Bøger udgivet af Ruffer & Rub Sachbuchverlag

»The life of the Swiss conductor and billionaire Paul Sacher has been described as ¿fifty lives full of secrets¿. Conductor, music- and arts-patron, businessman, entrepreneur ¿ Paul Sacher was all those things.«But how was it that a man born into a family with no musical background was able to shape the face of contemporary classical music for more than sixty years? How did the same man, who grow up in modest circumstances, ultimately become one of the world's wealthiest men? And how did he come to be the driving force behind one of the world's most powerful pharmaceutical empires for more than a century? These questions and many more are answered in Lesley Stephenson's revealing biography of Paul Sacher.

2002 the UN "Award for Sustainable Development Partnerships" How is it feasible to pay fair prices to farmers and sewers in India, Tanzania or Bangladesh, to protect nature and guarantee sustainable production? The Swiss organic cotton pioneer and founder of Remei AG, Patrick Hohmann, has succeeded against all odds. The fabric that we wear on our skin ruins entire economies and destroys nature. Hohmann no longer wanted to accept this. The reason: "It cannot be fair for an Indian farmer to subsidize my T-shirt." After several bankruptcies, setbacks and disappointments, he succeeded in producing cotton for the benefit of all stakeholders. Hohmann set up the bioRe® Foundation, an independent organization, which promotes organic cotton cultivation in India and Tanzania in cooperation with almost 6000 organic farmers. The foundation supports organic farming as a sustainable livelihood for smallholders and their families; it assures the participation of farming communities by respecting their human rights.Translated by Suzanne Kirkbright

Bertha von Suttner ¿ Jane Addams ¿ Emily Greene Balch ¿ Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan ¿ Mother Teresa ¿ Alva Myrdal ¿ Aung San Suu Kyi ¿ Rigoberta Menchú Tum ¿ Jody Williams ¿ Shirin EbadiWar is always the result of fear and violence. Conflict is supposed to resolve what was not resolved in dialogue and negotiations ¿ for lack of good will to solve it. What remains are misery and destruction, anger and impotence, and last but not least breeding-grounds for renewed violence. Those who were conquered by force of arms want revenge, want justice for themselves and their cause ¿ again, through violence.The examples of the eleven women who were awarded the Peace Nobel Prize up to 2003 show that other approaches are possible. They decided to stand up for their ideals without identifying with fear, violence, and brutality. Their motivation grew out of an attitude that gives life, an inner attitude that trusts life and will not give up.

The Australian agronomist Tony Rinaudo revolutionized reforestation in Africa with Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). His method is based on deploying tree stumps and roots that still grow even in degraded landscapes: thanks to the protection and care of the shoots, the original tree population can be regenerated without major financial costs. The method is now successfully applied in at least 24 African countries. Where the desert was still expanding 20 years ago, farmers reforest large areas with FMNR: in Niger alone seven million hectares of land were already restored in this way.Up to 700 million people will possibly be obliged to leave their homelands during the next three decades because of increasing desertification in the landscapes where they live. In the opinion of scientists, there is only one hope: to convince the local farmers of 'sustainable land management'. Tony Rinaudo believes that with FMNR he has found the appropriate method for such management - and just in time to stop, or even to be able to reverse the destruction of livelihoods.

"A world with enough food for all, produced by healthy people in a healthy environment." That is the vision of Hans R. Herren and his foundation Biovision. The foundation is active in the development, dissemination and application of ecological methods in Africa, with a focus on preparing information. By passing on practical expertise and exchanging knowledge, Biovision increases the self-reliance of those living in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia and improves their understanding of the environment. Its grassroots projects, such as the prevention of malaria and income generation through the cultivation of medicinal plants, improve people`s lives and serve as demonstration and training projects.In 2013, Hans R. Herren and and his foundation Biovision were awarded the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize.