Co-sponsored by the Pathways to Planetary Health initiative at the Garrison Institute and the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
Ecological Civilization: Thirty Years of Work in China
Over the past three decades, the idea of Ecological Civilization has moved from philosophical and cultural discourse into public policy, education, and civic imagination across China. This Forum traces that longer arc—how a “civilizational” framing of ecology took root, what currents of thought and practice helped it spread, and what we can learn from its evolution in a rapidly modernizing society.
Featuring Zhihe Wang and Meijun Fan—co-leaders of the Institute for Postmodern Development of China and long-time contributors to the Center for Process Studies’ China Project—the conversation offers an inside view of the relationships, experiments, and ideas that have shaped Ecological Civilization in China over time.
In dialogue with Stephen Posner and Mary Evelyn Tucker, we’ll explore questions such as:
- What were the early intellectual and moral foundations of Ecological Civilization—and how have they changed?
- Where have policy, culture, and grassroots practice genuinely reinforced one another, and where have they conflicted?
- How has “tradition” been mobilized (wisely or simplistically) in the context of modernization?
- What aspects of China’s Ecological Civilization journey might be transferable elsewhere, and what is deeply place-specific?
This Forum is well-suited for participants interested in the long view: the deeper story behind the headlines, and the ongoing work of shaping ecological futures through culture, ethics, and systems change.
TIMING
We will conduct this live Forum on Zoom at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. After registering, you will receive a Zoom link to join the session.
SPEAKERS
Zhihe Wang, PhD, is Director of the Institute for Postmodern Development of China and Co-Director of the China Project at the Center for Process Studies in Claremont, California. A former senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, he is a leading figure in constructive postmodern thought in China and has published widely on process thought, pluralism, and ecological futures.
Meijun Fan, PhD, is Program Director of the Institute for Postmodern Development of China and Co-Director of the China Project at the Center for Process Studies. Formerly a professor at Beijing Normal University, her work bridges Chinese traditional aesthetics, process philosophy, and education, with a focus on cultural resources for ecological transition.
Mary Evelyn Tucker, PhD, co-directs the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, which examines cultural and religious values for broadened environmental ethics. This arose from a series of 10 conferences at Harvard on world religions and ecology that she organized with John Grim. She has published several books on Confucianism including The Philosophy of Qi. She co-edited Confucianism and Ecology (Harvard) and two volumes with Tu Weiming on Confucian Spirituality. She is the co-author of Journey of the Universe with Brian Thomas Swimme and the executive producer of the Emmy Award winning Journey film. This was inspired by Thomas Berry whose books she edited and whose biography she wrote with John Grim.They have been traveling in China since 1985 studying Ecological Civilization.
Stephen Posner, PhD, Senior Fellow for Planetary Health at the Garrison Institute and Global Affiliate with the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. Stephen integrates science with contemplative practices to build understanding across cultures, align human systems with nature, and promote cross-sector collaboration. He has published over 50 technical and non-technical articles on sustainability science and leverage points for systems change. He currently leads initiatives related to nature assessment and ecological stewardship.”
Roots of Renewal:
Ecological Civilization in China and the Confluence of Tradition and Modernity
Garrison Institute Webinar 2026 on Ecological Civilization
The Garrison Institute’s Pathways to Planetary Health initiative is partnering with the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology to host a five-part online Forum series exploring Ecological Civilization in China—an evolving cultural, ethical, ecological, and policy vision that asks what it would take to align human development with the flourishing of Earth’s living systems.
Rather than treating ecological civilization as primarily technical, this series examines how social change is shaped by the relationship between tradition and modernity: where inherited worldviews and cultural traditions meet rapid development, and where inner cultivation and public institutions must be reimagined together. Each Forum features a guest speaker in dialogue with Mary Evelyn Tucker and moderator Stephen Posner, and invites participants into conversations that connect ideas to practice, and values to systems change.
Across the series, we move from on-the-ground conservation and thirty years of Ecological Civilization work in China, to Daoism and classical reading as pathways for self-transformation and social reform—culminating in the launch of a new Yale Forum Ecological Civilization website designed as a living resource for learning, teaching, and transformation.
Moderator: Stephen Posner, The Garrison Institute
Discussants: Mary Evelyn Tucker, Yale University, along with esteemed speakers
We will conduct these LIVE forums on Zoom. After registering for each forum, you will receive a link to join the session. Please email us at events@garrisoninstitute.org with questions.
Featured speakers and topics:
- Gao Yufang — Conservation in China for Ecological Civilization
- Zhihe Wang & Meijun Fan — Ecological Civilization: Thirty Years of Work in China
- Daniel K. Gardner — Reading the Chinese Classics for Self-Transformation and Social Reform
- Chen Xia — Daoism and Ecological Civilization
Simeiqi He & Andrew MacIver — A New Ecological Civilization Hub for Learning, Teaching, and Action
We will conduct these LIVE forums on Zoom from 7:00 – 8:15pm ET on
Please contact us for questions and inquiries at events@garrisoninstitute.org.