Hanne Strong

Hanne Marstrand Strong "is President of the Manitou Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1988 to assist Mrs. Strong in her philanthropic interests, chiefly to establish the most complete ecumenical and sustainable community in North America, set in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Over the past twenty years, she has travelled to over 90 countries where she has frequently been an invited speaker at seminars and conferences on the subject of sustainable communities and spiritually based environmental education.

"In 1992, during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Mrs. Strong organized and sponsored two conferences attended by spiritual leaders from around the world. In 1977, she organized three conferences for children, youth and the handicapped that paralleled HABITAT, the UN Conference on Human Settlements in Vancouver, B.C. It was the first time ever that children addressed the world in the United Nations Plenary with their views and recommendations.

"Mrs. Strong has founded numerous non-profit organizations for Native Americans, handicapped and homeless children. She has worked extensively with Native Americans and other indigenous peoples in their struggle for the preservation of their spiritual and cultural values, and she has received spiritual training from North and South American Shamans, Tibetan Buddhist Lamas, Hindu masters and other indigenous Shamans from around the world."

"Mrs. Strong is the founder of the Earth Restoration Corps (ERC)...

"Mrs. Strong also served as the Senior Advisor/Organizer and Chief Fundraiser for the Millennium World Peace Summit for Religious & Spiritual Leaders at the UN in 2000."

"She has founded numerous nonprofit organizations for Native Americans, and co-founded the first nonprofit private foundation in Kenya with Sir Richard Leakey and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Wangari Maathai for the disabled and street children...

"Over the last 25 years Mrs. Strong has worked with Native Americans throughout Canada and the United States and indigenous peoples worldwide, to assist in their efforts to preserve their spirituality, cultural values and Native lands. She has received extensive spiritual training in the form of teachings, direct transmissions and initiations from North and South American shamans, Tibetan Buddhist Lamas, Hindu masters, Sufis and other mystics.

"Mrs. Strong’s mission has been the subject of featured articles in international publications, including several UN periodicals and books such as,” Voices of the Heart”; “A Compassionate Call for Responsibility and Creating Harmony”; “Conflict Resolution in Community Living” and Macleans—Canada’s Weekly Newsmagazine, news articles worldwide including: Reuters, News Week, Spirituality & Health, The Yoga Journal and Tricycle Buddhist Review. She has also authored articles on the topics of spirituality and environmental stewardship, such as “Ecological and Spiritual Revolution, published in Our Plant –The UN Environmental Program magazine for Sustainable Development. She has been interviewed on national television in the US, Brazil, France, the Philippines, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Russia, Mexico and Canada." 


 * Former member International Advisory Council, Auroville Foundation
 * Former member Advisory Board,Women of Vision and Action
 * International Advisor, The YES Campaign
 * International Advisory Board, Global Peace Initiative of Women
 * Advisory Board, International Beliefs and Values Institute
 * Advisory Board, TEKIO
 * Advisory Board, Landmarks Foundation

She is married to Maurice Strong, and her sister is Marianne Marstrand.

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Corrine McLaughlin
 * Spirituality, Culture and Economic Development meeting (1995)