International peace activist to speak at Southern Cross University

Globalisation is the key cause of global warming and climate change, according to international sustainability and peace leader Satish Kumar, who
will be speaking next week (May 9) at Southern Cross University's Tweed Gold Coast campus.

"For a sustainable future and a stable climate we need to develop, maintain and enhance local economies," Mr Kumar said. "Instead of high living standards we need to focus on the quality of a lifestyle that is elegant and simple."

Mr Kumar will be speaking in the Tweed region during his Australian tour thanks to the Southern Cross University Office of Regional Engagement and the Ethos Foundation. He is the founder and program director of Schumacher
College, an international residential centre for the study of ecological and spiritual values.

Born in Rajasthan, India, Mr Kumar first began campaigning for peace in his late teens, when he and a friend walked to the four nuclear capitals - Moscow, Paris, London and Washington - to deliver tea and a message of peace and understanding. Their journey began at the grave of Mahatma Gandhi and ended, two and a half years and almost 13,000 kilometres later, at the grave of John F Kennedy.

At 50, Mr Kumar undertook another pilgrimage, once more with no money, to walk between Britain's holy sites: Glastonbury, Canterbury, Lindisfarne and Iona. Now 70, he is the editor of the English-based Resurgence Magazine,
which promotes an ecological way of living.

Mr Kumar will be speaking in the Harvard Room at Southern Cross University's Tweed Gold Coast campus on May 9 from 7-9.30 pm at a cost of $20 per person (includes a light supper). Bookings can be made with the Ethos Foundation on
07 5533 3646 or 07 5533 3813. For further information, phone 02 6626 9250.

Photo: Satish Kumar.