The role religious communities play in environmentalism is the subject of Dharma and Ecology of Hindu Communities: Sustenance and Sustainability (Ashgate) by Pankaj Jain, assistant professor of philosophy and religion studies.
Jain says that Indic religious traditions include a number of rituals and myths in which the environment is revered, but India’s growing economy and population are placing heavy pressure on the country’s natural resources. He applies a non-Western model to see if nature worship inspires Hindus to act in an environmentally conscious way.
Jain also is a research affiliate with Harvard University’s Pluralism Project, scholar-in-residence with GreenFaith, and board member of the Society for Hindu Christian Studies and the Executive Advisory Council of Hindu American Seva Charities.