INDIA PM CLEAN INDIA CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

INDIA PM NARENDRA MODI 
LAUNCHES CLEAN INDIA CAMPAIGN

www.sarkaritel.com - Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Thursday wielded the broom symbolically at a place where Mahatma Gandhi once stayed to launch a unique nationwide campaign that seeks to change Indians’ mindset and clean up India in five years. In a spirited speech near the India Gate monument a short while later, Modi told a huge gathering that Indians had a responsibility of fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of ridding the country of dirt and filth by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi.
On his way to Valmiki Colony which Gandhi made his home for 214 days in 1946-47, Modi – known for his unusual workstyle – halted his car, entered the Mandir Marg police station, saw the state of cleanliness and calmly picked up the broom to sweep away the dust.

After a brief visit to the Valmiki temple, the prime minister took up a broom and swept a small area in the company of party colleagues and residents to symbolically launch the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India campaign. He used a dust pan to put the small pile of dirt into the dustbin. Modi started the day by visiting Rajghat, the Gandhi memorial on the bank of the Yamuna river. Visitors to India complain about the dirt, the absence of enough dust bins, choked drains, poor state of most public toilets, spitting and urinating in the open as well as the general lack of commitment of the people to keep the country clean. 
In his speech, Modi said India – a country not particularly noted for cleanliness – could be transformed provided the citizens disciplined themselves instead of expecting cleanliness only from municipal sweepers.

Last Thursday marked the 145th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who was a strong advocate of cleanliness, and on that day India Prime Minister Narendra Modi symbolically wielded the broom to launch a nationwide campaign that aims to clean up India in five years. “Do citizens have no role in this? We have to change this mindset,” Modi said in his speech. “India can do it, the people of India can do it.” Modi underlined that he should not be the focus of the Clean India campaign – and the campaign should not be viewed from a political prism. “This is not about Modi… Modi is only one of its 1.2 billion people… This is a people’s task.” The prime minister administered a pledge to the gathering to contribute at least two hours a week to keep their surroundings clean. From this humble website we congratulate the Prime Minister Modi for hearing the claims that had been done and for his decision to tackle this big problem: Trash, which affects India and especially its holy places. For several years, various spiritual teachers, individually and through their different missions, as well as private non-governmental groups have insisted that it is necessary to clean dhams not only to benefit the foreign tourists and the local community, but also for the fact that keeping these sites dirty is a great offense to the Divine. Some of the projects that are being made to clean up rivers and sacred sites in India are: Friends of Vrindavan with A Helping Hand For Vrindavan and Mayapur, and Vrindavan Cleaning Fund (VCF) program with their wonderful cleaning projects in joint operations with Vrindavan Municipality; also the Vraj Mandal Parikram and Vrinda Kunja with their projects: Cleaning Sri Mayapur Dham, Cleaning Govardhan, Cleaning Sri Vrindavan Dham, Cleaning the banks of Yamuna, Cleaning of Vamsi Vat Gardens and Gopinath Gardens; etc. Also, for months a request to the Prime Minister of India to clean India is provided in the web. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

This is a request to the Prime Minister of India: Narendra Modi, to clean India as a good strategy in order to increase and improve tourism. 
Every year, ancient culture and sites (such as temples and palaces) all over India, attract many tourists to the country. However, there is a big problem which makes people reconsider returning to India: trash. Trash everywhere, on the roads, streets, bus stations, outside the temples, stores, and even restaurants, etc. represents an unpleasant experience for having a mystic dream. This is not only dangerous for the health of tourists, but also for all the local residents. It is urgent to clean India and create a permanent cleaning culture. A clean India is something not only tourism deserves, but also Indians. Surely, this action will improve both the economy of this country by attracting more tourists every year and also will reduce the mortality and disease rate due to infections. 
Join us and share this request and, like this, we will obtain enough signatures to help our sacred India.

