GLEANINGS:
Scott Russell Sanders,distinguished Professor of English at Indiana University Bloomington,author of twenty books and conservation advocate,has written an important book titled A Conservationist Manifesto. In the summary chapter by the same name Dr. Sanders (who is an Earth Charter Indiana “Green Ambassador”) pens his 40 point manifesto. Every tenet is worth pondering. (In fact,the whole book is well worth the buy and the read.) By permission of the publisher we will reproduce one point each week on this website.
“Our common wealth includes the basic necessities of life,such as clean water. It also includes the basic grammar of life,the evolutionary information embodied in the human genome and in the genes of other species. We should modify that genetic inheritance only with the greatest care,after public deliberation,and never merely for the sake of financial profit or scientific curiosity. We should guard the human genome against tampering and commercialization. These essentials of life belong to all people,and our rights in them need to be fully and forever protected.”
A Conservationist Manifesto. p. 216. © 2009 Scott Russell Sanders. All rights reserved. Appearing with permission of Indiana University Press.
THE EARTH CHARTER AND YOU
Principle 12 - Uphold the right of all,without discrimination,to a natural and social environment supportive of human dignity,bodily health,and spiritual well-being,with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities.
This principle speaks to eliminating discrimination of all kinds and restoring places of cultural and spiritual significance.