NEW YORK (NNA) – A former Waldorf pupil has won one of the most prestigious awards in the US literary world. William Alexander, an alumni of Kimberton Waldorf School, was the winner in the Young People’s Literature category of the National Book Awards for his fantasy novel Goblin Secrets.

The award was presented at a ceremony in New York on 14 November. Goblin Secrets came first out of a total of 314 submissions in the category.

The book, which is aimed at ages 8-12, is about Rownie, the…

The sudden disappearance of bee colonies in colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a phenomenon with the potential to cause disaster. A significant part of the world’s food production is dependent on pollination by bees. In his new book Global Hive – Bee Crisis and Compassionate Ecology the Australian author Horst Kornberger urges us to think in a new way about the possible causes of CCD. NNA South Pacific correspondent Vee Noble reports.

HAMILTON HILL, Western Australia (NNA) – “This was a book…

CAPE TOWN (NNA) – An appeal for donations from the Berlin-based international organisation Friends of Waldorf Education has temporarily rescued the Centre for Creative Education (CCE) in Cape Town, South Africa, from financial collapse. As the Friends explain in their November appeal, the Waldorf teacher training seminar has been short of at least 1.5m rand (£111 000, US$178 000) since the start of the year. One of the funding sources for the CCE was the national lottery which stopped its…

BERLIN (NNA) – WOW-Day has become an established part of the year in many Waldorf schools and this year was no exception. WOW stands for Waldorf One World when students at Waldorf schools dedicate one day to support developing Waldorf initiatives around the world.Through artistic activities or one-day jobs,the pupils raise money for Waldorf facilities inurgent need of help. This year, too, a lot of money was collected.

According to the Berlin-based international organisation Friends of…

BASEL (NNA) – “We are relocating to Basel – where we will continue to publish exceptional books.” With this slogan the publisher Rudolf Steiner Verlag and the associated Futurum imprint (previously Pforte) announced its relocation to the university town. 

The Ackermannshof, its new home since September, is located in the St. Johann's Vorstadt district, only a few steps from the Rhine. The festivities for the move, which were held in the former printing hall on the ground floor, gave numerous…

BASEL (NNA) – “We are relocating to Basel – where we will continue to publish exceptional books.” With this slogan the publisher Rudolf Steiner Verlag and the associated Futurum imprint (previously Pforte) announced its relocation to the university town. 

The Ackermannshof, its new home since September, is located in the St. Johann's Vorstadt district, only a few steps from the Rhine. The festivities for the move, which were held in the former printing hall on the ground floor, gave numerous…

LONDON (NNA) - The Glencraig Camphill Community in Northern Ireland was the winner in the Community Award section at the 7th Annual British Renewable Energy Awards for its pioneering work in renewable energy.

The award was presented by the Renewable Energy Association (REA) at a gala dinner in London at the end of June. The awards are the UK's most prestigious event to recognise outstanding achievements by individuals and organisations in the renewable energy industry.

The Camphill community,…

CAIRO (NNA) – The first non-profit university in the Middle East with sustainable development as its overall guiding principle will start teaching its initial intake of students this October.

The Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development has its origins in the Heliopolis Academy which was started by the Sekem Initiative as long ago as 1999. The university itself was officially established in 2010.

The special feature of the courses is their interdisciplinary character and specifically…

YORK (NNA) - A new training course in Waldorf early childhood studies is being launched this autumn in the north of England. The North of England Steiner Waldorf Early Childhood Studies programme (NESWEC) will provide initial early childhood training based in the York to complement a similar course in London.

Validation will be with Edexcel through the Crossfields Institute, like the London Waldorf Early Childhood course, NESWEC says. “Our intention is to have both these courses placed on the…

FLAXLEY, Gloucestershire (NNA) – A new part-time programme in anthroposophical studies is being launched in October 2012 in the UK.

Called “insight”, it is a “blended learning programme” delivered through attendance, guided distance learning and mentoring, the organisers of the programme say. 

“‘insight’ offers an integrated learning pathway in anthroposophic studies and is carried by a national and international faculty of subject experts,” Simon Reakes from the initiative told NNA.

Founded…