FEATURES

Grandmother Earth
Nicola Graydon meets Mona Polacca, one of 13 indigenous grandmothers who are travelling the world on a mission to promote peace, unity and respect for nature

Farms and fields… or fuel?
Do we really need to destroy the Earth in order to save it? Paul Kingsnorth shines a light on a growing eco-dilemma – the industrialisation of the wild to produce energy

Spinning wheels
The world’s fastest-growing consumer market will soon have the keys to the world’s cheapest car. Dan McDougall on the rise of the Tata Nano and Ashish Fernandes on Tata’s controversial land-grab on the coast of Orissa

The Earth vs the Economy
It’s the battle of the century. In one corner, the Economy – greedy and growing. In the other, the planet Earth – fragile, finite and fighting back. We are the referees who can change the game, and when the Earth wins, we all win. Jonathan Rowe looks at how a growth economy is taxing our souls as well as our planet • 40 If growth isn’t the answer, what is? Herman E Daly offers a radical solution • 44 The future’s bright, says Andrew Simms, even in the face of a recession

Monkey business
Chasing a cure for malaria, Colombian scientist Manuel Patarroyo has been accused of dire animal rights abuses. Peter Bunyard reports on a tragedy in the Amazon

COMMENTS

Jacqueline Savitz has a simple message for international shipping – slow down • Joss Garman urges more of us to get on the corporate ‘risk list’ • Fluoridation of our water is an unquantified health risk, says John Graham • Why environmentalists will be the scapegoats of the 21st century, by Richard Heinberg • Putting our set-aside land under the plough is a symptom of an agricultural system gone wrong, says Ed Hamer

Letters: A regular forum for your views on our views

News: GM study sexed-up; fair trade and organic attacked; global cooling proved wrong

News Focus: Are biofuels from algae truly the next big thing? Mark Anslow reports

Behind the label: Roundup fast-action weedkiller
How does your garden grow? In a toxic haze if you use Roundup, reveals Pat Thomas

How to be free
Blackberries and Amazon? It’s time we reclaimed the language of the natural world from the corporations, says Tom Hodgkinson

APRIL GREEN PAGES

In Season
Go on a bluebell safari, celebrate Beltane and try food with integrity at the Real Food Festival. Rachel Clode offers tips for April

Living off the land
Can Fergus Drennan survive for a whole year on nothing but foraged food?

All that glitters…
Gold’s superficial beauty conceals a harsh ecological truth. Laura Sevier reports

The retrofitters
Laura Sevier on the growing craze for transforming old houses into green houses