Briefing No. 28 - Christmas Edition
What we’re reading
On the Greenwood Place bedside table
Only 6-8% of the world’s fungi have so far even been identified. Mycorrhizal relationships matter because 90% of plants, the basis of everything that sustains us, depend on them. If you teased apart the mycelium found in a gram of soil and laid it end to end, it could stretch anywhere from 100 metres to 10 kilometres. Merlin Sheldrake’s “Entangled Life” is a mind-blowing read for the holidays and a timely reminder that the world is richer, stranger and more wonderful than we know.
GRATITUDE
We cannot be grateful for everything. However, says David Steindl-Rast, although it is clearly not possible to be grateful for everything, we can be grateful in every moment. Steindl-Rast calls joy “the happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.” His idea of gratitude is one we plan to reflect on as 2021 draws to a close. It is not an easy one. It is a choice to stop, look at the present moment and - for a split second - understand the opportunity of this moment.
SEEING CLEARLY
“I was ready for the world but I don’t think the world was ready for me.”
Sixto “Sugar Man” Rodriguez.
Mysterious “street poet” of Detroit recorded two albums in 1970 and 1971, and then disappeared. His music remained relatively unheard and unknown, except in South Africa where Rodriguez became a legend. This Academy Award-winning documentary is an uplifting holiday watch, it takes viewers on a surprising journey and reminds us all that, sometimes, the greatest heroes are the people living right next door.
THE PUBLIC PHILOSOPHER
Justice, the course Michael Sandel devised at Harvard, is one of the most popular in the university’s history – thousands of students apply to attend in person and tens of millions watch his classes online. Thank you to our community member Stephanie Brobbey for pointing us towards the soundtrack to Sandel’s life.
CARBON EMISSIONS PER CAPITA BY COUNTRY
Measuring total carbon emissions doesn't always paint the most accurate picture of a country's contribution, if their populations isn't considered.
THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE
The Earthshot Prize is the most ambitious and prestigious of its kind – designed to incentivise change and help to repair our planet over the next ten years. We were thrilled when Greenwood Place community members Coral Vita were announced as amongst the first five global winners.
TALKING WITH WHALES
An interdisciplinary group of scientists are hoping to use artificial intelligence to decode whale conversation.
MY BRILLIANT IMAGE
I wish I could show you
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The Astonishing Light
Of your own Being!
Lines from a poem by 14th century Persian Sufi writer, Hafiz of Shiraz
Upcoming Events
Thank you to everyone who joined our recent, fascinating conversation with Christy Turlington Burns, Courtenay Cabot Venton and Ndinini Kimesera Sikar about women’s self-help groups and their astonishing efficacy in enabling members to fight poverty and protect health.
In the New Year we are looking forward to a community teach-in on impact investing with community members Impact Bridge Asset Management and a conversation about homelessness in the UK. We’re also beginning to plan a trip to the Skoll World Forum. Please let us know if you’d like to join any us for any of these.
CAN WE HELP YOU?
Greenwood Place provides philanthropy support, advice and execution for a small group of strategic philanthropists. We take an entrepreneurial approach to tackling tough social and environmental problems. We work closely with our clients to find the places where they can make most difference, we support their learning and we partner with them to achieve real, lasting change.
The Greenwood is the place in Shakespeare's plays where characters go to grow, change and learn.