________________
15th Biennial JAINA Convention 2009
Ecology - The Jain Way
THE TREE LADY Shreyans Parekh shreyzee@gmail.com
planting and environmental protection, a human rights activist, and a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. According to Maathai, affectionately known as The Tree Lady, Kenya and African countries with low forest cover and ongoing deforestation are the most vulnerable of all regions to the effects of global warming and catastrophic climate changes. She is spearheading a UN initiative to plant more than 7 billion trees globally.
A recent graduate from Wharton Business School, Shreyans is now enrolled in Wharton's MBA program. His interest in Social Entrepreneurship and Micro Finance has led him to spend his summer break with NGOs in
Kenya and Peru - helping Kenyan banana farmers maximize profits through better marketing, and assisting a Peruvian waste management startup raise venture capital. Shreyans is an alumnus of Jain Center of Southern California Pathshala.
In the The Jain Declaration On Nature, Dr. L. M. Singhvi notes that the Jain philosophy of ecological harmony is synonymous with the principle of Ahimsa (non violence) - a principle that Jains teach and practice not only towards human beings but towards all nature. Lord Mahavir identified the fundamental natural phenomenon of mutual dependence: "One who neglects or disregards the existence of earth, air, fire, water and vegetation disregards his own existence which is entwined with them". The ancient Jain scriptural maxim Parasparopagraho jivanan - all life is bound together by mutual support and interdependence - is refreshingly contemporary in its premise and in its promise. It defines the scope of modern ecology and extends our responsibility to taking care of the earth and the environment. In this spirit, the following story is an inspiration for all.
Wangari Maathai was born in 1940 in Nyeri, Kenya - where I spent my summer break helping native farmers improve marketing strategies. She was the first East African woman to earn a Ph.D. and also to chair a university department. She introduced the
idea of planting trees in 1976 and continued to develop it into a broad-based, grassroots organization. Through her Green Belt grassro Movement, she has assisted in planting more than 20 million trees, and also trained individuals from other African countries to successfully launch similar initiatives. The Green Belt Movement (GBM) mobilizes community consciousness for self-determination and environmental conservation, and provides income and sustenance to millions of people in Kenya through the planting of trees. According to Maathai, "When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope." GBM also conducts educational campaigns to raise awareness about women's rights, civic empowerment, and the environment throughout Kenya and Africa. See
http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/
ht
Planting billions of trees may sound like an overly zealous and unachievable goal, but not to Wangari Maathai of Kenya, a formidable advocate of tree
Wangari Maathai is internationally recognized for her persistent struggle for democracy, human rights and environmental conservation. She and the Green Belt Movement have received numerous awards, most notably The 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.
RR
08980
Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.
Ernest Hemingway, An American Novelist
101