Make India a Better Place for Tourism
Join us and share this request “For a Cleaner India”
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/413/568/781/make-india-a-mejor-lugar-de-tourism/#sign
http://helpinghandforvrindavan.org/es/reportes/unete-y-comparte-esta-peticion-por-una-india-mas-limpia

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS RISING AT FASTEST RATE

GREENHOUSE GASES HIT RECORD HIGH 
AMID FEARS OF CO2 SATURATION POINT

http://news.nationalgeographic.com - The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new record high in 2013, propelled by a surge in levels of carbon dioxide, the World Meteorological Organization reported Tuesday, raising the threat of increased global warming. The scientists warn that the Earth's natural ability to store and mediate the gases through oceans, plants, and other means may be approaching a saturation point, which could exacerbate current warming. Not all scientists agree, however. 
The World Meteorological Organization's annual report “shows that, far from falling, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere actually increased last year at the fastest rate for nearly 30 years,” said Michel Jarraud, the group's secretary-general.

Scientists who contributed to the report, called the “Greenhouse Gas Bulletin,” noted that carbon dioxide levels rose more between 2012 and 2013 than during any other year since 1984. The report showed that between 1990 and 2013, the energy in the atmosphere increased by 34 percent. Normally, about a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere are absorbed by plants, while another quarter dissolves into the ocean. 
But the ability of plants and oceans to keep on absorbing excess greenhouse gases may be slowing as those systems approach what may be a saturation point, the organization's scientists warn. The growing amount of CO2 in oceans has been raising the acidity of seawater, which scientists warn has serious implications for the growth of corals and other marine creatures.

This article, written by Brian Clark Howard, from National Geographic, informs about a surge in atmospheric CO2 saw levels of greenhouse gases reach record levels in 2013, according to new figures. Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere between 2012 and 2013 grew at their fastest rate since 1984. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says that it highlights the need for a global climate treaty. Because carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for many hundreds of years and in the ocean for even longer, “past, present, and future CO2 emissions will have a cumulative impact on both global warming and ocean acidification. The laws of physics are non-negotiable,” experts said. As the temperatures continue to rise, the negative consequences of climate change on agriculture will be increasingly serious. Without effective measures in response, by the latter part of the 21st century, climate change could still constitute a threat to the world’s food security. To place where they can graze animals to be killed to satisfy man's desire to eat meat, the forests are removed. When trees and plants are destroyed, the CO2 stored inside them escapes back into the air. Besides that, growing fodder for farmed animals implies heavy use of synthetic fertilizers produced with fossil fuels. While the process of keeping farm animals emits a huge amount of CO2, fertilizer itself releases nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that is 296 times more potent than CO2. We must stop the widespread industrial consumption of meat, a giant factory of mass destruction of animals, with the high cost of causing increased release of CO2 in the atmosphere and the suffering of millions of helpless who are suffering unnecessarily just for the man's desire to taste their flesh. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

A 2006 report from the United Nations reveals the surprising fact that ‘raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined.’ Tens of billions of animals farmed for food release gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide through their massive amounts of manure. Animals such as cows and sheep, being ruminant, emit huge amount of methane due to flatulence and burping. “The released methane,” the report says, “has 23 times the global warming potential of CO2.” It is very alarming to note that the livestock industry alone is responsible for 37% of human induced methane emissions. To make room for these animals to graze, virgin forests are cleared. The livestock industry also needs vast stretches of land to raise mono crops to feed the animals. [...] All that people all the world over have to do is to avoid meat eating. In the absence of demand for meat, there is no more need for breeding millions of animals for daily slaughter. The reversal of global warming is a certainty. If it is too much for one to switch to be a total vegetarian one needs to give up at least red meat eating. This the only option one has.

Śrīla Swami Dayananda Saraswati :
“A Solution for Global Warming”
An interview by Andrew Cohen on Sept 7, 2008 
Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Saylorsburg, PA 
http://www.arshavidya.org
http://www.arshavidhyapitam.org

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

PARAMADVAITI SWAMI SPEAKS IN COLOMBIA'S CONGRESS

SRILA PARAMADVAITI SWAMI REQUESTS 
LEGISLATORS OF COLOMBIA TO CARE PLANET

www.youtube.com - Days ago, on August 20, the Vaishnava spiritual master, Srila Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti, direct disciple of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, spoke at the plenary of the House of Representatives of Republic Congress in Colombia. He asked the representatives of the Colombian people, to promote peace in a constructive way. He spoke about the importance of being a ruler or legislator; and reminded them, that traditionally, according to Vedic wisdom, the king was the representative of God, and he had to account for their actions towards the people; the King must took upon himself 25% of the reactions of sins that were committed by people under his reign; and today this 25% is distributed among the elected members, as they are responsible for their country can obtain peace, love, health and safety. “On one hand, as regards your responsibilities you are God’s representatives, but on the other hand, this also means a big commitment,” said Paramadvaiti. 
He also explained that “The world is behind the progress; but this progress is poorly understood in most cases, as we see the state of the environment; more opencast mines, more deforestation, more, more, more; but less security, less happiness and less health, particularly in connection to the environmental pollution and waters’ pollution.”

“The solution is not that there should not be progress; but these solutions need not be through more factories and industrialization, but in having an education which allows you to know and feel that you can be happier with less. Global competition wants the mines of gold and also cut down all the trees of the Chocó and the Amazon to put other things there; but that is not for the welfare of Colombians, the indigenous groups or those beautiful children of yours, who will be the future of Colombia and the world. 
Therefore, you should consider the great responsibility you have and evaluate that the progress of our planet does not depend on the bank figures, but on the degree of happiness and enlightenment that can be achieved with non-violence, meditation, and respecting women, who today are victims of a completely male-dominated society that just wants to enjoy the woman. So, we need a shift towards a more simple life but with higher thoughts; that is the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, who with it has had made great impact on India, Burma and the Himalayas.” 

In his annual tour visiting different countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas, the Vaishnava spiritual master Srila B. A. Paramadvaiti Swami, founder of the “Vrinda Family”, spoke in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Colombia and delivered his message of protecting the planet by building a sustainable society that respects nature. His call to be more aware of the great damage which is being done to the planet was broadcast live across the country by the national chain of Colombia. Paramadvaiti Swami spoke to lawmakers about "Permaculture", the revolutionary new way to cultivate which is basically done by creating food forests which function as a natural ecosystem that regulates itself. This new form of agriculture could eliminate hunger across the globe at the expense of the mafia responsible for the shameful and corrupt food industry. Paramadvaiti said: “Today, the farming system is called “monoculture”, there are giant fields where one product is grown and there is a single owner; and all the families have no place to cultivate. Permaculture should be supported by you gentlemen, thus in this way we will have a healthy society and a true health; health is not in hospitals but in good nutrition, health is to allow people to grow back all their stuff and naturally respect the rights of others.” In conclusion, Paramadaviti Swami asked the legislators to reflect about their responsibility as Colombian Congressmen: “I ask you, in the name of the infinite God, to take this responsibility and save the national resources of Colombia from the international interests of the multinationals; who are interested in Colombia’s gold, but not in Colombia’s water. As I learned in Tolima, we want water, not gold; because with water we live, but gold is taken by others and we will never see it. And the only thing that remains with us is a wasteland, a devastated land, with undrinkable waters.” At the end, Srila Paramadvaiti thanked for being allowed to speak in the Congress, and did it on behalf of “our Infinite Well-wisher and Mother Nature, who is so great, so kind that she has given us this Colombia, which is the most amazing multi-diversity you can see so far, and hopefully it stays that way.” (Editor's note).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc59Wie9BfM

http://vrindaenlosmedios.blogspot.com.ar/2014/08/srila-bhakti-aloka-paramadvaiti.html

http://www.frequency.com/video/srila-paramadvaiti-swami-en-el-congreso/188552317

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Today we see the condition of the world. Never before in history has the world been in a more dangerous situation. We have made progress through technology and science. We have cured diseases such as small pox. We made vaccinations for polio and breakthrough in open heart surgeries to keep people living after major heart attacks. These are good things. But at the same time, what are we doing on the other side. We are creating other diseases due to pollution and other unnatural styles. … And with all the toxic chemicals in the soil, in the ocean, in the rivers and in the air, if you look at it realistically the world is in a hopeless state. Politicians don’t want to tell you and we don’t want to hear about it, because we are just caught up in our petty pursuance of fulfilling our greed. It is a big problem.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja : 
“The Real Significance of Bhumi Puja”
Lecture at Govardhan Farm, Wada - 2nd October 2009
http://www.radhanathmaharaj.net/node/80
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/  -  http://radhanathswami.info/

