I recently came across a story about a woman who lived for 2 years in a giant redwood tree in a forest on the west coast of the USA. It forms part of a collection of first-person stories of courage in a book titled 'Women of Spirit' (New World Library, 2001). Julia Hill's 2-year sojourn in the tree began as part of an environmental sit-in to stop loggers felling trees in an ancient forest. Most activists did a week stint at a time, either staying high up in a makeshift tree-house, or chained to the base of the tree, in both cases hindering the logging company from cutting down trees that were 1000 years old. Julia's 2-year stay started out as an act to get media attention to save the forest ' but became something far deeper for herself. I was captivated by this inner journey...
Julia Hill's 2-year sojourn in the tree began as part of an environmental sit-in to stop loggers felling trees in an ancient forest...
The South African Rooibos Council celebrated the second anniversary of its Rooibos biodiversity initiative at a recent Biodiversity Information Day, held near Clanwilliam in the Western Cape. Representatives from various nature conservation agencies and government departments joined Rooibos farmers and other industry players to celebrate this milestone. It was an opportunity to focus on the benefits of protecting biodiversity, as well as the progress made with biodiversity-friendly Rooibos farming. The event was hosted in partnership with GreenChoice, a business and conservation alliance promoting sustainable agriculture.
We urge you to attend a public meeting to be held in Stellenbosch on Tuesday 24 November 2009 @ 15h00 to address the problem of pesticide drift poisoning the people of Stellenbosch and the surrounding areas.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa guarantees the right of every person to live in an environment that is not harmful to their health and well being. However, exposure to pesticides, and in particular prolonged exposure to pesticides, poses very real health risks to both humans and the environment.
Livestock farming produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transport combined ' according to a recent UN report...
A beloved and absolutely key figure in biodynamic circles, Jeanne Malherbe, died recently. At her funeral at Bloublommetjieskloof farm outside Wellington, Rev. Richard Goodall made told the story of her life: Ten days before her 78th birthday Jeanne received the last anointing in full consciousness. She expressed how for her this was a great opening up to an unseen world from which she had felt closed off for a long time.
Behind the groomed Spier Estate we all know with its smooth picnic lawns and fine food, lies another world. Rolling back for hundreds of hectares is farmland going through biodynamic conversion.
There are 3 models inspiring what's happening ' Sekem in Egypt, Polyface Farm in the USA, and la Vialla in Tuscany. It's a big dream, of a major biodynamic centre producing everything from olive oil through to vegetables, cheese and meat ' inspiring and feeding people, healing the earth, and creating a sustainable farming model based on organic and biodynamic principles.
'Being in powerful landscapes slows one down to take in the breathtaking scenery and the details of a wild flower. This renews our energy for life, with its unpredictable turns.' Every second Sunday Iain Macdonald sets off with a group of about 20 people on a 5-hour walk through the mountains around Cape Town. 'These are walks, not hikes,' he clarified, 'the intent is to let nature regenerate you. For that you have to slow down and be present.' Why are they called Awakening Intuition Walks? 'For me the word intuition is made up of 'in' and 'tuition,' literally meaning 'inner teacher.' My aim is to promote a connection with that inner source through being in nature. Nature offers the perfect ground for attunement within.' Iain started this service 5 years ago, combining a lifelong interest in intuition with love of the outdoors and an interest in meeting people.
We, from the major faith communities of the world, meeting at the Parliament of the World's Religions, Melbourne, Australia, from 3rd to 9th December 2009, send warm greetings to all who are gathering at Copenhagen for your crucially important Conference.
Take an early afternoon off from work (beat the traffic!) and join a bunch of concerned citizens (including Rob Zipplies ' back from his epic climate-change-awareness-raising cycle from Cape Town, via Joburg and Pretoria to Durban for a symbolic candlelight vigil outside the US Consulate in Westlake, Cape Town. Bring a candle, a jar to protect the flame (or a candle cut-out if the south-easter is blowing!), a placard, or just yourself and join us in a peaceful demonstration to demand a meaningful commitment by the US government to CO2 reductions.
Take an early afternoon off from work (beat the traffic!) and join a bunch of concerned citizens (including Rob Zipplies ' back from his epic climate-change-awareness-raising cycle from Cape Town, via Joburg and Pretoria to Durban for a symbolic candlelight vigil outside the US Consulate in Westlake, Cape Town. Bring a candle, a jar to protect the flame (or a candle cut-out if the south-easter is blowing!), a placard, or just yourself and join us in a peaceful demonstration to demand a meaningful commitment by the US government to CO2 reductions.
Bischop Geoff Davis was speaking on behalf of all the faiths who are members of the SA Interfaith Environment Initiative when he gave the following parliamentary address 17 November: All Faiths call for Justice and Equity
Early morning on 24 October in New Zealand a crowd gathered before dawn next to a wind turbine on a mountaintop.
As local elders said prayers to bless the global event, banners and signs were held high to greet the planet`s first rays of sunlight on this most incredible of days.
Op Klimaatdag, 24 Oktober, het Stellenbosch 'n gans nuwe ding beleef ' 'n Groen mars met krete van 'climate change aint cool' het entoesiasties op die Saterdagmiddag deur die historiese dorp geslang.
"I couldn`t bear the thought of all the plastic, and baby nappies going into the rubbish bins and worrying about the effect it had on the environment. I was determined to find a way to use the plastic to make handbags!" says Unine Allen, founder of For the Love of Recycling bag designs and full time mother of three.
