Co-sponsored by the Pathways to Planetary Health initiative at the Garrison Institute and the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
Daoism and Ecological Civilization
Ecological Civilization in China often draws on traditional philosophical lineages to articulate what “living well” might mean within ecological limits. Among these, Daoism offers a distinctive orientation: attention to harmony, restraint, interdependence, and the cultivation of a way of life aligned with the patterns of the natural world.
In this Forum, Chen Xia (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) explores how Daoist thought can inform—support, complicate, and deepen—the project of Ecological Civilization today. Moving beyond slogans, we’ll examine Daoism as a living intellectual and ethical tradition with relevance for contemporary challenges: environmental governance, cultural renewal, and the formation of ecological values in public life.
In conversation with Stephen Posner and Mary Evelyn Tucker, we’ll consider questions such as:
- What elements of Daoist philosophy are most relevant to today’s ecological realities—and what gets misunderstood when Daoism is translated into modern policy language?
- How do Daoist ideas of cultivation (of self, society, and relationship with the more-than-human world) connect to the “inner–outer” demands of systems change?
- Can Daoist concepts such as gongsheng (symbiosis / co-flourishing) help reframe modern narratives of progress and development?
- What might Daoism contribute to global conversations on ecological ethics—without flattening cultural specificity?
TIMING
We will conduct this live Forum on Zoom at 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. After registering, you will receive a Zoom link to join the session.
SPEAKERS
Chen Xia, PhD, is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Philosophy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing and a former Berggruen China Center Fellow. Her research focuses on Chinese philosophy and religions, with particular expertise in Daoism, including Daoist ethics and ecological perspectives within Daoist thought and culture.
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, is 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.