JAINA Convention 2009 07 Los Angeles

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 72

15th Biennial JAINA Convention 2009
Ecology - The Jain Way
reclaimed water is then used for irrigation. The trees, shrubs and flowers are responding happily, growing thicker and taller with each passing year. And while hundreds of children, students and staff members live and work on campus, daily, the sentiment of ecological consciousness has affected all: Hardly does one see even a single scrap of paper or a discarded plastic bag on the grounds or walkways in the campus.
mirrors track the sun from morning till evening. Solar energy is directed to absorbing pads, attached to a large insulated water-pipe. Within minutes of the sun's rising, the water is converted into high-pressure steam which is piped into the kitchen powering three giant pressure cookers. The whole operation is so efficient, enough rice, daal, and subzi is prepared to feed 500 hungry mouths, three times a day, with steam left over for conservation, or to power other activities.
Twenty-six hundred years ago, Bhagwan Mahavir, the world's first ecologist, counseled us to cherish every living being, stating that "air, water and land are also living systems, which must be respected." Veerayatan's sadhvijis have aptly lived this message by demonstrating that with love, compassion and dedication we can transform not only devastated lives but also devastated lands. Veerayatan's unprecedented ecological activities continue to expand through the nation. With generous donations of acres of land in Kutch and Palitana, Veerayatan will develop the Tirthankar Mahavir University and Tirthankar Mahavir Ahimsa Theme Park, respectively. Both sites will be among the greenest, most environmentally conscious, and most energyefficient examples in India.
Veerayatan, Jakhania: Solar Concentrators The dining hall feeds nearly 500 students, faculty, staff, and guests daily, a considerable energy burden by any measure. However, the vast majority of cooking on Veerayatan's Jakhania campus is accomplished through a unique solarenergy system. Ten six-foot diameter, concave
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POLLUTION - ANOTHER FORM OF VIOLENCE
There is another form of violence which the world has been much slower to recognize, and much more hesitant to take firm action against. I am referring to the violence being inflicted on Mother Earth by our materialistic civilization. The destruction of the environment, which is evident in the alarming levels of pollution of our land, water and air resources and which is now climaxing in climate change, has catastrophic implications for man and other species on our planet.
--- Shri L. K. Advani, Jain International Trade Organization (JITO) Global Summit, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Jan 10, 2009.