Newsletter July 2021

Dear BK Green Community

As you may know there is at present a lot of uncertainty surrounding COP26 in Glasgow due to the COVID19 restrictions.  We are waiting for an official announcement from the UK Government to know whether meetings will take place in person, online or both. Despite all of this, the team of international BKs are still enthusiastically going ahead with plans and submissions. With this in mind, we suggest that calendars are kept clear of major programmes from October 31st to November 12th so that centres can take advantage of these environment-related opportunities if they wish.

We are also delighted to say that we have had two proposals short listed for the UK Government Green Zone (platform for the general public).  One is a panel discussion: Deciding the Future: Renewable Energy Policy Scenarios along with invited speakers from four other organisations.

The second is an exhibition: “India-One” Solar Thermal Power Plant – innovative decentralized power generation with storage.  The aim of which isto accelerate the clean energy transition by inspiring and encouraging the public of the necessity and advantages of using renewable energy.

Click the link to watch/listen to the recordings:

•  5 Keys to SustainableHappiness with Sonja Ohlsson, hosted by Manchester Inner Space on 8^th May.
• With Love for Mother Nature Meditation for World Environment Day organised by GCH Eco Friends on 6^th June.
• Nature's friend with Rose Goodenough hosted by Inner Space Glasgow on 6^th June.
• Sustainability Starts with Peace with Rose Goodenough hosted by Inner Space Glasgow on 24^th June.
• Creating a Lifestyle that Empowers with Carolin Fraude hosted by Manchester Inner Space on 26^th June.
• Ecological Wisdom and the Everyday Sacred with Joanna Kitto hosted by Global Co-operation House on 1^st July.

New Videos
Check out the youtube channel of the eco website for 3 new meditation videos and one short introduction to COP26 put together by Inner Space Glasgow.

Climate Scotland

Brahma Kumaris now partners with Climate Scotland and they promote the Glasgow Inner Space talks on environment and spirituality.
Add your voice! Our ambition is to gather 10,000 voices from the people of Scotland. We’ll take them to COP26 to send our leaders a message: that we want strong and meaningful commitments to protect the things we love, and to make a better future for us all.

Scottish Meditations

The new Scottish Green Group are continuing to facilitate a fortnightly nature meditation.

Green Champions Update

After our last training in June, there are now approximately 50 BKs mostly in the UK (but also from Greece, Germany, Turkey and Portugal) who have now completed the online training.   We also have a number of projects that are being worked on by small teams of GCs meeting on a regular basis to support the COP26 initiative and the environment in general.
•    The Meditation Group – Many have made their own pledges for regular meditations for the environment in their own time and every 3rd Saturday, there is a Green Wave Meditation.   This is where GCs sign up on a spreadsheet for one or more 15mins slots so that we have an 8 hour continuous wave of meditation on that day.
•    The Virtual Green Champions Roadshow for BK Centres – The Roadshow has now visited GCH and Wales and the South West.  In July, the virtual roadshow will visit the Leicester morning class group and will move onto Glasgow in August.  The Roadshow consists of an overview of the BKEI (including COP26), an overview of the Green Champions Training and the sharing of experiences of two GCs.  Then there is time for questions and comments.
•    Work is continuing on the 10 Ways to Change the World App which will be for the public and the Eco Games projects.

We now have our own page on Spotify where you can find the first Green Champions podcasts.  These are a series of 2-5 minute audio recordings on different aspects of the BKEI aimed primarily at BKs but open to the public.  There is a series on each of the 10 Ways to Change the World by sister Nirmala from York and also the first episode of Get Growing Green by brother David in Leeds.  Anyone can access them using this link: Green Champions Podcasts

Other articles and videos on climate change:

The Guardian: The climate crisis requires a new culture and politics, not just new tech

ARTE Video Climate Change is happening now

"I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation and we scientists don't know how to do that..." ~ Gus Speth,  US Advisor on climate change and Yale professor

This newsletter prepared by Joanna, Isle of Man, UK.