Vandana Shiva at an international conference
(EPA/EMPICS)
Vandana Shiva
Born in Dehra Dun, India, Vandana Shiva's the closest thing you'll
find to an anti-globalisation celebrity. Equal parts environmental
activist, physicist, ecofeminist and writer, Vandana was also
one of the original tree-huggers. In the Chipko movement of the
1970s, she and other eco-femmes hugged the trees to stop them
being felled by land-hungry developers – to great success.
In 1982, Vandana detached herself from the tree trunks in order
to found the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology,
which puts organic farming and seed diversity at the top of its
priorities. She has been very active in opposing the patenting
in India of lifeforms and traditional knowledge by international
corporations – which she and others there see as 'biopiracy'.
Vandana's work hasn't gone unnoticed outside the activist world.
In 1993 she was the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award –
known to many as the Alternative Nobel Prize – for her success
in bringing the issues of women and ecology into centre stage
in discussions around economic development. She has also received
the prestigious Earth Day International Award of the United Nations.
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