Green Champions training

Eco Online ‘Green Champions’ Training Report

Sunday 21st June 2020

Facilitators: Joanna Kitto and Nirmala Ragbir-Day

 After welcoming the 25 plus participants, Joanna and Nirmala took them through the aims of the day, the roles and responsibilities of a Green Champion, and outlined the three sessions and the structure of the online course. The training began with a video by Sister Jayanti giving her support to the training. She emphasised the need to develop an inner sense of gratitude, respect and compassion for ourselves and nature.

Joanna shared the learning outcomes of the first module and gave a short tour of the BKEI website. The four strands of the initiative were outlined:

1. Consciousness and Climate Change - the basis of the approach put across at all the UN Climate Change Conferences.
2. Solar energy, in particular the India One Plant.
3. Yogic farming - the organic farming initiative combined with meditation on seeds and crops.
4. Serving the elements through meditation.

Next participants who had already filled out a questionnaire to reflect on the extent to which their lifestyle is eco-friendly were asked to discuss in small breakout groups what they do already in relation to the 4 Rs (Re-using, Recycling, Refusing and Reducing) and to come up with one top tip to share with the rest of the group.

Nirmala shared the learning outcomes of the second session on Creating and Nurturing my Inner Green Space. Then a video of Dadi Janki was shown where Dadi shared that our task is to create our new world through deep meditation and to renounce desire and attachment. Also, by instilling peace, there is love, happiness and power and we have to show regard for the five elements.

After the video, Nirmala showed a few beautifully illustrated images that stated for example: ‘Folks are like plants; we all tend to lean towards the light’ and ‘We have to make space for new growth’. As part of a reflective exercise, participants were asked to imagine they were sunflowers leaning towards Baba, the Light and to reflect on their golden thoughts for the Golden Age as mentioned in the Avyakt murli of the day. They were then taken through a visualisation to create their inner green sacred space. This was followed by a meditation on how to send loving thoughts to the Earth and all its inhabitants and then we broke for lunch.

After lunch, the third session ‘Living the Change’ began with a short video from Sonja giving her best wishes for the course. Joanna did the first part of this session by giving participants an introduction to natural and cruelty-free cleaning and products and asked them to reflect on their own use and discuss this in the break out groups. Then participants were asked to reflect on the eco-friendly reasons for taking up a vegan diet. Nirmala then took participants ’ through the 10 Ways to Change the World in a self-reflective exercise. We concluded the session with a meditation with love to heal the Earth and a final reflective exercise where all participants were asked to complete the sentence on the chat box: ‘As a green champion, I will…’. Here is a selection of the participants’ statements:

“As a green champion I will be nurturing and kind in thought and behaviour; live simply, follow these codes more attentively and continue to dream deeply and emerge the earth in its abundance.”

“As a green champion I will be more aware and vigilant to giving out loving and appreciative vibrations to nature and share some of this day with my grandchildren.”

“As A Green Champion I will keep the vision for being a caretaker of the planet and inspire others by walking the talk.”

“As a green champion I will endeavour to be more conscious about the choices I make and see everything as ‘living’.”

“As a green champion I will have compassion to embrace all living creatures, nature and its beauty …to live simply.”

“As a green champion l will make decisions based on pure unconditional love for the planet and all living forms. l will establish a vegan diet and make my own pure vegan food together with Baba. ln this way, l will actively express my love, gratitude and respect to the entire animal family and environment.”

“As a green champion I will reduce, reuse and recycle more. I will do more mansa seva for nature. I will also look at the eco website.”

Here is a selection of feedback and comments that was sent in from participants after the training:

“Thank you for a fabulous day. Very well structured, planned and presented.”

“Thanks for a very inspiring, enlightening day.”

“Thank you for this informative session. It has certainly given me food for thought and was very inspiring.”

“Thank you all who made the online eco retreat possible for us during the pandemic. It has been full of beneficial suggestions, recalls, insights and inspirations. Thanks Baba.”

“Easy to understand and follow....beautifully presented.”

“I loved the variety of the content, the meditations, information and time to discuss topics in the breakout groups. Also, the quiz has really given me food for thought and I am already being much more conscious of my water usage. “

“Super facilitation, so relaxed and loving. Thorough and interesting. Lots of pointers in the right direction. Great BK website - I hadn't explored it so much before. Smooth transitions, and lovely music and slides. Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations!”