Regenerating the Heart
and celebrating women
Dear Sons and Daughters,
This past Friday was International Women’s Day, an opportunity to celebrate the collective wisdom and energy of women all over the world.
This past year, we have had the privilege of sharing the inspiring stories of incredible women: Helena Norberg-Hodge, Petrine McCrohan, Jojo Mehta and the profound sisters Mukutsawa and Sani Montahuano Ushigua.
We celebrate women today and all days. As the poet Rumi says, a woman “is not a mere creature, she is like a creator". She is the human form of our great Mother, our Earth.
This week’s newsletter has a feminine focus, as well a story about an amazing indigenous-led project in Colombia.
🗞️ In Climate News
🇺🇸 NY sues world’s top meat producer JBS over misleading sustainability claims.
🇲🇳 Killer winter is ravaging herds and a way of life in Mongolia.
🇺🇸 Chicago sues 5 oil companies after their products lead to climate “catastrophic consequences”.
🌍 Africa to be $2.5 trillion short of climate finance by 2030, UN says.
🇧🇷 Study on Brazilian heat wave deaths shows gender & racial disparities.
🪲 Habitat loss & pesticides threaten Brazil’s bioluminescent insects.
📈 Cool Trends
🇲🇼 Women farmers in Malawi tackle climate change and gender inequalities through greenhouse programme .
🇵🇾 Sacred plant helping forge a climate-friendly future in Paraguay.
♾️ eco-story
Regenerating the Heart of the Earth
The Arhuaco, Kogi, Wiwa and Kankuamo communities have long safeguarded the sacred lands of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range in northern Colombia. These lands hold profound spiritual significance, deeply rooted in their cosmologies and belief systems. The snow-capped peaks are considered the Heart of the Earth, and its ecological balance is of high importance in maintaining environmental balance across the world.
The Arhuaco, Kogi, Wiwa and Kankuamo see themselves as humanity’s “elder brothers and sisters”, responsible for preserving this balance. Rivers represent the veins of the Earth, connecting the mountains to the spirit realm, while trees and forests are living beings that sustain all life. These indigenous groups honour nature through ceremonies, payments to the Earth, and sustainable use of resources, maintaining an intimate relationship to the land that is central to their cultural identity. Specific natural sites are sacred spaces for rituals of divination and healing, and keen observation of ecological patterns guide their ceremonial calendar, as Mamos and Zagas — the spiritual leaders and elders of these indigenous groups — draw on ancestral knowledge to read signs from nature to maintain equilibrium with Mother Earth.
🌏 The Culture Column
📺 What we’re watching: SHE changes climate
📸 Profile of the week: @women_and_climate
📖 What we’re reading: Climate justice: a man-made problem with a feminist solution by Mary Robinson.
🤯 Shocking fact we learnt this week: In the aftermath of extreme weather events and natural disasters, countries report an increase in violence against women while girls tend to be pulled out of school to help their families recover from such events.