Benevolent Universe
Issue 282 • January/February 2014
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Contents
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Welcome
New Year New Philosophy • Satish Kumar
We must go beyond self-interest and embrace the idea of mutual interest
Frontline
Action From the Grass Roots • Lorna Howarth
Grass roots initiatives around the globe
Farming Freedom • Lorna Howarth
A simple agricultural technique could release farmers from the grip of agrochemical corporations
The Future of Agriculture • Lynn Batten
Closed-loop agriculture uses farm waste to power farm production
Ecologist
Renewable vs Fossil Fuels • Oliver Tickell
Where should we put our energy and efforts?
The Story of Energy • Paul Allen
The story of energy is the story of real transformation
GMO Mumbo-Jumbo • Vandana Shiva
Making the link between the use of GMO in cotton and the suicide of farmers in India
The Challenges Ahead • Mark Goldring
It's time to get to grips with the challenges of climate change and food security
The Bottled Water Con • David Gray
Why bottled water is such a bad choice for your pocket, for the environment and for your health
My Green Life • Sharon Garfinkel
Stephen Grosz, psychotherapist and author of The Examined Life, shares his thoughts on green issues
Quotes
Exit Interview • Blake Morrison
An extract from This Poem
A Little Duck • Michael Leunig
Ethical Living
Changing Paradigms • Elizabeth Wainwright
The unique leadership style of Uruguay's president José Mujica
Bob Brown • Elizabeth Claire Alberts
A profile of the former senator still fighting to protect the Tarkine wilderness of North West Tasmania
Last Plant Standing • Susan Clark
Cooking up a winter botanical feast
The Nature of Wine • Robin Lee
Winemaking is almost a spiritual endeavour
Slow Lane to Nonviolence • John Moat
Reflections on a unique way to resolve conflict
Keynotes
Benevolent Universe • Satish Kumar
Creating a green movement that places its trust in benevolence
Undercurrents
Banking for the Planet • Steve Keen
Revisioning a system of banking that respects Nature's balance sheet
Future Proof • Jane Davidson
Sustainable education prepares students for real-life challenges
A Call to Pragmatism • Russell Warfield
Philosopher and author John Gray on environmentalism, Nature and the global ecosystem
Rooted in the World • Craig Holdrege
The wellbeing benefits of "thinking like a plant"
To fit together • Shakti Maira
Ruth Padel talks about beauty, harmony and conceptual art
Regulars
Letters to the Editors
A selection of letters from our readers
Crossword • Timothy Bonsor
A brain teaser full of ecological clues
Poetry - A Sensuous Intelligence • Peter Abbs
A tribute to the late Seamus Heaney
Poetry - Poetry and Animism • Maitreyabandhu
Exploring the aliveness of the world through poetry
Poetry - Transhuman Magnificence • Paul Kingsnorth
Celebrating the radical American poet Robinson Jeffers
The Arts
The Dance of Clay • Simon Olding
Reflecting on the relationship between a ceramicist's spiritual and physical endeavours
Reviews
Saved By Technology? • Tony Juniper
Review of The World We Made: Alex McKay's Story from 2050
Long Live Trees • Christopher Andreae
Review of Under the Green Wood
Beauty Can Save the Planet • John Elkington
Review of The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology and Design
Economic Democracy • Jack Santa Barbara
Review of The Trouble with Billionaires: How the Super-Rich Hijacked the World (and How We Can Take It Back)
A Poet's Pilgrim • Jay Ramsay
Review of Cycling After Thomas and the English
A Bleak Picture • Helena Drakakis
Review of Out of This Earth: East India Adivasis and the Aluminium Cartel
Decentralised Democracy • Pat Conaty
Review of A Complexity Approach to Sustainability: Theory and Application
Healthy Soil • Pat Thomas
Review of Soil Lives!: A Biography of the Uncelebrated Earth Beneath Our Feet
Landscape and the Human Heart • Peter Reason
Review of The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot
Music as Activism • Merlyn Driver
Review of A tribute to Pete Seeger's album God Bless the Grass
Web Exclusives
Article - A New Scientific Paradigm • Damir A Shakambet
A new medicine for a new millennium
Article - Weaving Water • Dory Walker
Artist Sarah Sense weaves Native American tradition with digital photography
Review - Enduring Wisdom • David Cadman
Review of Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution