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| "Carpooling, nurturing honeybees, planting trees, cleaning the environment, waste management (reduction) and growing vegetables were recommended many years ago (by Amma) and Amma’s children are doing that. If we all get together and do it with more focus, we will be able to transform this earth into heaven. For that, we should first create heaven within ourselves. I pray to the Supreme to grace us with the blessings to do so."
Amma (from speech at the Special Envoy for the Protection of the Planet convened by President Francois Hollande 21 July 2015, Paris, France. |
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GreenFriends
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| GreenFriends is an international, volunteer-based movement that promotes environmental awareness and participation at the individual and community levels. GreenFriends' goal is to promote environmental awareness by inspiring people to serve and protect Nature.
GreenFriends started in India in 2001 as a project of Embracing the World and has since spread across the globe, with thousands of members today throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. The mission of GreenFriends is to create a loving bond between humanity and Nature and to promote conservation through constructive action. Any service-oriented activity to protect and promote awareness and conservation of Nature can be considered a GreenFriends activity. "Look at Nature. Nature is a text book from which we must learn. Each object in it is a page from that book. Each and every object in Nature teaches us something. Renunciation and selflessness are the greatest lessons we can learn from Nature. Nature sacrifices Herself for humans; whereas, we not only exploit Her, but destroy Her. Yet Nature serves us. The earth is serving us; the sun, moon and stars serve us. What to we do in return for their selfless service? Nothing except harm. The unintelligent beings and things have no thinking power, yet they selflessly serve each other and humans. Humans have discrimination and yet they are utterly selfish. They are not even clearing their debts to Nature." - Amma May all beings and life-forms live and thrive in harmony upon the Earth! For information on GreenFriends activities in your area, click on the Friends of GreenFriends link at the top of the page. |
| Source Reduction Campaign |
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Amma has asked that we begin to concentrate our efforts of sustainable living on SOURCE REDUCTION. This means stopping waste before it begins. Instead of recycling plastics and other throw-away products that need to be processed for reconfiguration into another form, we need to start using products that are designed to last, or find an alternative way of living that eliminates the need for the product altogether. You can now download an inspiring PDF introducing the Source Reduction Campaign. |
| North America GreenFriends Newsletter | ||
| Read the Quarter 4 2021 North America GreenFriends newsletter! | ||
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| Pacific Northwest GreenFriends Newsletter |
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| The effects of deforestation have been extremely detrimental as it has significantly transformed landscapes around the globe. Read about nature as art and how it relates to deforestation in the GreenFriends Pacific Northwest newsletters!
The PNW GreenFriends newsletters contain interesting articles and photos about gardening, nature, the PNW Litter Project, the Greenbelt Restoration Project and more... |
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More of Amma's Teachings on Man and Nature |
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| An excerpt from the Booklet 'Man and Nature' where Amma answers a question on what caused the break in the relationship between Nature and human beings |
| Amma Shop - Adventures in Reducing Plastic |
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| Innovations in packaging to reduce the footprint of Amma Shop products. |
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Our Little Bit of Heaven on Earth |
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| Inspired devotees in western North Carolina share their fusion of sadhana and seva on their wondrous organic farm. |
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The Water Bucket Challenge |
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| Could you meet your daily needs with one bucket of water? The challenge asks that you complete as many of your household tasks as possible in one day using a single bucket of water! |
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Repair and Reuse |
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| Stop! Don't throw that broken cup away, You can fix it! There are numerous repair strategies for household items, to reuse rather than replace.
Read about how to Repair and Reuse... |
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Embracing the Trees Progress Report |
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| Embracing the Trees is underway, in regional groups all over North America! Here is an update on the latest with Embracing the Trees.
Read about Embracing the Trees progress report... |
| Amrita + Agriculture = Amritaculture! |
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Amritaculture, Amma's new online gardening class, is excited to announce monthly Live Q and A sessions. Please join us for our first one this year, Sunday March 21st, at 10:00pm IST. n this Live Session, we are going to be answering pre-sent gardening questions. Feel free to send any questions to us and join us in answering any of the questions in the live session as well. Everybody has a piece of the gardening puzzle. One topic we will be discussing is highlights from the Regenerative Agriculture Summit that is being held this week. I hope everyone has an opportunity to see some of the Summit video presentations. If not, I can send you a link, as the recordings will be available for viewing until the end of April. |
| India's Enduring Love for Trees |
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In India, trees have been regarded with deep respect and reverence throughout the ages. Amma, has told us that in ancient times in India, people would perform a puja to worship trees. If there was a need to cut a tree down, or even before plucking its fruit or leaves, they would seek its permission and apologize. "In the old days, there was no specific need for environmental preservation," Amma says, "because protecting Nature was part of worshiping God and life itself." "If people did need to kill a tree in those days, they would plant not just one, but several more to replace it." "More than remembering 'God', the people used to love and serve Nature and society." "They saw the Creator through the creation. They loved, worshipped and protected Nature as the visible form of God." |
| MA Center Plants the 1000th Fruit Tree |
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Amma’s wish to plant 1000 fruit trees on the ashram grounds was finally realized when she blessed the 1000th sapling after the question and answer session at the 2019 San Ramon retreat. |
| Ravi's Tips for Conserving Water and Energy |
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A website visitor who moved to the US from India nearly 45 years ago shares his personal experience with conserving both water and electricity. Read more... |
| AYUDH GreenFriends Initiative Plants 2200+ Trees and Plants on Deserted Island |
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14 year-old Ella Laird of Hawaii, along with 15 of her friends, planted more that 2200 trees and plants of a deserted Hawaiian island that was formerly used for military target practice. |
| Middle School Donates 17,000 Plastic Bags For Sleeping Mats for the Homeless |
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When Jones Middle School couldn’t find a recycler for their plastic bags, their teacher did an Internet search on recycling and reusing plastic bags and ended up at the Green Friends North America Plastic Challenge web page. The Middle School contacted the GreenFriendsNA.org website to find out if they could donate their plastic bags. A day later the greenhouse at Turtle Barn Farm was full from floor to ceiling with 17,000 plastic bags that volunteers can use to create sleeping mats for the homeless. |
| Good Environmental News! |
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| There are plenty of awful things happening on the planet these days, like marine plastic pollution, greenhouse gases increasing, rainforest degradation, sea levels rising, extreme weather... the list unfortunately goes on and on. But at the same time, there are a lot of good people doing a lot of good things to help save the planet.
Like news in general, good environmental news often goes unreported, or at least under-reported. |
| Amma is Presented with the Results of the Plastic Challenge |
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Amma was presented with the results of the Plastic Challenge in the form of a PowerPoint presentation while on the US tour. She had a very positive reaction when shown the plastic challenge results and was very happy it is happening. |
| Home | Source Reduction | Friends of Green Friends | Newsletters | Resources | What You Can Do | Contact Us |
For more information, e-mail info@greenfriendsna.org |
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