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Fall 2020 GreenFriends North America Newsletter
Welcome to the Fall 2020 GreenFriends newsletter!

Download the Fall 2020 newsletter in PDF format

This edition is jampacked with interesting personal experiences from devotees, tips on composting and taking care of house plants, guidance on how to shop consciously and reflections on Amma and her relationship with Nature. Plus, the pigeons are back!

With no end in sight to the pandemic, Amma has clarified that COVID is not a punishment from Nature, but a warning to help humankind correct its behavior:

"We may feel that such times of crisis are a form of punishment from Nature, but don’t take it like that. Treat it as a clarion call from Nature for us to mend our ways. Think of it as a shock treatment from God, or Nature, to prevent us from doing worse things. Both Mother Earth and Mother Nature are considered as paragons of patience. However, man has taken this patience as a license of commit all manner of atrocities. It’s time to correct this mistake."

- Amma

GreenFriends strives to communicate the importance of treating Nature with respect and gratitude. We invite each of you Green Friends to share your ideas and experiences with your own gardening efforts as well as experiences with animals.

Please send your stories, comments and feedback to info@greenfriendsna.org

Respect for All Life

Amma nurtures a tree
There is a story from Awaken Children 6 about Amma’s love and compassion shown through her concern for a single mango tree.

Read about Amma’s Respect for All Life…

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Listening to the Trees
Amma by a big tree
For Amma, talking to and listening to trees, plants, rocks, animals, birds, bugs, and the ocean, is quite normal. A great soul, a Mahatma, who sees herself in all beings, and all beings within herself, is quite at home and familiar everywhere. That is her constant experience.

Swamini Ambikamrita Prana reflects on Amma’s and our relationship with Nature in Listening to the Trees…

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Confessions of a Cloth-O-Holic

Stirring the compost
Everyday we are bombarded by messages about how much better life could be if we just bought the latest, in-season clothing or some fancy new gadget. In this “tell-all confession, a devotee shares her story of addiction to clothing and some facts and figures she learnt about the clothing industry.

Read the Confessions of a Cloth-O-Holic…

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My First Vegetable Garden

My first raised bed
In her Guru Purnima address this year, Amma said that planting trees is the right thing to do to help heal nature, but that we must also “tune into the divine will.” A devotee shares her trials, tribulations, and the fruit of her efforts in following Amma’s advice.

Read more about her experiences with her First Garden…

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Trench Composting

Passion Flower
Looking for an easy way to get nutrient-rich compost? How about easy ways to get rid of your food scraps without having to use a compost bin, worms or turn the compost? Learn one of the easiest methods to create compost from your food scraps. It’s a lot less work than traditional composting and your plants will love it, too!

Read more about Trench Composting…

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The Healing Benefits of the Humble Houseplant

Pretty in pink
Houseplants offer a sense of consistency and comfort in this ever-changing world and provide a simple way to connect with Mother Nature right from the comfort and safety of our own homes. Here’s some inspiration to bring the connection to Nature indoors as we enter the cooler winter months.

Read about the Healing Benefits of the Humble Houseplant…

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Conscious Shopping by AYUDH Diksha

Conscious shopping decision tree
In North America we live in a “throw-away” society. Many products may be one-time use or may be inexpensive, but are short-lived before they break. One way to benefit Mother Nature is to try to end any dependence we have on throw-away or limited use products, Conscious shopping is the process of thinking before buying.

Read about how to become a more Conscious Shopper…

The Pigeon Chronicles

Pigeons on the balcony
Nature is full of gifts. When we surrender to her and serve her, these gifts become even more apparent and abundant.

Read one devotee’s transformation into a kinder and gentler person after her encounters with a family of pigeons living in her balcony in The Pigeon Chronicles…

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For more information, e-mail info@greenfriendsna.org