Replenishing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World

The autor, the great environmental activist Wangari Maathai, makes a call to heal the wounds of both the Earth and human beings via the principles of spiritual traditions. The first part explores the application of the core values that drive the Green Belt Movement (founded by the author in 1977) and form the essence of its activities: love for the environment, respect and gratitude for the Earth’s resources, personal improvement through a spirit of self reliance, and a spirit of service and volunteerism. The second part explains different ways of looking at the Earth to become more aware of our relative position in the cosmos and the fact that we are a part of – and apart from – everything that exists. The third part examines the relevance of the four key values of the Green Belt Movement applied to everyday life, regardless of where we live. It also explores other religions and spiritual traditions that revere and respect the natural world and suggests ways to recognize the wounds of the Earth and to work to cure them.