Issue 242 • May/June 2007
Do we need God? / Food Futures
Welcome
Welcome • Satish Kumar
Do we need God? A response to Richard Dawkins.
Frontline
FUTURE SCHOOL • Paul Kingsnorth
St Francis of Assisi primary school in Notting Hill, London is building a classroom from recycled materials and aims to be self-sufficient in energy.
THE FIRST STRAW • Peeyush Sekhsaria
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is building straw houses in rural China.
HONOURING OUR HERITAGE • Paul Kingsnorth
AEGILOPS is rescuing seeds from extinction by promoting traditional varieties of wheat in Greece.
REAL FOOD • Paul Kingsnorth
Rocket Gardens and True Food Co-op are making organic growing and buying in the UK easier.
MEDICINAL ROOTS • Sandra Hill
Using her knowledge of plant medicine, Hakim Abebech is renewing the traditional wisdom of Ethiopia at the Deshet centre, near Addis Ababa.
SOIL FOR LIFE • Paul Kingsnorth
Soil for Life is a South African NGO that teaches poor and hungry people gardening for the body, the mind and the soul.
Keynotes
DECONSTRUCTING DAWKINS • Deepak Chopra
Challenging Richard Dawkins: five arguments for the existence of God.
A SENSE OF HARMONY • HRH The Prince of Wales
We are no longer dancing in tune with Nature's rhythms.
SOCIAL BUSINESS • Muhammad Yunus
Grameen Bank: unleashing the energy and creativity of the poor with microcredit and social business.
The Arts
A JOURNEY OF SELF-FORGETTING • Deborah Ravetz
Craigie Aitchison's paintings allow us to see through the eyes of a child again.
A POTENT WITNESS • Matthew Sturgis
Arthur Boyd's figurative paintings are alive with a sense of dialogue between life and ideas.
MODERN CLASSICS • Sandy Brown
Simon Moore's glassblowing studio demonstrates a holistic approach to his craft.
BLOOM • Christopher Burns
"Only the narthex had remained secure." A short story.
POETRY • Peter Abbs
Into the Further Reaches (ed.) Jay Ramsay: work by sixty-four contemporary British poets celebrating the spiritual journey.
Undercurrents
MID-COURSE CORRECTION • Ray Anderson
The Interface story: an eco-epiphany.
LAND OF BLUE HEAVEN • Will Gethin
Mongolia: preserved or destroyed by tourism?
AND DID THOSE FEET ... ? • Vyv Wood-Gee
Riding on horseback from John O'Groats to Land's End in the footsteps of our ancestors.
Food Futures
THE GOOD, THE CLEAN AND THE FAIR • Carlo Petrini
The founder of the Slow Food movement explains how local food economies create knowledge, wisdom and lots of flavour.
FOOD FREEDOM • Vandana Shiva
Terra Madre conference speech: terminator technology is the ultimate instrument of food fascism.
A TASTE OF BRITAIN • Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
The importance of retaining our regional food culture.
GOOD FOOD • Raymond Blanc
Industrial agriculture is one of the biggest carbon-emitting sectors in the economy.
FEEDING PEOPLE IS EASY • Colin Tudge
Everyone could be fed to the highest standards if food production were back in the hands of the people.
SIMPLE SOURDOUGH • Sophie Poklewski Koziell
On a bread-making course at The Village Bakery.
FROM FIELD TO FORK • Eka Morgan
Inspiring children and families to cook together through a Children's Food Festival.
Regulars
The Long View - The Ark • Harry Eyres
Humankind has a duty of care for non-human species.
The Occasional Didymus - Vaguely Green • John Moat
Mature inattention to detail can result in significant carbon reductions.
Recipes • Rose Prince
May menu: a plate of crudités for early summer, with two imaginative sauces.
Notes From The Underground - Diagnosis • David Nicholson-Lord
Celebrity deficit hyperactive disorder.
Letters to the Editors
Reviews
In my Own Words: SURVIVING THE CENTURYY • Herbert Girardet
The World Future Council's first major book asserts that we need to make profound changes in our culture and our relationship with Nature if we are to survive this and future centuries.
In My Own Words: AFFLUENZA • Oliver James
Selfish capitalism and mass consumerism are damaging not only the planet but also the people.
In My Own Words: WILD • Jay Griffiths
A global journey in search of the will of the wild.
THE BODY OF THE WORLD • Kate Arthur
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. How industrial agriculture has changed our relationship to food.
SOUND SHELTERS • Oliver Lowenstein
Design Like You Give a Damn by Cameron Sinclair and Kate Stohr. How Architecture for Humanity is working to get a roof over the heads of those affected by natural disaster and poverty.
Web Exclusives
Article - ILLUMINATION • Nomi Rowe
Meditation and the art of amusement - the work of Nevil Sattentau
Article - EXPLORING THE EARTH • Fulvia Zavan
The artist Jonathan Newdick wanders in a field of complementary meanings.
Article - WILD ASPARAGUS • Andrew Wingfield
A journey of remembrance and protest.