The survival of mankind is dependent on a healthy environment.  One of the most pressing needs of our time is, in the belief of The Sophia Foundation, the need to move from seeing nature as a commodity to be exploited to recognizing the interdependence and interconnectedness of all human and non-human entities - where value comes through reciprocity and regeneration and not through extraction. When we were approached by Styli Charalambous, the Co-founder and CEO of Daily Maverick and investigative journalist Dr. Don Pinnock to sponsor Maverick Earth (Our Burning Planet), the environmental reporting section of the Daily Maverick, we agreed on condition they included a sixth focus area.  This area would give a voice to leading thoughts promoting the belief that all humans are a part of Nature and that all living things have intrinsic value independent of their usefulness to humans, as well as advancing the recognition of the legal rights of more than human entities, like Table Mountain.
 

Don Pinnock, investigative journalist, writes: "In the past decade, the way we consume news has been turned on its head. What was once the territory of print newspapers has shifted increasingly to online. It’s been a revolution with mixed blessings – faster, more immediate and infinitely adaptable, but also relentless, overwhelming, and sometimes worryingly shallow. As climate change and biodiversity loss grew impossible to ignore, the Maverick team launched a specialist section: Our Burning Planet. Staffed by six full-time journalists, it quickly became the continent’s largest environmental newsroom....... Running such a powerhouse of environmental journalism isn’t cheap. Initial support came from a major bank, but when that funding ended, Maverick faced a dilemma: how to keep a vital public service alive.

 

Enter The Sophia Foundation. Early conversations between Lorraine and the Maverick team revealed a shared sense of purpose. Both sides valued environmental journalism – but Sophia’s vision reached deeper: the evolution of consciousness itself, toward living more harmoniously with one another and with the natural world. From this collaboration, Our Burning Planet will evolve into Maverick Earth, featuring an ongoing series titled Notes From a Small Planet. This new space will bring readers into contact with the thinkers, scientists, activists and artists re-imagining our ecological future. It will offer slow, reflective storytelling – pieces that spark curiosity, challenge assumptions and reveal the deeper meanings behind sustainability."

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Contact: Don Pinnock