Small World, Big Ideas collects twelve of the most inspiring and
courageous activists together to share their stories and present an
inspiring vision of what each of us can do to build a better world
today.
There's an activist in all of us, and you don't have to shout about
it to be heard.
And to prove it, life-long campaigner and former Jain monk Satish
Kumar has invited twelve of those activists he most admires to share
their own inspiring stories in Small World, Big Ideas,
revealing--some, for the very first time--who or what made them want
to change the world and what kind of world they want to help create.
This book collects the thoughts, hopes and visions of some of the most
significant figures in the global fight for a better and more
compassionate world. As well as Satish Kumar, we hear from:
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Deepak Chopra - The mind-body healing pioneer discusses his
journey from growing up in post-war India to learning about Ayurvedic
medicine, to his current work promoting spiritual knowledge and
working for world peace.
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Jane Goodall - The renowned scientist and conservationist tells of
the people who have inspired her in her work to pretect animals, and
the reasons she has for hope in the future.
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Franny Armstrong - The McLibel filmmaker writes about her
politicisation as a teenager, her involvement with the Greenpeace
movement and the next steps in the fight against climate change.
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Bob Brown - The Australian Green politician shares stories from
his time as an ecologist and lawmaker, and his belief in how democracy
can be used to bring people together to fight the looming crises
facing Planet Earth.
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Tim Flannery - The explorer and ecologist tells of watching the
ecosystems around him disappear, his travels to remote areas around
the world and how the only hope for our future lies in connecting with
others to act together.
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Polly Higgins -The late environmental lawyer discusses how the
concept of Earth Law, and how she came to fight for ecocide to be
recognised as a crime against humanity.
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Caroline Lucas - England's only Green MP, Lucas writes about how
she has fought all her life to change the political system, and how
radical change is always possible!
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Bill McKibben - The writer and activist discusses moving from
writing to political campaigning, and how he founded 350.org, the
global grass-roots organization that works to halt and reverse climate
change.
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Carlo Petrini - The slow food advocate tells of growing up in
Piedmont, and of how we can change the world by putting food back at
the centre of our lives.
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Vandana Shiva - The ecofeminist discusses how the multiple crises
which she has fought - climate change, misogyny and inequality - are
all interlinked, and how our response must be similarly
all-encompassing.
Whether they have championed the tragic plight of Indian farmers
impoverished by the domination of the agro-giants or shamed Hollywood
into treating climate change as a serious concern these are the people
who have made their voices heard.
Their illuminating and often moving life stories will inspire all of
us to get off the couch and do something ourselves to help shape a
better world.