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

LIGHTS OUT FOR EARTH HOUR

MILLIONS SWITCH OFF

FOR EARTH HOUR 2014

AFP News - Lights went off in thousands of cities and towns across the world for the annual Earth Hour campaign, which is aiming to raise money via the internet for local environmental projects. Sydney's Opera House and Harbour Bridge were among the first landmarks around the world to dim their lights for 60 minutes during Saturday's event, organised by conservation group WWF. 
Hong Kong's stunning waterfront skyline was unrecognisable on Saturday evening, with the city's tallest skyscraper, the International Commerce Centre, stripped of the vast light show usually wrapped around its 118 stories. 
Blazing neon signs advertising some of the world's largest brands were shut off, leaving the view of the heavily vertical southern Chinese city peppered only with tiny lights from buildings' interiors.

An estimated 7,000 cities and towns from New Zealand to New York were taking part. Earth Hour partnered with payments giant PayPal to allow donors to contribute to specific projects from Russia and India to Canada and Indonesia, using Asian fundraising site Crowdonomic. Earth Hour chief executive Andy Ridley said before the lights went off in Singapore that the event had moved beyond symbolism to concrete action. 
"If you want to get real social change you need to have symbolism," he told the AFP news agency. "We are seeing some really big outcomes." Projects under the "Earth Hour Blue" crowdfunding scheme - which aim to raise more than $650,000 in total - include a turtle centre in Italy and funding for forest rangers in Indonesia.

Today, Earth Hour calls on residents, businesses and governments to switch off non-essential lights and other electronic items for an hour beginning at 8:30 p.m. local time Saturday to raise awareness about climate change. The event is being marked in more than 150 countries, organisers said, estimating that thousands of cities and towns would have taken part by the time the ceremonies began in Singapore. Earth Hour will see other landmarks including the Empire State Building in New York, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Kremlin in Moscow switch off their lights for an hour. Last year, 7,000 cities participated in the movement. A record 158 countries and territories are expected to participate in this year's Earth Hour event, according to the WWF website. The great power of Earth Hour is to have hundreds of millions of people around the world doing something together, all of them joined by a common purpose. It is an incredibly powerful thing. Earth Hour serves to remind people that when we put together billions of small individual acts then it is where the difference arises. Today we are making a small gesture to try that the maximum people around the world can be aware of the sad fact that the planet Earth, our home, is subjected to stresses that may make it uninhabitable for ourselves. There are always little things we can do every day to save energy and protect the environment. These are small gestures of each day which will help to change the trend that is leading us to make the planet Earth, a wonderful creation of the Supreme Lord, an uninhabitable place for all living beings. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

It’s time that humanity revert to and value a simpler, healthier, and more natural way of life. Only in this way may we attain true health, harmony, and prosperity. ... Nature is one of the manifestations of God; if we mistreat the environment, if we live irresponsibly, in any moment we will be sucked into an abyss. God is in each tree, each plant. The waters of the Earth are the veins of the Lord.  We should proceed with absolute compassion and responsibility, because by not taking care of other living beings, our present planet will become a complete desert.  Polluted waters cause the leukemia of the ecosystem. Mother Earth heals you, she allows you to build houses, sustains you, gives you drinkable water; that is our dear Mother Earth. If you cannot see divinity in the mud, in Mother Earth, it would be very astonishing to see it in anything.

House of Wisdom :  “Eco Conscience - Recommendations”
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/advices_eco_conscience.htm
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/index.html
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

FREE SEEDS NETWORK MOVEMENT

AMERICAN FREE SEEDS NETWORK 
ENCOURAGE PROMOTE AGROECOLOGY

www.mapuexpress.net - Valentina Vives Granella, the spokeswoman from American Free Seed Network (RSL) in Chile, now lives around Valdivianos environments, based on Rebellin. Moving into the region of Araucanía, Los Ríos and Los Lagos, she works hard in shaping collaborative human networks around permaculture, self-sufficiency, and good living, with particular focus on the seeds, the basis of life. 
The school house that she is leading has the purpose to promote sustainable local development and its many aspects, by connecting and linking to community practice. Valentina studied chemistry and environmental biology at the University of Chile but now she serves as an activist in defense of biodiversity and indigenous peoples. Mainly through collaborative networking, education and information campaigns.

