Noted Sikh environAMRITSAR: Noted Sikh environmentalists Baba Sewa Singh and Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal were among 200 representatives of all major faiths of the world who gathered at Windsor Castle, near London, for a three-day conference that concluded on Wednesday.
The meet is aimed at sensitising the world's political leaders regarding the need to put climate change on top of the global agenda.
The event got off with a keynote speech by UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon, who called on the world leaders to take notice of what the religious leaders had to say regarding climate change. "The world's religions have a crucial role to play in the global fight against climate change," he said, characterising the battle against global warming as a "moral" cause.
Leaders from China, Ghana, India, Japan, Indonesia, US and Tanzania attended the conference organised by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The gathering came just weeks before world leaders are due to adopt plans to counter global warming at a major UN summit in Copenhagen in December. Dr Rajwant Singh, chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education, which has drafted an EcoSikh plan, said: "It is vital we present to the world the wisdom of the Gurus to tackle this crisis facing the world."
Towards this end, two Sikh "eco warriors" were introduced to the audience -- Baba Sewa Singh, who has planted over a lakh trees in three states of India, and Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, who led a campaign to clean up the 162-km Kali Bein, a rivulet associated with Guru Nanak.
At the conference, Baba Sewa Singh said: "This challenging issue of global warming can be handled by changing individual behaviour and adopting a simpler style of living."
Baba Seechewal told the audience he drew inspiration from Guru Nanak in his work for the environment. "We must treat the earth as our mother, as professed by Guru Nanak," he said.
Kusum Vyas, a Hindu delegate from the US, said she was inspired by the Hindu philosophy to work on nature preservation.
A "Hindu plan" was drafted in the UK, and work is underway to link it up with Hindu temples and organisations in the US and India.
The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Ali Goma'a, announced that Madina -- one of Islam's most important cities -- would be turned into a model "green city" by adopting measures such as "greening the Haj" under a seven-year Muslim action plan for the environment.
Forwarded by forum member Tejwant Singh ji Malik.
