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April&2012&&Dharat&Suhavi:&Volume&2&Issue&4& Green&Amritsar:&Darbar&Sahib&Looks&to&Solar&Langars&!Plans!are!in!the!works!to!assess!the!installation!of!a!solar!cooking!system!in!Sri!Darbar!Sahib’s!Langar!Hall!at!Darbar!Sahib,!harnessing!energy!from!the!sun!to!serve!to!all,!regardless!of!caste,!creed,!status,!or!gender.!!!The!Guru!Ram!Das!Langar!Hall!receives!nearly!60,000!visitors!each!day,!and!more!than!100,000!on!Sikh!holidays.!To!provide!food!for!all!the!devotees!a!ton!of!dal!must!be!prepared!each!day!to!provide!meals!for!who!come!to!seek!the!Guru’s!darshan.!This!is!currently!being!cooked!using!conventional!energy!sources:!electricity!and!liquid!petroleum!gas!(LPG)!!With!Punjab!receiving!ample!sunlight,!the!project!will!harness!the!energy!of!the!sun!through!30!concentrated!solar!dishes!to!generate!heat!for!cooking.!The!system!would!also!have!a!hybrid!boiler!to!provide!steam!during!cloudy!and!rainy!days.!At!present!a!solar!water!heater!has!already!been!installed!above!the!langar!hall.!The!new!project!would!allow!for!LPG!use!to!be!cut!in!half,!with!substantial!cuts!in!electricity,!and!is!supported!and!promoted!by!the!SGPC.!!!In!November!2012,!the!city!of!Amritsar!joined!the!Green!Pilgrimage!Network!at!a!conference!in!Assisi,!Italy!hosted!by!EcoSikh’s!partner,!the!Alliance!of!Religions!and!Conservation.!Amritsar!–!represented!by!its!former!DC,!KS!Pannu!(now!secretary!to!the!Minister)!and!the!SGPC!secretary!Dalmegh!Singh–!joined!pilgrim!cities!from!around!the!world!including!St!Albans!in!the!UK,!Trondheim!in!Norway!and!Jerusalem!in!making!a!formal!commitment!to!increased!forest!cover,!clean!energy!and!transportation,!and!water!conservation,!making!the!Amritsar!experience!a!green!one,!but!also!encouraging!devotees!to!return!home!with!a!message!that!being!environmentally!kind!is!an!important!part!of!our!connection!with!the!Divine.!!!Among!the!major!achievements!and!environmental!best!practice!in!Amritsar!are!the!introduction!of!ecoYrickshas!in!Amritsar!City!and!a!16!kilometer!increase!in!forest!cover!from!2007Y2011,!planting!a!total!of!5!million!trees!under!the!guidance!of!KS!Pannu.!!Click!here!to!hear!radio!coverage!of!Amritsar's!involvement!in!the!Green!Pilgrim!Cities!Network.!!

Vaisakhi&2012:&Sikhs&Plant&Deodar,&Conifer&and&Willows&Across&the&Kashmir&Valley&!Traditionally,!every!year!thousands!of!people!assemble!at!the!Beeru!Vaisakhi!Mela,!to!celebrate!Vaisakhi!in!the!Jammu!and!Kashmir!region.!This!festival!at!Gurdwara!Sri!Guru!Nanak!Charan!Choh,!Beeru!Badgam!is!one!of!the!largest!gatherings!by!the!well!settled!!!!!!

!!!population!of!Sikhs!in!the!Kashmir!Valley.!Since!EcoSikh!gave!a!call!to!the!Sikhs!of!the!Kashmir!Valley,!a!number!of!programs!were!planned!by!a!local!organization!(SAVE)!since!the!planting!season!in!Kashmir!begin,!bringing!together!children,!women,!youth!and!older!people.!Shabad!Vichars!based!on!environment!conservation!and!the!historical!contribution!of!Sikh!luminaries!towards!the!environment!were!highlighted!in!association!with!the!Parcharaks!of!Sikh!Missionary!College.!!

