The Baylor summit represents the latest development in IERN's emerging work to nurture connection around integral ecology, which includes cultivating the Loving Our Land and Neighbour (LOLN) initiative. Back from Texas, Peter Rožič, Director of the Integral Ecology Research Network (IERN), says that the conference "reflected the spirit of our Loving Our Land and Neighbour group, initiated at the LSRI: a space for faith-driven scholars and practitioners committed to healing relationships—with land, neighbour, and the wider Earth community." Participants, Rožič explains, explored "how integral ecology and food justice are lived locally and globally—listening deeply, collaborating freely, and imagining boldly," developing the group's position as a space for faith-based ecological imagination and collaboration.

Bringing the experience of the LSRI and IERN, Rožič emphasised "agroecology as an incarnational expression of integral ecology, bridging policy, land practice, and community." This approach resonated throughout the summit's discussions, where practical solutions emerged from the intersection of ecological wisdom and community-based innovation.

Supported by the LSRI’s Integral Ecology Festival series and coordinated through IERN, this conference was "a meaningful step forward in our shared journey of justice, community, and care for our common home," concludes Rožič. The insights gathered at Baylor will inform upcoming LOLN initiatives, and further strengthen IERN's mission to create spaces for dialogue and action around integral ecology.

Hands-on work before the conference: Last summer, members of the LOLN initiative gathered at Austen Ivereigh's farm for real experience on agroecology - an experience of "humility, community, and the joy of working the land, even when things don't go as planned" says Rozic,  noting that the experience taught the group that "true abundance comes not from self-sufficiency, but from what we create together."

For more stories related to the initiatives of IERN with the Loving Our Land and Neighbour initiative, explore the resources below.