often asking existential questions.

The Baha'i teachings provide spiritual guidance that can help individuals and communities find reasons for hope and courage along with direction for action.

The Baha'i-inspired International Environment Forum (IEF) supports Baha'is and their friends in their efforts to apply the Baha'i teachings to public discourse and social action in the area of the environment and sustainability. It also offers practical resources and encouragement for implementing the Baha'i teachings with environmentally responsible actions in both our personal life and our community.

Examples of these resources include news and articles about environmental issues; compilations from the Baha'i Writings on topics related to the environment; position statements on conference themes; announcements and reports of interfaith collaboration to mitigate climate change; educational materials; and videos.
These materials are accessible to everyone on the IEF website: https://iefworld.org

The International Environment Forum is a Bahá'í-inspired professional organization of scientists and engineers, civil servants, and representatives of civil society in fields relevant to the environment and sustainability. Students and others with an interest in these fields are also represented.

The IEF, among other things, provides a forum for its members

  • to deepen their understanding concerning the relevance of social and ethical principles in the Bahá'í Writings regarding the environment and the sustainable development challenges the world is facing;
  • to explore the application of these principles in their work and activities; and
  • to share knowledge and experience, as well as accompany others in their professional development.

The IEF also seeks to share its views and interact with other organizations in various international fora. The IEF was, for example, accredited to the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002) as a scientific and technological organization and again to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 in Rio de Janeiro, 2012).

Launched in October 1997, today the IEF has over 400 members in more than 70 countries on all 5 continents. Its annual international conferences have until now been organized in Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the USA, with each conference having an electronic version for those who cannot attend in person. The next IEF conference will take place in partnership with ebbf (Ethical Business Building the Future) in Lisbon, Portugal, in May 2020.

Additionally, the IEF produces a monthly newsletter which covers experiences by its members; reports on IEF activities; and presents articles, news, and reports of interest.

IEF membership is open to everyone who is interested in these topics and is in agreement with its Baha'i-inspired approach. As a virtual organization, the IEF does not collect dues or fees from its members, and it is run entirely on volunteer work.

Members are invited to actively participate according to their interest and time. For instance, members have the opportunity to write articles on environmental/spiritual issues, to submit reports from conferences, and to provide summaries from relevant books for the IEF newsletter; they can produce educational materials or videos on specific topics; they can monitor issues and identify where IEF could contribute to social discourse; etc.

The IEF especially encourages grassroots (local level) initiatives and offers a platform for consulting about such efforts.

The IEF website is offered as a resource to everyone, and all those with a deeper interest in cultivating an environmentally sustainable and just society are invited to apply for IEF membership.

For membership information, go here: https://iefworld.org/membership.htm
For any questions, contact the IEF secretariat at ief@iefworld.org


Last updated 23 September 2019