Issue 244 • September/October 2007

Welcome

Welcome • Satish Kumar

Ecology and economy.

Frontline

Life on an Island • Annabel Short

The struggle to keep Manor Garden Allotments alongside the 2012 Olympic Games site.

Big Green Taxi • Paul Kingsnorth

Fuel-efficient hybrid taxis in New York City.

Making a Difference • Sharon Teklu

Kiva: a micro-finance initiative that allows people in the global North to support those in the South.

Slow Money • Paul Kingsnorth

Using local money to fund local projects in the UK.

Keynotes

Earth Community • Thomas Berry

A vast new orientation to the universe and to the Earth will be needed to reorient the human community towards a viable future.

Defining Sustainability • Michael Ben-Eli

Sustainability calls for a deep transformation in all aspects of human activity including our worldview, our values, our technology and our governance.

Undercurrents

Kicking the Carbon Habit • Mark Lynas

A transition to a lower-energy path would improve the quality of life for most people in the industrialised world.

Carbon Descent • Cliona O Conaill

The Transition Movement is a local solution to the twin threats of climate change and peak oil.

Green Imperatives

What is the Question? • Herman Daly

Asking the right questions about carbon emissions will enable us to make the changes we need without becoming mired in endless delays.

New Role for the WTO • Jonathon Porritt

If the World Trade Organization were to put the environment above free trade we could begin to make the significant changes needed to live sustainably on the Earth.

Green Tax Switch • Chris Huhne

Addressing the current taxation regime in the UK could dramatically accelerate the process of reducing UK carbon emissions.

Decentralise Energy • Doug Parr

Widespread decentralisation of our energy production systems will enable us to participate in more efficient production and use of energy.

A Policy Package • Paul Ekins

An environmental policy package will help to avert multiple systems collapse and enable us to meet the targets in the Stern Review.

The Carbon Levy • Peter Ainsworth

We need to shift taxation away from personal earnings onto pollution and greenhouse gases.

From Compromise to Limits • Tony Juniper

Leaders need to work within legally binding frameworks, based on the latest climate science, that enforce annual carbon reduction targets.

True Security • Caroline Lucas MEP

The money wasted by the UK on replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system would be better spent tackling climate change - the real threat to our security.

The Arts

Poetry • Peter Abbs

A tribute to the great Persian poet Rumi.

Subtle Vibrancy • Philip Vann

Shanti Panchal's multi-layered watercolour paintings evoke the paradox of the human heart.

Seed • Jo Oland

Seed, Peter Randall-Page's massive granite sculpture at the Eden Project, is inspired by numerical relationships in Nature: the Fibonacci series.

Craft: Great Gig • Sandy Brown

Maurice Hunkin is a traditional craftsman whose pilot gigs are works of art.

Regulars

Slow Travel - Circling Home • Kurt Hoelting

One man's vow to spend a year in one locality in the Pacific Northwest of America.

Recipes - Lost Vegetable • Rose Prince

We could grow more vegetable varieties in the UK. Faro in a pan, with artichokes and leek sprouts.

The Occasional Didymus - Floored • John Moat

If you were looking for wise counsel, would you contact a politician?

Voice From The South - Village Victory • Vandana Shiva

The emergence of Earth Democracy in the village of Nandigram, Bengal.

Sensible Solutions - The Car Inefficiency Levy • Oliver Tickell

Until we hold car manufacturers accountable for the pollution their products cause, we will not begin to address their impact on climate change and ecosystems.

Perspectives - Plastic Bags • Oliver Tickell

The environmental impact of our profligate lifestyles has far more to do with what we put into our shopping bags than with the bags themselves.

Visionaries - Thomas Berry: A New Moses? • Matthew Fox

Thomas Berry leads us into a land of renewed communication with other beings and other species.

Pioneers - Peace One Day • Allan Jenkins

Jeremy Gilley campaigned to make 21st September the United Nations International Day of Peace.

The Long View - The Whale Beach • Harry Eyres

The deep ecological meaning of a beach.

Letters to the Editors

Reviews

In My Own Words: The Energy Challenge • Geoffrey Haggis

Future World by Geoffrey Haggis: zero-carbon life will be delightful!

In My Own Words: Creating Partnerships • Cynthia King

When we get down to basics, it's all about relationships.

Forward to Nature • Aidan Rankin

The Bloodless Revolution: Radical Vegetarians and the Discovery of India by Tristram Stuart

Save the Turtle • Andy McGeeney

Voyage of the Turtle: In Pursuit of the Earth's Last Dinosaur by Carl Safina

Selling the Sky • James Wells-Bruges

Carbon Trading by Larry Lohmann

Seeding the Future • David Pearson

A Safe and Sustainable World: The Promise of Ecological Design by Nancy Jack Todd

A Practice of Equanimity • Peter Reason

The Slapton Ley Project by Sarah Gillespie

The Nature of Water • Maggie Lee

Viktor Schauberger: A Life of Learning from Nature by Jane Cobbald

Diverse Artists • Andy Christian

Dialogues in Diversity: Art from Marginal to Mainstream by John K. Grande

Ghosts over the Lawn • Lisa Dart

Birds with a Broken Wing by Adam Thorpe

Web Exclusives

Article - PASTORALISTS • Kate Eshelby

Peace and security issues are highlighted as tribal peoples attempt to adapt to a fast warming climate.

Article - CLAYMAN • John Moat

Andrew Wood sees himself as a “clayman” – which is a register of how, for more than thirty years, clay has been his medium and everything he has needed in order to exercise and find his way with his extraordinary skills as modeller, carver and painter.

Article - A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION • Deborah Ravetz

The Life and Work of Sylvia von Hartmann

Article - FOOD FOR THOUGHT • Karen Rideout

There is no point in innovation for its own sake – innovation must have a purpose. Innovation in the food industry is actually damaging the quality of food.