!On!that!day,!to!supplement!the!Shabad!Veechars,!a!mega!plantation!drive!was!initiated!at!the!gurdwara.!!!Likewise!a!large!number!of!saplings!were!planted!in!community!places!like!Shamshan!Ghat,!Karan!Nagar,!Srinagar,!and!Hr.!Secondary!school!Baramulla,!EcoYPark,!Salamabad,!and!Uri,!nestled!in!the!valley!near!the!Pakistani!border.!!The!local!Department!of!Environment!&!Remote!Sensing!actively!contributed!by!providing!two!thousand!saplings!of!Deodar,!Conifer,!Willow!and!other!species.!!

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EcoSikh&Holds&Tree&Plantation&Drives&in&Villages&&!Trees!are!of!vital!ecological!importance—they!provide!shade!in!extreme!heat,!fresh!air!for!all!to!breathe,!help!keep!soils!fertile,!and!also!filter!water!from!harmful!chemicals,!like!pesticides!and!other!contaminants.!!In!rural!areas!in!Punjab!and!Haryana,!home!to!many!Sikhs,!fruit!trees!in!private!gardens!also!provide!nutritious!and!pesticideYfree!food!to!families,!as!well!as!income!to!farmers!who!can!sell!fruit!in!local!markets.!!!!!EcoSikh!held!two!tree!plantation!drives!this!month,!highlighting!the!spiritual!and!ecological!importance!of!trees!from!a!Sikh!perspective.!!!!––&Kalwa&Village,&Haryana&&EcoSikh!held!its!first!ever!plantation!drive!in!Kalwa!raising!125!tree!saplings!including!lemon,!cheeku,!and!guava!on!Earth!Day,!April!22.!EcoSikh!coordinator!in!Haryana,!Gurpreet!Singh!worked!with!a!team!to!collect!data!from!houses!discovering!the!type!and!number!of!trees!the!family!would!want!to!adopt,!with!a!resulting!50!families!enthusiastic!to!plant!trees.!The!families!committed!to!digging!pits!for!the!trees,!with!the!locations!for!the!trees!recommended!by!EcoSikh.&!!The!event!was!aired!on!Punjab!Television!Channel’s!'Sikh!Sargramian'!program!following!the!event.!Gurpreet!Singh!congratulated!the!villagers,!saying,!"It's!the!time!to!celebrate,!as!125!new!trees!are!born!in!our!village!and!it's!the!time!we!realize!our!responsibility!to!take!best!care!of!our!trees!as!we!care!for!our!newborn!children."!Stay!tuned!for!event!footage!on!YouTube!soon.!!––&Sahibana&Village,&Ludhiana&!EcoSikh!program!manager!Ravneet!Singh!met!with!adults!and!school!children!in!the!village!Gurdwara!in!Sahibana,!Ludhiana!for!a!workshop!on!tree!planting!and!environmental!care.!Ravneet!spoke!on!how!trees!benefit!the!whole!village!and!provide!healthy!fruits!and!habitat!to!many!native!birds!of!Punjab!that!are!disappearing!with!each!passing!year.!Participants!discussed!ways!to!accommodate!plants!in!their!homes,!trees!they!were!interested!in!adopting!and!taking!care!of,!and!water!conservation!practices!in!the!village.!!!The!effort!was!aimed!at!creating!spaces!in!villages!for!trees!where!they!would!be!nourished!and!protected!from!stray!animals.!Village!resident!Dharminder!Singh!was!inspired!to!have!everyone!in!his!village!adopt!a!tree,!so!far!convincing!22!families!to!plant!trees,!with!a!target!of!300!trees!this!year.

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&&Sikh&Environment&Day&Report&2012&!This!month!EcoSikh!released!its!annual!report!on!the!successes!of!Sikh!Environment!Day!2012!(Vatavaran!Diwas),!noting!the!achievements!of!over!1,000!Sikh!institutions,!families,!and!schools!participating!–!more!than!doubling!the!participation!rate!the!previous!year.!A!full!catalogue!of!this!year’s!events!is!available!on!our!website!along!with!a!full!photo!gallery!of!this!year’s!celebrations.!Congratulations!and!well!done!to!all!who!participated.!Akal!Sahai!!