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The EcoOne Meeting 2026: an Assembly for People Who Care About the Planet – and Call It Home
From 18 to 20 September Castel Gandolfo will host an international conference exploring the subject of integral ecology through science, spirituality, and concrete action. The final deadline for early bird registration for the EcoOne Meeting is 31 May.
No strangers to the value of integral ecology, we are shining a spotlight on the EcoOne Meeting 2026. The international conference is run by EcoOne, the Focolare Movement’s cultural network, which brings together teachers, academics, researchers, professionals, and people passionate about environmental science.
The meeting will run from 18 to 20 September this year at Castel Gandolfo, in Italy, a beautiful town that overlooks Lake Albano, just a stone’s throw away from Rome.
Integral ecology – an approach developed by Pope Francis in the Laudato Si’ encyclical – reminds us that everything in the world is connected. An environmental crisis is always also social and human. And vice versa, ecological balance, a harmonious relationship with nature, enriches every aspect of our lives.
The EcoOne Meeting 2026: Identity, Network, and the Future
There are three words at the core of the EcoOne Meeting: Identity, Network, and the Future. As EcoOne explains on their website, these three words ‘make us question who we are, how we are connected to each other and to creation, and what kind of future we want to move towards together.’
Three days of reflection, dialogue, and communal work for anyone who wants to move through the world more considerately and responsibly.
- 18 September – IDENTITY: ‘The cultural and spiritual roots of our work.’
- 19 September – NETWORK: ‘How can we overcome the challenges posed by the planet’s limits? By experiencing and spreading a culture of integral ecology.’
- 20 September – FUTURE: ‘Peace and the climate crisis: promoting a culture of – and sharing concrete pathways towards – relational sustainability.’
‘We are driven by a desire to experience and deepen our understanding of integral ecology, not just as a topic of study, but as a daily practice of caring, acting responsibly, and continuing to hope,’ EcoOne explains.
Stefania Papa, head of EcoOne, told us how the idea for the project first took shape. ‘The EcoOne Meeting grew out of a desire to create an opportunity for exchange between people who have different experiences, skills, and backgrounds, but a shared passion for the environment and the future of the planet. The goal’, she continued, ‘is to draw on expertise from the fields of science, education, social engagement, and spirituality, which then feeds into dialogue sessions aimed at developing ideas, collaborations, and concrete ways forward.’
We asked them: why now, at such a delicate moment in history? ‘The environmental and social challenges of today are all interconnected,’ they responded, ‘and require spaces where we can listen to each other, relate to each other, and work together. This is why we hope the meeting will also be a place for us to talk about our experiences and share good practice by becoming part of a network, as well as by strengthening our pre-existing relationships.’
Stefania Papa responds to the question on how the meeting fits into EcoOne’s approach and work: ‘The EcoOne Meeting is very much in line with EcoOne’s journey. The initiative has been promoting a dialogue between science, ethics, and sustainability for years, and is inspired by the spirituality of unity conceptualised by Chiara Lubich, as well as the prospect of achieving the integral ecology that Pope Francis advocated for in Laudato Si’.’
‘The meeting’, she concludes, ‘is supposed to be another step along that path: a laboratory of dialogue and collaboration, where scientific reflection, environmental awareness, and human relationships can come together to forge new paths forward.’
The EcoOne Meeting will be a place to come together and co-create, a place for people who want to delve into EcoOne’s ‘ecologically united’ approach and both experience and spread a culture of integral ecology.
Through active participation and sessions where people from different continents share their experiences, participants will discuss ongoing projects and explore the relationship between people and nature in more depth, in an effort to develop concrete paths towards relational sustainability, together.
The invitation is clear: ‘Are you young, a researcher, an educator, a professional, or just curious? This is the place for you!’
How to Sign up for the EcoOne Meeting 2026
Early registration for the EcoOne Meeting will be available until 31 May 2026 via the following form: https://forms.gle/kfmYYTsEmZRtMZ2j7
The deadline for early bird payment is 21 June 2026.
Translated into English by Becca Webley