Do you think your mother loves you? What a silly question right !! Of course she loves you . Does’nt she show you in a thousand different ways how much she loves you ? What if I told you there is another mother who loves you in a million different ways ?
Who is this mother? She is the one who nurtured us with food even as were in our mother’s womb, on whose surface we took our first steps, who held us gently as we fell, where we learnt to take care of ourselves, who watched proudly as we set about becoming adults , helped us bring our kids into this world and will continue to watch over us. That is our Mother Earth, the greatest nurturer and sustainer . Everyday should be a celebration of gratitude for the myriad gifts she brings us . Unfortunately we often forget to reciprocate this kindness she shows .
April 22nd is Earth Day and it is a great time to renew our relationship with our mother. Here at Chinmaya Gurukul, we decided to make it a whole month of celebration . We have Green Seva team who have embarked on many initiatives to make our ashram not only a spiritual center but also a eco conscious one. I like to think of the Green Team as superheroes without the cape, but in green dupattas.
Here are some initiatives that the green Seva team has embarked on for this month:
- April 16th and April 23rd :Collection of gently used children’s Indian ethnic wear to be sold at a nominal price during Krishna Mela.
- Eight graders helped clean up the ashram premises and also had a session on composting .
- For CORD walkathon, we encouraged all the participants to bring their water bottles.
In addition to all this for Earth Month, the team is creating an awareness even for our pujas and other events where we consume a large amount of disposable plates and other cutlery. We have a large repository of stainless steel plates and spoons which are utilized . There’s a lot more cleanup involved, but see, that’s why I called them superheroes. They do the job of cleaning up after the puja events.
Even for JCHYK events and teachers meets also, kids and teachers are encouraged to bring their own plates , spoons and water bottles. In addition to that they have built a composting bin . All our parents and sevaks are encouraged to bring their kitchen waste and watch mother earth do her little magic of converting all this into rich humus, which we can use for our own garden. There was also a tree planting ceremony done by JChyks.
We also don’t have paper towels in our bathrooms .Instead we have hand dryers . There are signs all over the ashram created by our JCHYKS which tell you where the composting is and what all our initiatives are.
Now I am sure you are ready for your own superhero cape. All you have to do is :
- Bring your own water bottle and remember to take it back with you.
- Collect all your vegetable peels and bring it to the composting bin. Don’t forget to add dry leaves from the black bag which also the Green team has thoughtfully provided.
- When you come for pujas or celebrations at the ashram, please do not waste the food.
- Bring your own plates and spoons if you can or use the ones at the ashram. Help with cleanup
There are a million other things we can do , We just need to become more aware . Reach out to the Green Seva team if you have any questions or any initiatives.
Lets join hands and express our gratitude to Dharti Maa!!! Happy Earth Day All.
