The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine will host a talk about applying ecological thinking to environmental citizenship and decision-making 3–4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16. 

In the interactive environmental ethics workshop, "Cultivating Ecological VIrtues," Don Beith will talk about how to go beyond simply applying human values to environmental problems, as well as how to make ethical thinking itself more ecological. Breakout groups will discuss how to ecologically reshape moral development and education, including questions of how ‘ecological virtues’ may impact environmental citizenship and decision-making. The groups will then come together to share insights and talk about the potential impacts for sustainability practices. 

Beith is an assistant professor of environmental philosophy at the University of Maine, focusing on issues at the intersection of environmental ethics, the philosophy of technology, healthcare justice and existentialism. His recent book, "The Birth of Sense," a study of the work of French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, is an investigation of the ecological origins of human habit, culture and ethics.

The talk is free and available via Zoom; registration is required. To register and receive connection information, please visit the event webpage. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Ruth Hallsworth at 207.581.3196 or hallsworth@maine.edu