For your Own Sake…

SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT

A workshopto illuminate the young and

enthusiastic minds&

transform them as The Brand Ambassadors of the Environment !

Organised by:Guru Harkrishan Public School,

Vasant ViharIn association with:

U N I T E D S I K H SS e p t e m b e r 3 0 , 2 0 0 8

Picture this…

Carefully observe…

How does it feel?

• Beautiful

• Wonderful

• Replenishing

• Refreshening

For how many

more years, do

you think this is

going to

sustain???

soco soco!

soco soco!

soco soco!

soco soco!

• May be, a couple of more years…

• Your kids may not be able to see the beautiful world that God has made!

• Your forefathers cared for You!

• Do you care for your future generations?

~~~Quiz Time~~~

Q? Can you name a few renowned Environmentalists?

1. Medha Patkar – She spearheaded the Narmada Bachao Movement. She has been a recipient of several national & international awards including Green Ribbon Award for Best International Political Campaigner by BBC.

2. Sundarlal Bahaguna – He is an environmentalist who has fought for the preservation of forests in the Himalyas as a member of the Chipko Movement. He also gave the Chipko Slogan – “Ecology is Permanent Economy”

hux qw d`s idE!

Identify…

He is to Sikhism, what Mother Teresa is to Catholicism

In 1947, he established a

premier institute

‘Pingalwara’ which takes care of sick,

disabled and forlorn persons

He was honoured with a Padma Shri Award in 1979, which he notably surrendered in the wake of the Indian Army’s attack on the Golden Temple in 1984

Bhagat ji was almost

awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, for his selfless work, feeding, clothing, and tending sick and dying people

He was a mature environmentalist

and visionary. He initiated tree

plantation drive.He distributed free

pamphlets to make people aware of the impending dangers to the environment

BHAGAT PURAN SINGH JI

• Bhagat ji is one of the most prominent Sikh heroes of this century.

• He gave most of his adult life to the total selfless service to terminal and mentally ill patients, who in most cases had been abandoned by their families and society at large.

• Against the ugly backdrop of violence and poverty of the 1947 partition, he established PINGALWARA in Amritsar to cater for housing, nursing and care of sick, destitute, disabled and forlorn people.

• Bhagat Puran Singh's contribution in spreading awareness about environmental pollution, and increasing soil erosion are commendable.

• Pamphlets with his writings on various subjects such as environmental awareness etc. were printed on re-used paper and freely distributed.

says…

Excerpts from Gurbani

• From Aasa Di Waarkudriq pauxu pwxI bYsMqru kudriq DrqI Kwku]

(464, Awsw mÚ 1) By His Power wind, water and fire exist; by His Power earth and dust exist.

ghxy pauxu pwxI bYsMqru cMdu sUrju Avqwr ] (465, Awsw mÚ 1)

The wind, water and fire are the ornaments; the sun and moon are theincarnations.

So we need to understand here that God Has created this beautiful world

&we have no right to spoil His Creation.

~~ hux quhwfw GQ vI test kr ilAw jwvy ~~

Q? At what time the Bani of Aasa Di Waar is recited/sung in Gurdwaras?

A. Early dawn hours. (Amrit Vela or the Golden Hours)

GQ = Gurmat Quotient

Why Save The Environment?

IMAGINE…

• In the morning, you don’t have any water to take bath.

• There are no green trees on your way to school or college.

• You have a fancy luxury Car to drive but you don’t have Petrol to run it!

• Your kids suffer with diseases like asthma, diabetes at the time of their birth.

THE WORLD AROUND YOU MAY LOOK LIKE…

Only you have to decide between

OR

• If we don’t want all this to happen then we all need to bring a change in our lifestyles.

• The changes are not so difficult to make but they can bring great difference to our future.

We all can beAn Environmentalist

Everyday!

Let’s See How?

Plant A Tree

• If every Indian family were to plant one tree we would remove around three billion pounds of greenhouse gases every year.

• We are losing 32 million acres of trees worldwide each year.

• The planet cannot stand that loss for much longer.

• Trees help recycle CO2 which improves air quality which in turn will help your health.

~~~Quiz Time~~~

Q? When is the World Environment Day observed?

