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GREEN POLITICS

GREEN POLITICS

Permaculture and Primitvism: Two alternatives to the technological destruction of nature

2nd August 2016

Gaurav Sangwani writes: Permaculture tries to utilise the existing elements in the land to take human freedom further, with a far lower ecological effect. Primitivism is the perennial belief in the need to go back to where we started, the lost Golden Age of freedom and guiltlessness which is at the heart of all the world’s religions….

Shivaji Kagnekar (middle) with fellow Gandhian Sadashivarao Bhonsale (extreme left)

The Hindu

On a sustainable path

1st August 2016

Smoke-free kitchens, productive farmlands, abundant natural resources — these are some of the features that make over a dozen villages in Karnataka’s Belagavi district stand apart. The concept of enhancing rural livelihoods through active participation of people was introduced here by Shivaji Kagnekar, 67, a social reformer, who has successfully explored possibilities of rural development….

Representative pic

Bharat Mansata: The rich diversity of forest foods

31st July 2016

Almost two decades back, about two dozen of us pooled resources to buy undulating land, now known as Vanvadi, in the foothills of the Sahyadris; our primary aim – ecological regeneration and local self-reliance. A survey of the botanical wealth of Vanvadi surprised us with 52 plant species of uncultivated forest foods that provide edible….

Dr Jill Stein, the U.S. Green Party's candidate for the 2017 presidential elections

The case for the green state

26th July 2016

William Hawes writes: Critiques of the modern nation-state have been growing, due to the abysmal failures of the capitalist, neoliberal order. On the other side, the leftism of social-democratic reforms promote endless government spending. Neither of these models address the many crises our world faces. Green political theory offers a way out of this impasse….

A view of the Sangatya farm

Sangatya Commune: An experiment in sustainable living

22nd July 2016

The New indian Express profiles ‘Sangatya’ commune, and its co-founder, Shreekumar a chemical engineer turned organic farmer and activist and Ecologise.in author. Sangatya, located in Nakre village near Karkala in south Karnataka, is experimenting with creating spaces for sustainable living. The commune is also a place to gain hands-on experience in many areas, including community-building….

Watch: A blistering critique of India’s “destructive development”

19th July 2016

In this video, which has since gone viral, Binay Kumar, a corporate employee turned farmer addresses an audience in Bangalore, offering a sharp take on India’s rampant urbanization, catastrophic development model, the ongoing agrarian crisis and the rural-urban divide that feeds it. He states the obvious, but bitter truth: “Everybody wants to eat, but nobody wants to grow.”…

Green activist arrested, beaten in custody, NGOs demand release

17th July 2016

On 8th July 2016, environmental activist Piyush Sethia and two colleagues were arrested in Salem, Tamil Nadu during protests against the construction of an over-bridge. On 14th July 2016, the Magistrate’s court dismissed Piyush’s bail application while granting conditional bail to the other two activists. Sethia has been kept in solitary confinement since his arrest….

The Anarcho-Primitivist who wants us all to give up technology

11th July 2016

Green anarchist John Zerzan is arguably the world’s most prominent anti-technology philosopher. His new book, Why Hope? The Stand Against Civilization, published by Feral House, makes the startling argument that ‘nothing produced by civilization can ever redeem the systematic attempt it has undertaken these few millennia to destroy or alienate human connection with the earth.”…

Indigenous Terra Madre festival – The Shillong Declaration

7th July 2016

The Indigenous Terra Madre festival 2015 at Shillong brought together indigenous peoples from around the world to share knowledge about food, nutrition and biocultural diversity. The Shillong Declaration, asserts that everyone has a right to good, clean and fair food and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage, tradition and culture that make this possible….

Why rural distress is not triggering organised farmer unrest

1st July 2016

Sayantan Bera reports: The sorry state of India’s farm movement is inextricably linked to the non-viability of farming now, said Vijay Jawandhia, a farmer leader from Wardha in Maharashtra. “Land holdings have become smaller and farmers everywhere are struggling to run a family and survive. Where is the time or resource to invest in a movement?”…

The commons: A credible strategy for building a radically different world

29th June 2016

David Bollier writes: How are we to imagine and build a radically different world when the incumbent system aggressively resists change? Our challenge is not just articulating alternatives, but identifying strategies for actualizing them. The commons —a paradigm, a discourse, an ethic, and a set of social practices— holds great promise in transcending this conundrum….

The Economic Times

These green socialists want to see a ‘hundred flowers bloom’

Soumya Aji writes: They have no formal structure and operate in village level groups in Karnataka. The motto for the effort, as of now, is “green socialism”. And they are slowly gathering heft, showing by example and by spreading awareness that there can be an alternative way of living, one that is self-sustaining and satisfying….

Bookshelf: Degrowth – A Vocabulary for a New Era

24th June 2016

Broroti Roy writes that in India, many are reluctant to use the term ‘degrowth’ because growth is seen as the only way to get rid of poverty. However, there are many grassroots initiatives emerging here, too, which follow the same principles of respecting the planet’s limits and pursuing the core values of equity and justice….

Report: More earth defenders were killed last year than ever before

23rd June 2016

The non-profit Global Witness has documented 185 killings across 16 countries of people defending their land, forests and rivers against destructive industries in 2015. It’s by far the highest annual death toll on record. Communities that take a stand are finding themselves in the firing line of companies’ private security, state forces and contract killers….

The climate change PR disaster

20th June 2016

Bob Pickard writes: It is remarkable how little has actually been done to deal with climate change – and the current lack of public affairs urgency is absolutely breathtaking… There are many reasons why climate change is such a vexing communications conundrum; but as a PR professional, here is what I‘ve pieced together so far….

Interview: Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for U.S. presidential elections

18th June 2016

Dr. Jill Stein is an organizer, physician and pioneering environmental health advocate– and the Green Party’s candidate for president of the U.S. She presents herself as an alternative to a Democratic Party where Bernie Sanders may have support, but Hillary Clinton is the presidential candidate. In this interview, Stein discusses her campaign with Ashley Smith….

Video: Rapper Sofia Ashraf takes down Dow Chemicals for the Bhopal tragedy

13th June 2016

Scroll.in reports: Sofia Ashraf, the artist behind the Kodaikanal Won’t video (bottom) in 2015 has a new video out. Dow Vs Bhopal: A Toxic Rap Battle describes the US Government’s complete blanking out of the Bhopal tragedy, when a poisonous gas leak from a Union Carbide plant led to the death of some 16,000 people….

How a mass campaign helped vote out glyphosate in EU

12th June 2016

Europe recently took an extraordinary vote, refusing to grant Monsanto a license for its main product and cornerstone of its empire – the cancer-linked weed killer glyphosate. A key role was played by a massive campaign initiated by activist organization Avaaz, with 2 million signing their petition to the EU. Here’s how they did it….

Representative pic

Norway becomes world’s first country to ban deforestation

9th June 2016

EcoWatch reports: Norway has become the first country to ban deforestation. The Norwegian Parliament pledged May 26 that the government’s public procurement policy will be deforestation-free. Any product that contributes to deforestation won’t be used in the Scandinavian country. Norway’s action plan also includes a requires the government to exercise due care in biodiversity protection….

Who is the dumb primate, really?

8th June 2016

Aseem Shrivastava writes: A species that endangers other species endangers itself. This simple lesson in interdependence is the first principle of ecology, a commonsensical science of such far-reaching and enduring contemporary significance as to merit a compulsory education for all humans; for nothing is more perilous for human destiny today than ecological illiteracy and myopia….