The Green Economics Institute is thinking of its members in Pakistan at this time and has been assured that they are all well. Miriam Kennet Green Economics Institute Director is on the Board of the Sindh Journal of Agriculture and so is particularly keen to ensure everyone is OK and regrets deeply the killing of Benazir Bhutto who also went to Oxford where many of us went.

Also whatever else one says about Benazir she was an important person in the fight for women's rights in her country, and her loss is sadly missed. We also condem violence in any form in the Institute

. We wish everyone a happy new year and peaceful festive season

. We are also pleased to host this week our Brazilian Director Laura de Valente de Macedo -who has been in Bali and is now visiting the Uk and we have been planning lots of joint projects this week, and will be running a Green Building Day in July for Civil Engineers and Architects and anyone interested in sustainable cities as Laura is also South American Director of ICLEI.

Additonally our Founder Director Clare Lunn, Environmental Consultant and author is visiting from the USA and we welcome her and her family

. We also welcome our newest intern Calga from Turkey who will be with us full time over the summer, with the Erasmus European Scheme and also Oliver from South Africa. They will be joining a lively team of interns, including Sophie, John and Samantha.

Miriam Kennet is writing for the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation in Germany on the heritage of Rosa Luxembourg and some of the interesting points of her analysis especially on international production and its effects.

Volker Heinemann Institute Director is developing our pensions policy

We are now taking bookings for our social economics and poverty conference at Oxford on 9th February 2008, please do book as soon as possible as this gets very booked up - the flyer is on the left hand tab- Social aspects of economics and this conference will be also run in the French Senat in the summer as well

We have also opened an office in Poland and we will be pleased to have contact if you are interested in that

Our annual conference is also open for bookings - on July 17th 18th 19th 2008 in Oxford.

We are on a speaking tour in India in September - please email for details

We will be at the critical theory conference in July in Cambridge and the Heterodox economics conference in July 2008

There is lots of activity on our campaigns for biodiversity, and poverty and transport-frieght fairness too as well as greening of business so do email for information and we will be running a special green procurement conference in July as well as a campaign.

. For more information and to get in touch and to find out about our activities in your country please email greeneconmicsinstitute@yahoo.com.

Miriam Kennet December 31st 2007