John Griffin

John Griffin was born in Tasmania, Australia. Although still a youth when he witnessed the destruction of Lake Pedder in the heart of the Tasmanian wilderness, the experience left a deep impression upon him. Growing up, he explored many of Tasmania’s wild areas. An abiding love of nature combined with a concern for the plight of the environment influenced his later academic career. An Honors’ Degree in Environmental Studies was followed by a Ph.D. in Environmental Philosophy. His book, On the Origin of Beauty, is an adaptation of his dissertation (which won the Dean’s Prize for 2007). He has travelled widely, seeking out places where traditional ways of life are still to be found, in such countries as India, Morocco and Turkey. Traditional architecture and timeless ways of building have been inspirational, and on returning from these travels, he spent several years in Australia building homes from natural materials—earth, stone, and timber. And in England, together with a partner, he built a stone sunken garden in the grounds of Schumacher College, Devon. He now lives on a small farm in the hills of northern Portugal, engaged in rehabilitating old stone-walled terraces, tending an organic vegetable garden and orchard, and devoting any spare time to writing.