Desmond Tutu

"There would be no call for ecological campaigning had nature not been exploited and abused. We experience the ground now bringing forth thistles as soil erosion devastates formerly arable land and deserts overtake fertile farms. Rivers and the atmosphere are polluted thoughtlessly and we are fearful of the consequences of a depleted ozone layer and the devastation of the greenhouse effect. We are not quite at home in our world, and somewhere in each of us there is a nostalgia for a paradise that has been lost."

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Source: Facing the Future: Global Education at the Crossroads by Desmond Tutu, Dennis Van Roekel, www.huffingtonpost.com. June 21, 2010.

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Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu

Theologian, Activist

Desmond Tutu was a South African Anglican bishop and social rights activist known for his work against apartheid and his advocacy for reconciliation.

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"When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land."

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"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

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