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March 14 is Sikh Environment Day

NEWS REPORT

 

 

During the week of March 14, hundreds of Sikh Gurdwaras, schools, and organizations around the world will participate in Sikh Environment Day to mark the day when Har Rai, took on Guru Nanak's mantle and became the Seventh Guru.

He is fondly respected and remembered in Sikh tradition for his deep sensitivity to nature and its preservation through the medicinal garden and animal sanctuary he kept in Kiratpur, located in present day Rupnagar District, Punjab.

The Akal Takht, the central governing authority of Sikhs, an edict from the city of Amritsar encouraging all Sikhs to commemorate Sikh Environment Day by planting trees. Sikh institutions such as the historic Chief Khalsa Diwan, Sukrit Foundation and Tavleen Foundation have developed educational materials to teach children to be more respectful and caring towards the environment.

Two other takhts, Sri Hazoor Sahib and Sri Kesgarh Sahib, have endorsed the idea, and gurdwaras across the length and breadth of the subcontinent , and over two hundred schools as well, have signed up to celebrate the day by remembering the connection between the Sikh concept of the Divine and the environment.

An appeal has also been made by EcoSikh for plastic-free Holla Mohalla celebrations at Anandpur Sahib.The festival falls on Sunday, March 20, 2011.

Dedicated Sikh environmental leaders Bhai Balbir Singh Seechewal, Kapurthala, Punjab, and Bhai Sewa Singh of Amritsar are participating in the celebrations through mass tree-planting and by adopting villages that are suffering from ecological degradation.

Bibi Inderjit Kaur of Pingalwara, which was founded by the renowned environmentalist and humanitarian, the late Bhagat Puran Singh ji, hosted a zero-budget natural farming workshop in Sangrur, Punjab, to encourage farmers to practice ecologically friendly agriculture without the use of hydrocarbon-based chemicals.

In the Sikh Diaspora, gurdwaras from Canada to Malaysia will be participating in by focusing on traditional verses from the Sikh scriptures on nature. In Northeastern United States, the Connecticut Sikh Association will be celebrating the day with plans to install solar panels in their new gurdwara, reducing energy costs by $15 thousand per year.

In British Columbia, Canada, Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara and Sukh Sagar Gurdwara will be hosting a community environmental clean up, a tree planting, and a plant distribution in partnership with the youth organization, Sikh Green Team.

The Sikh Naujawan Sabha of Malaysia will be hosting a project in the country's forest reserves to reconnect children with nature.

In West Africa, the Sikh sangat in Nigeria will be focusing on reducing waste and on encouraging others to lead a simple life to protect the environment.    

Sikh educational institutions known as Khalsa Schools, including several private schools in Toronto and Calgary, Canada, will be focusing on a children's environmental education lesson that connects Sikh history, scripture and values, to the important environmental challenges we face today, such as energy and water shortage, waste and consumption, and responsible behavior and management of natural resources.

Sikh educational organizations such as the Sikh Research Institute, which is based in Texas, U.S.A., will be hosting a tree-planting, and several workshops on the environment focused on developing affection for the environment and creation in accordance with the Sikh value system that maintains that the Divine Creator and the Creation are One, as the revered poet-saint Baba Farid ji reminds us.

"This day is an important day for Sikhs around the world. In the fields of agriculture, education, communications, health, and business, Sikhs are leaders with a tremendous potential to move to the head of curve in the field of the environment. The natural demands of our planet will require us to restructure our lives in a more sustainable manner, which in the end will not only benefit ecology and society but help us build a more robust and innovative economy based on the protection of our natural resources," said Bandana Kaur, Program Manager for EcoSikh.

The events are being supported and coordinated by EcoSikh, the Sikh community's contribution to the Alliance of Religions and Conservation and United Nations Development Programme's Plans for Generational Change Project.

EcoSikh aims to work with all the major faiths to improve their relationship with the environment. EcoSikh's mission is to connect Sikh values, beliefs, and institutions to the most important environmental issues facing our world. The organization draws on the rich tradition of the Sikh Gurus and the Khalsa to shape the behavior and outlook of Sikhs and the world, ensuring that a deep, abiding reverence for all creation remains a central part of the Sikh way of life.

If you would like to participate in Sikh Environment Day, please register your organization or gurdwara at www.ecosikh.org.

 

March 11, 2011

Conversation about this article

1: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), March 12, 2011, 9:04 AM.

An appeal is made by EcoSikh for plastic-free Holla Mohalla celebrations at Anandpur Sahib. As every one knows, langars in all gurdwaras in India are free of paper and plastic. On Sikh Environment Day, gurdwaras across the diaspora should make efforts to eliminate or minimize the use of plastic and paper products.

2: Brijinder Singh (New York, U.S.A.), March 12, 2011, 11:07 AM.

It would be great if we could also introduce organic alternatives to pesticides in Punjab. The toxic chemicals that the farmers are using there have led to a spike in cancer rates across the state.

3: Ravneet Pal Singh (Ludhiana, Punjab), March 17, 2011, 3:07 AM.

The ground reality is sangat at Holla Mohalla comes from various backgrounds and needs a lot of education and awareness. They ask: "why do we have to do that? Why say no to plastic and why do we have to use bins, and not use pressure horns, artificial colors, foam plates and bowls?" Then, we need to advise them about the alternatives and then supply them with the resources. It will take a huge practical effort and support from the educated portion of the community: from educative material to teaching; and then getting them involved in adopting the best practices. Five year plan!

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