6. The future – Intercultural thinking

Neglected history of ethnic minorities in the countryside

National amnesia (Cleall) Invisible Empire ( Weymuss) Geographies and Neglect (Seymour & Jones) Eurocentrism ( Hobson)

Educate, promote , strengthen culture

– its fun!

Learn a traditional language, art, craft, philosophy

What do we do now?

Method

[to enable true intercultural thinking]

Links between traditional language/art/craft/philosophy and the environment

- (Convention on Biological Diversity)

Roles & Responsibilities

Positive/proactive – ; parents/adults, students (choose extracurricular wisely), Community centres (choose projects carefully, develop a vision)

Passive/Supportive – international organisations, private enterprise

Interrelated and holistic

Teachers/Gurus

engaged/civic/co-production in

Universities

Why learn these things?

Who am I addressing?

What do I do? I am a traditional dance teacher who re-thinks her teaching methods and practice. I have a responsibility to the art, to the environment and to our society (long-term), not just to students and parents (short-term). See full details of my teaching innovation here http://www.nandavana.org/#!learn-in-style/c1bln

7. Global Outlook

The Green Kumbh

GYAN : A Project ofLIVING PLANET FOUNDATION

Kumbh – Like Olympic Torch

“Green Kumbh” - a symbol of the “web of life” and the ecosystem that includes all animals, humans, plants, microscopic creatures and

their habitats on the planet.

Green Kumbh Yatra is an initiative of GYAN and Living Planet Foundation of USA. It is a faith-based response to climate change and biodiversity conservation which the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) describes as “the world’s largest civil society movement on climate change”.The main aim of the Green Kumbh Yatra is to mobilize the masses at grassroots and raise public and political awareness by highlighting the conservation of Sacred Natural Sites, Greening Pilgrimage Sites and emphasize the profound connection between the collective wisdom and resources of the faith traditions and their role in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. Pilgrimage sites may include sacred groves, rivers, mountains, temples, churches, mosques, synagogues, etc.

Bottom-up Approach

Events connected the Green Kumbh Yatra will be broad public affair/s focused on a bottom-up approach to creating awareness by local people themselves. Therefore, local organizations, communities and local governments in providing on-the-ground and on-site participation, are essential components of the Green Kumbh initiative.

Ceremonial inauguration of the Green Kumbh YatraEleventh Meeting of the United Nations Conference of the Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD COP 11) 14 October 2012 Hyderabad, India

Green Kumbh Route 2012 – 2013

Hyderabad, Allahabad, Benares, Gujarat, Kutch, Panauti, Nepal, Kathmandu, Jerusalem, Kenya, Birmingham, London, Manchester, Leicester, Bali, USA, Hawaii, Trinidad

Hindu Theological Statement 2009 [extracts] Compiled by Kusum Vyas, Hindu Climate Change Ambassador, GYAN/Living Planet Foundation. Editorial input from Acharya David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri), Dr. M. G. Prasad, Swami Nikhilanand, Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, Radha Madhav Dham. Supported and authenticated by Hinduism Today and its editors.

We believe that our life is a sacred journey and we are all pilgrims on planet Earth. Our scriptures tell us that being pilgrims is not just wandering aimlessly, or earning karmic merit by enduring hardship on a strenuous journey: they exhort us to follow Dharma so we may lead a daily life of contentment, discipline and righteousness without straining the Earth’s resources.

Ishavasya Upanishat advises us to lead a devout and frugal lifestyle and eliminate greed and wasteful consumption: “Everything in the universe belongs to the Lord. Therefore take only what you need, that is set-aside for you. Do not take anything else, for you know to whom it belongs.”

Our scriptures reveal a clear conception of the ecosystem and our belief system is permeated by a reverence for all life. We believe that the great forces of nature (Pancha Mahabhutas), namely earth (prithvi), water (apas), air (vayu), fire (agni) and space (akasha), as well as our ecosystems are all bound to each other in a complex web of life within the great rhythms of nature which is sacred. We believe as the Chandogya Upanishad says that the universe truly is divine (Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma), meaning that the entire universe, which includes our ecosystems and us, are aspects of the same divinity called Brahman. This doctrine of an all-pervading divinity is confirmed as Vasudeva Sarvam, “Everything is God” in the Bhagavad-Gita, our most popular scripture.

We believe that this teaching may well be the earliest imperative to caution mankind to be mindful of our impact on the earth. We Hindus must acknowledge that our Dharma teaches us to love the Earth, appreciate her beauty and as “wanderers” explore her many mysteries.

Many Thanks!

Thanks and Acknowledgement Heritage team - PhotosNandagopal – Slide animations HLF- Project Funding Hindu Samaj Trustees – Support and Encouragement Kusum Vyas – GYAN and Living Planet Foundation, USAHindu Jewish Association, Manchester – Invitation to present at eventPeak District National Park Rangers, University of Sheffield and Mosaic colleagues – for their support and enthusiasm To many many others for their support!