A. June 5th Every Year

Carefully select your food

• According to Dr. R.K. Pachauri:People should consider eating less meat and encourage vegetarian diet as a way of combating global warming .

• The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that direct emissions from meat production account for about 18% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions

Avoid bottled water like Bisleri

• Every bottle takes 1,000 years to biodegrade.

• A bottle that holds 1 ltr requires 25 ltrs of water in its manufacturing process (this includes power plant cooling water).

• Always carry your own water bottle and encourage re-usage of bottles.

In our homes – Conserve Energy

• Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time.

• Turn off appliances when you are not using them. Up to 30% of power used by TV's is used while they are in stand by mode.

• Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of a disposable cup.

•  Switch to fluorescent light bulbs. They last longer and consume one-quarter of the energy.

• Ask your parents to avoid driving a car/bike for short distances. Prefer walking to near destinations. This would effectively save lots of fuel, help reduce pollution and would also save your money.

• Say NO to plastic bags whilst shopping and buy reusable jute or cloth bags.

In our schools – Lets learn to Re-use

• Write/Print on both sides of paper with reduced side margins.

• Reuse items like envelopes, folders and paper clips.

• Use copies/registers made from recycled paper.

• Use the left over pages at the end of copies for rough work.

• Put off lights and fans of your class when all of you leave for a lab class.

• Prefer cycling or walking to school instead of driving down with your Dad or Mom.

~~~Quiz Time~~~

Q? Which Indian Environmentalist has recently been awarded with a Nobel Peace Prize?

A. Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri. (On Dec 10, 2007, Dr. Pachauri accepted the Nobel Peace Prize

 on behalf of the IPCC, along with co-recipient Al Gore.)

Ways to save WATERIts 100% Natural and 0% Replaceable – Mind it!

• Get fixed any water leaks at your home / school.• Avoid any overhead water tank overflows.• Take water in a glass only as much as u want to

drink. We tend to fill up full glass even if we want a little.

• Do not keep your tap water running while brushing your teeth.

• Wash your cars with water buckets instead of running pipe water.

• Ask your school authorities to invest in Rain Water harvesting system because rain water drained in sewage drains becomes un-usable.

Excerpts from Gurbani

• From Aasa Di Waarpihlw pwxI jIau hY ijqu hirAw sBu koie ] (472, Awsw mÚ 1)First, there is life in the water, by which everything else is made green.

• From Anand SahibAYsw kMmu mUly n kIcY ijqu AMiq pCoqweIAY ]Don't do anything that you will regret in the end.

siqgurU kw aupdysu suix qU hovY qyrY nwly ] (917, rwmklI m:3)Listen to the Teachings of the True Guru - these shall go along with you.

Let’s Test your Presence of Mind

Q? In which Gurdwara Sahib in Delhi, have you read the line:

“pihlw pwxI jIau hY ijqu hirAw sBu

koie ]” ?

A. At the Piao of Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib

Q? Which Guru has composed the Bani of Anand Sahib and in which Raaga?

A. Guru Amardas Ji in Raag Ramkali

~ Test your Gurmat Quotient ~

To wrap things up:• If we follow even half of these recommendations, we all

can consider ourselves as an environmentalist. And at the same time we protect the help of our generations to come and above all we get to save so much of our money doing it.. “Don’t forget – A penny saved is a penny earned!”

• There are plenty of little steps that we can take at home/school to help save the environment.

• While the eco-footprint of each step is small, thousands of people doing the same thing can make a great difference.

• In making some small changes to the way that you do things at home or school, you are gradually making a difference, even as an individual.

• You will save on costs and improve your health at the same time, so helping to save the environment isn't a totally altruistic exercise!

DMnvwd!THANKS TO ALL THOSE

WHO HELPED IN MAKING TODAY’S EVENT

A REALITY! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE…

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw]vwihgurU jI kI &qih]

UNITED SIKHSUNITED SIKHS is a UN-affiliated, international non-profit, non-

governmental, humanitarian relief, human development and advocacy organization, aimed at empowering those in need, especially disadvantaged and minority communities across the world.

Visit us at: www.unitedsikhs.org