In October 2021, we were standing on the sands of time – literally. The COP26 Walk stopped at Morecambe Bay, near our offices, and the LEAP team joined hundreds of others looking into the future through this enormous hour glass that the climate crisis has placed us in. The same question pervades the mind and conscience of the humanity around us… “What are we doing about it?”… “What can we do about it?”
LEAP is doing quite a lot and can do a lot more. The ‘lot’ and ‘lot more’ happens when you try your utmost earnestly and don’t let these efforts remain constricted by that obstacle called ‘I’. Look up away from the self and you will see how many wondrous hands are outstretched towards you, liking and loving your tiny effort and just waiting to add to your drop to make it the boundless ocean that every being can joyously bathe in!
We at LEAP gladly embraced the very first hand - that of the Hindu Forum of Britain who invited LEAP to pave the way as an Environmental Partner by joining hands with their member organisations. HFB member organisations form an enormously powerful life force powering its way and leaving a living gigantic trail of conservation of life in its practice at homes, hearts and temples and in its proliferation in international contemporary projects by member organisations such as the Art of Living and Iskcon, blossoming into eco-farms, tens of thousands of solar powered homes and the planting of millions of trees and with equal simplicity of sustainable practices by temples such as the Glasgow Hindu Temple.
LEAP’s Environmental Assessment & Management Toolkit has emerged not to challenge but instead to reflect on the organisational practices and engagement with hundreds of thousands of devotees across the UK and their wider communities, quietly celebrating the strides made in protecting Mother Earth and making definitive SMART goals towards achieving yet more.
How do we know that the actions are needed and that they are going in the right direction? This is the esteemed pedestal of the proverbial Guru, to be a friend, philosopher and guide. How does an organisation develop a Guru, you ask? This is where the cumulative wisdom, generosity and endorsement of those who have trodden the path ahead and those walking by your side, gift you with the confidence to carry on.
And so we reach on… hand after hand.. from working with schools in Lancashire to instil family learning on making celebration of festivals from different faiths more eco-friendly to creating a youth force of LEAP Sustainability Youth Ambassadors who think, talk, act and influence the world around them by representation at UK wide forums to speaking to other children at school assemblies.
Covid, despite the terrible sadness and colossal blanket of loss and pain that it has written in our history book, has taught us one super valuable lesson – we are not alone; we are not helpless; we may be atoms but we can move mountains through collective action; every one of us is important and every action we take is an indispensable link in pulling ourselves out of this labyrinth.
Covid-19 is the trailer, Climate Crisis is the movie.
This realisation is both frightening and empowering. If Climate Change is the sleeping giant Prince, we are only hearing the snores now. We have time to act before he wakes up.
You ask, “Will our acting help?”. I answer, “Did we think Covid would kill off the human race? And.. did our acting help?”
The key here is to act. It is not about whether you can or cannot vanquish the giant, but to realise that it is your righteous duty to not stand by and be trampled on or watch others being trampled. If you go ahead and do the right thing – know that every one of those moments, will steady the universal balance that exists in you, me and the five elements of the environment. As long as you can breathe, you are not too tired to be alert. Think the thought and take the action to do everything you can do to protect the environment. If you look after the feet on which you stand or the eyes through which you see, so must you look after the land that you eat from, the air you breathe and the water you drink from. This much is a minimum duty that comes with the privilege of living. It is ultimately a duty to yourself. The planet does not need human beings. We need the planet.
Wonderful, awe-inspiring article, Dr. Shorna Pal! Am sharing on Facebook. You have stated in clear terms how tremendous, concerted effort from LEAP and its collaborators is helping the environment and what people MUST do, to save ourselves. I have read the articles by Drs Banerjee and Soni and they too are excellent and very thought-provoking. Thank you very much and please keep up the wonderful work.