There’s no doubt we’re in turmoil on this planet. Environmental destruction, war, and displacement have brought us to the brink of catastrophe and the collapse of all we love. Is there a way out? Vandana Shiva believes there is. Drawing on her 50 years as an environmentalist, eco-feminist, and author, Vandana argues that this is our moment to reverse the damage created by colonialism and the fossil fuel age.
Watch her full 45-minute keynote at Omega's 2018 Making Peace With the Earth conference and learn more about the ways forward she offers.
Don't have 45 minutes right now? Here's a summary of her key points:
- We are part of the earth and we have a duty to care. If we care about what we eat, what we wear, and how we think, we will have the knowledge and make the decisions that create living democracies that protect the earth.
- If we create the conditions for peace with the earth, we create the conditions for peace with humanity.
- We can grow more food—measured by nutrition per acre—and support more farmers through seed saving, organic farming, and local distribution, than through commodity farming.
- By redefining wealth from money controlled by governments and growth defined by GDP, we can return to the original meaning of the word, which is well-being.
- Love, fearlessness, and courage, and the exercise of creative, nonviolent power, can overcome killing cultures and economies.
- Compassion is our highest potential, our highest power.