TREAT NATUREWITH REVERENCE

“Man should treat nature with reverence.

He has no right to talk of conquering nature

or exploiting the force of nature. He must

proceed to visualize in nature its God.”

“You have to realize that Nature is a manifestation of God.”

“I am the indweller of all the insects, all the birds, and animals. I am present in all living beings.”

“Whatever man seeks to achieve, he has to rely on Nature. Nature is not anyone’s private property. It belongs to God. Without the grace of the Lord no one can enjoy the benefits of Nature. Not realizing this truth, some people embark on the exploitation of Nature, out of arrogance and self-conceit. This is highly misconceived.”

“Natural calamities like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts and floods are the result of disturbances in the balance of Nature caused by reckless exploitation of natural resources.”

TREAT NATURE WITH REVERENCE

BABA’S EMPHASIS ON PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

“NATURAL” DISASTERS IMPACTS ON THE WORLD’S ENVIRONMENT REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE CENTER SEVA PROJECTS

“Today the world is losing its ecological balance as man, out of utter selfishness, is robbing the mother Earth of her resources like coal, petroleum, iron, etc. As a result, we find earthquakes, floods and such other devastating natural calamities. Human life will find fulfillment only when ecological balance is maintained.”

“What is the cause of droughts and floods which occur in the world? Man seeks to enjoy the benefits of Nature without any restraint or

regulation. The result is the imbalance of Nature which has grave consequences.”

“The Tsunami is the result of human behaviour. It has nothing to do with God. All this is because of what man has made of man and not because of what God has made of man.”

IMPACTS ON WATER

Only 1% of the

Earth's water supply is drinkable

IMPACTS ON WETLANDS

Half of the world’s wetlands

have been drained

AIR POLLUTION

Harms all living things, damages

forests and lakes, destroys buildings

“Our primary task is to purify the environment which is affected by pollution of air, water and food. All the five elements are affected by pollution. People should, therefore, try to reduce the use of automobiles and control the emission of harmful industrial effluents.”

“The carbon dioxide smoke from motor vehicles and factories is already polluting the air in cities and is affecting the ozone layer above the earth.”

"…you have the ozone layer in the atmosphere which protects the people on earth from the evil effects of solar radiation. Because of the advance of technology, several factories have sprung up causing emission of harmful gases in the atmosphere as a result of which the ozone layer has become thinner; and if this goes unchecked, it may have disastrous consequences.”

“The scientists are trying to stop the break-up of the ozone layer, but they are unable to find a remedy. The actual cause for this situation is that more carbon dioxide is let into the atmosphere, which normally is absorbed by plants and trees which can assimilate the gas and supply oxygen by the natural process of photosynthesis.”

GLOBAL WARMING: Early Warning SignsGLOBAL WARMING: Early Warning Signs

Heat waves and periods of unusually warm weather

Sea level rise and coastal flooding

Glaciers melting

Arctic and Antarctic warming

Spreading disease

Earlier spring arrival

Plant and animal range shifts and population declines

Coral reef bleaching

Downpours, heavy snowfalls, and flooding

Droughts and fires

Fingerprints and Harbingers

“…because there is deforestation to an alarming extent, the extent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has considerably increased. Therefore, the remedy for this situation is intensive afforestation, growing more trees everywhere and protecting the existing trees without destroying them for other purposes.”

IMPACTS ON THE WORLD’S FORESTS

80% DESTROYED

IMPACTS ON ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES

“Essentially, there is no conflict between man and creation; just as a child is entitled to enjoy the milk from its mother and the bee is entitled to enjoy the honey from flowers, there can be no objection to man enjoying the resources of nature. But as a result of uncontrolled desires and reckless exploitation of natural resources, Nature is exhibiting frightening disorders.”

CEILING ON DESIRES

DO NOT WASTE TIME MONEYENERGY FOOD

“Man should realize that there should be no excessive indulgence in any desire, whether it be food or other necessities.”

1.5 ounce candy bar

3 ounces of oil

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF A SMALL DESIRE

Energy for factory

Fertilizer & pesticides Fuel for transportation

USE OF OIL IN MAKING CANDY BAR

Plastic for wrapper

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

Each person in the U.S. produces almost 1,600 pounds of trash per year (that’s about 4.4 pounds per day!)

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

REDUCE

Do I really need it?

Can I borrow it?

Do I have something that can do the same job?

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

REDUCE

• Don’t create waste – try to avoid unnecessary packaging

• Product packaging accounts for about 33% of all household garbage

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

REUSE

• Use durable items – cups, plates, utensils, cloth napkins, sponges, dishcloths

• Reuse bags, containers, and other items

• Print and copy on both sides of the page

• Sell or donate items you no longer need – or recycle

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

RECYCLE

• Paper, metal and plastic products

• Buying recycled products encourages

companies

“I never waste even a small piece of paper.”

Producing one ton of paper from recycled pulp saves

• 17 trees• 3 cubic yards of landfill space• 7000 gallons of water• 390 gallons of oil• reduces air pollutants by 60 pounds• conserves 4,200-kilowatt hours of

energy – enough to heat a home for half a year.

CENTER SEVA PROJECTS Start a recycling program – recycle paper, plastics, glass and

metals Collect items that can be used by other agencies (eyeglasses,

cell phones, computers, etc.) Stream, river cleanups Plant trees Replace Styrofoam plates and cups with paper; even better

stop using paper plates and plastic utensils, and start using reusable products

Car pool to Center events Adopt a park Adopt-a-road cleanup project Increase use of recycled paper – at your Center, office, home

etc Organize a “Bike to Work” day

“You enjoy the sight of the mighty mountains, the big rivers, the vast ocean, and the dense forests. Who is the creator of all these beautiful manifestations in Nature? God is the basis for all these.”

“The Universe is the body of God; every particle in it is filled with God, His Glory, His Might, His Inscrutability. Believe that God is the inner Truth in every thing and being. He is Truth. He is Wisdom. He is Eternal. Be humble, before the evidences of His Power and Majesty.”