Obituary: Stephan Harding and his more-than-planetary legacy

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

September 5, 2024

Harding left us this week, but not without first fulfilling his legacy of touching the hearts of thousands of students from all over the world with his way of teaching about the life of our planet.

My first conversation with Stephan Harding was in England, where I was introduced to him by the visionary monk, author, and activist Satish Kumar. Satish had just invited me to study a master’s program called Holistic Science at Schumacher College, a school he co-founded with Stephan. Sitting across from each other in the garden, full of energy, Stephan asked me, “So, you want to do the master’s program?” Yes! From that afternoon in 2015 onward, he became my mentor, friend, professor, and the supervisor of my thesis, which explored ten possible ways to foster emotional connection with the Amazon rainforest.

In Memoriam: Joanna Macy (1929-2025)

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of philosopher, mentor, teacher, activist and visionary, Joanna Macy. Joanna died peacefully at her home in Berkeley on July 19, 2025, at age 96, surrounded by family and friends. Her passing marks the end of a life devoted to weaving together Buddhist wisdom, systems thinking, and ecological awareness.

Joanna’s work synthesized principles of Buddhism, systems theory and deep ecology philosophy, creating frameworks that helped countless people transform despair about planetary crisis into engaged action. Her doctoral thesis, “Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory,” linked codependent arising with systems thinking, offering intellectual grounding for what would become her signature teaching methodology.

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Obituary: Stephan Harding and his more-than-planetary legacy

In Memoriam: Joanna Macy (1929-2025)