Brahma Kumaris - Caring for the environment

"Creating a Climate for Change"

At the core of Brahma Kumaris' work is the understanding of the connection between our consciousness, thoughts and actions, and their impact on the world. It has been seen that long-lasting change in any social or environmental system starts with a profound shift in the minds and hearts of people. The current environmental crisis is therefore a clear call to transform our awareness and lifestyle.

Try some small, simple steps to make a big difference - 10 Ways to Change the World Poster.

A DIFFERENT CONSCIOUSNESS

As a spiritual organisation our main aim is to help people to experience greater well-being through inner peace and universal values. Hence our environmental initiative is based on six main principles:

Living with simplicity
Buying Compassionately
Using economically
Learning continuously
Sharing generously

LEAVING NO TRACE

The BK Environment Initiative

Hear about Brahma Kumaris Environment Initiative.

"Our inner climate impacts the outer climate."

We are living in times where humanity is in desperate search for answers – answers to crises experienced in every area of life. Be it social, economic, political, or environmental, we continue to search everywhere; yet the one place we can easily overlook is inside ourselves.

Many of us are beginning to see that external commitments without internal experience and conviction cannot succeed. All real changes – whether big changes in the world or small changes in my life - occur as a sequence of subtle shifts, beginning with a change in awareness. A change in awareness initiates a change of attitude. Our attitude colours our vision. When we see the world in a new way, we can no longer act in the same way as before. New actions generate a new world.

Meditations for living in harmony with nature

- Living with simplicity
- Buying Compassionately
- Using economically
- Learning continuously
- Sharing generously
- Leaving no trace

Yogis for Future is an initiative by the Brahma Kumaris that invites like-minded people to come together, meditate and to create good thoughts and intentions for the wellbeing of humanity and the planet. Learn more

Mother Nature

A meditation on connecting to nature, and spreading a new and beautiful energy that emanates from the self.

"If we want to live in a truly sustainable world a shift is needed in all our hearts and minds"

Download leaflet

This initiative encourages greater understanding of the role of consciousness and lifestyle in environmental issues, through dialogues, partnerships, participation in UN conferences and local initiatives. In particular we highlight the importance of:

Sustainable Lifestyle: Adopting a less materialistic lifestyle and increasing the use of clean energy saves the planet's resources and brings greater well-being.

Vegetarian/Vegan Diet: Vegetarian food, cooked with love, nourishes our whole being and brings inner clarity. It contributes to the health and future of the planet by reducing our carbon footprint. Read more about our Food Care Initiative.

Meditation: Spending time in silent reflection or meditation helps us to connect with our deeper values and find the strength to live by them, enabling us to be more mindful of the impact of our choices. More meditations

Peaceful Living: Promoting and living by the principles of universal peace can lead to less violent conflicts and wars, thus enabling vast resources to be redirected to creating a healthy and sustainable society.

Capacity Building

Brahma Kumaris offers workshops that focus on empowering individuals and communities.

10 Ways to Change the World - spiritual insights and workshops to enhance our relationship with Nature. Living
Living with Simplicity - Being Unlimited - Opening the Heart - Respecting Life - Beign Positive - Walk the Talk - Empowering Yourself - Eating Well - Following Your Dream - Feeding the Soul.

Earth Care and Respect - engaging people in a creative process that re-establishes a harmonious relationship with the self, others, communities and the environment.

Empowerment and Resilience - highlighting the deep connection between physical and non-physical energy, mind and matter, providing new opportunities for individuals and communities to work together to bring about change.

Individual Responsibility - exploring the role of personal responsibility in the context of our relationship with the environment. What stops us from taking personal responsibility?

Brahma Kumaris' workshop resources are open source materials that can be used freely for non-commercial purposes. We invite your feedback so we can incorporate your experiences into our material. More workshops are available at: www.eco.brahmakumaris.org.

Climate Change

If you want to help solve Climate Change , realize the power of your thoughts!

Renewable Energy for the Future

Solar Energy
For over 30 years, Brahma Kumaris and its sister organisation, the World Renewal Spiritual Trust (WRST), a recognised scientific and industrial research organisation in India, have been conducting training, research and development in renewable energy technologies.

Sustainable Yogic Agriculture

Can the power of thought be a new fertiliser that leads to better food security? Sustainable Yogic Agriculture is a research project carried out by the Rural Development Wing of the Brahma Kumaris. One thousand farmers throughout India are combining organic farming with meditation, which is showing remarkable results. Early data collected through a field study in Gujarat suggest an improved seed quality and increase in crop yield. Sustainable Yogic Agriculture has resulted in lower costs to farmers and reduced the pressure on the environment. Other benefits have been improvements in farmers' emotional well-being and enhanced community resilience.

Kalp Taruh Tree Plantation Programme

The Brahma Kumaris has initiated “Kalp Taruh”, a global tree plantation project to ensure land restoration and to promote values for building a better society. The project engages with schools, universities, local communities, faith-based organizations and governments to enhance their awareness and ability to take sustainable and responsible actions towards nature. Through a mobile app, we will share creative activities, short stories, affirmations, and scientific and environmental aspects.

Participation in UN Conferences

Since 2009 the Brahma Kumaris have been participating in UN conferences on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Biodiversity (CBD), Combating Desertification (UNCCD) and UN Environment Program (UNEA). Our umbrella theme is "Consciousness and Climate Change: The Confluence of Two Living Systems". We focus on lifestyle change supported by meditation, grounded in ethics, and we promote the use of renewable energy. We arrange exhibitions and side events in collaborate with other organisations, including interfaith and youth movements.

Faith-based organisations (FBOs) have a growing presence and impact at the Climate Change Conferences and in other areas of climate responses. The Papal Encyclical has triggered a major shift in discourse and catalysed a wide range of actors to insist on the moral and ethical considerations of the climate crisis.

Sustainable Development

See how the Brahma Kumaris are developing renewable energy technology that will be a model for the world

A wider view

The Brahma Kumaris Environmental Policy aims to encourage all of us throughout the organisation to feel that we are guardians of the Earth's resources.

We can help each other to grow in terms of our awareness of the natural world as a living system that needs our care; and deepen our concern for cultures living in environmentally susceptible lands. By becoming more mindful of these issues and more compassionate in our attitudes we can make environmental choices that can be felt in all spheres of our lives – in our homes and personal life as well as in Brahma Kumaris activities and buildings. We will use all resources in a more mindful and sustainable way.

The six main attitudes that will empower our environmental approach are:

1. Living with Simplicity – choosing a vegetarian/plant-based diet, using utilities and resources mindfully, minimising waste and pollution.	2. Buying Compassionately – purchasing local produce and/or environmentally sensitive products and services where budgets allow.
3. Using Economically – using products and resources carefully, avoiding waste, being mindful of life-cycles (Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Re-Earth (compost), founded on respect and gratitude.	4. Learning Continuously – understanding and improving our relationship with matter; working in partnership with other organisations, sharing best practices.
5. Sharing Generously – disseminating information in order to encourage a mindset of inclusivity and reciprocity in initiatives and projects.	6. Leaving No Trace – Leaving a place as you found it, or better than you found it. Promoting responsible behaviour when engaging with nature, ensuring that our human activities leave a positive impact on the environment.

Download the Full Environmental Guiding Principles for BK centers

Mother Nature

A meditation on connecting to nature, and spreading a new and beautiful energy that emanates from the self.