Chile Free Seed Network was organized due to the fact that the original seeds, and the old cultural tradition (ancient wisdom) associated with the native cultivation, feeding, gastronomy, medicine, textiles, celebrations, rituals, ceremonies, storing and planting techniques, are now threatened, and at risk of disappearing, by the modern industrial food system.
Valentina explains that one of the greatest threats are the laws that allow companies to have intellectual property rights on seeds, genetic manipulation, monocultures, border barriers, among many others threats which include the growing disconnection of humans with the Earth and the lack of observation and respect towards nature's own cycles. These laws and this multinational model allow land erosion, genetic manipulation, cultural destruction and the lost of identity, with the result that feeding is monopolized.

Valentina Vives Granella, from American Free Seed Network Chile, explains that “by controlling seeds, people is controlled. This movement, which puts the seed at the center and at the base of their actions, is a movement whose main objective is the liberation of human beings and good living.” The RSL Chile was formed in 2012 with people from different disciplines and occupations as activists and enthusiasts of LIFE seeds. “We work to rescue and promote the cultural identity of peoples, and also to the seed which is source of life and creativity,” Valentina says.  We have to defend our freedom; therefore, we have to save mother Earth's seeds.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

There is a global emergency because seeds have been appropriated and colonized. Corporations have declared that seeds are their intellectual property, and the only way that they can get the intellectual property is by modifying and mutilating by genetic engineering. So we have a double hazard - the hazard of genetic engineering and the hazard of seed patenting. We have seen what this combination does in the area of cotton. India is the land of cotton ... but today the seed is under threat, because all the cotton we can spin now is genetically engineered Bt cotton, under the control of one company, Monsanto. That’s why, if we don’t save seeds, all the diversity will be gone forever, and with it the memory that is in the seed - the ecological memory and the cultural memory. And with it will go the livelihood of farmers. It devastates Nature.

Dr. Vandana Shiva :
Interview by Bhavani Prakash
From Eco Walk the Talk
http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/
http://www.makingitmagazine.net/?p=3466

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

GOD'S BATHTUB: A LAKE UNTOUCHED BY TIME OR CLIMATE

FOR 7,000 YEARS, BLUE LAKE HAS BEEN
UNAFFECTED BY ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES

www.mnn.com - Officially it's known as Blue Lake, but to the scientists studying it, it has taken on a new name: God's Bathtub. Blue Lake sits on North Stradbroke Island in the Australian state of Queensland. The tiny lake with crystal-clear waters was already known as one of the country's most beautiful sites, but new research reveals something even more remarkable: the lake has been relatively unaffected by changes in climate or the effects of humans for more than 7,000 years. 
"Blue Lake is one of those rare, beautiful lakes in Australia," said Dr. Cameron Barr of the University of Adelaide. "It's unusual because it's more than 10 meters deep, but it's so clear you can see to the bottom." 

Barr looked at records kept about the lake for the past 117 years as well as fossil information about pollen and algae. By looking at photographs and other data, he came to a remarkable conclusion: the depth and water chemistry of Blue Lake has remained almost unchanged for millennia. The research was published in the journal Freshwater Biology. Barr explained that the freshwater system of Blue Lake is unique. It is refreshed by an aquifer and it drains into a nearby swamp, a process that completely replenishes the lake every 35 days or so.
This constant system of refreshment allows the lake to remain consistent in size, depth and chemistry regardless of changes in climate around it.

Australian scientists have discovered a lake that has been untouched by climate change for the past 7,500 years. Researchers have found that Blue Lake's body of water has been in the same chemical state for thousands of years. Cameron Barr, of the University of Adelaide, and his team studied Blue Lake’s water quality, fossil pollen and algae and found that the lake is unaffected by climate change. "It's like God's bathtub," says Barr. "It is beautiful. It is absolutely beautiful."This shows how wonderful is God's creation and it proves that the biological wellbeing of our earth is being ruined by the materialistic vision of society.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Nature is one of the manifestations of God; if we mistreat the environment, if we live irresponsibly, in any moment we will be sucked into an abyss. God is in each tree, each plant. The waters of the Earth are the veins of the Lord. We should proceed with absolute compassion and responsibility, because by not taking care of other living beings, our present planet will become a complete desert. ... The indigenous cultures didn't think that the Earth or the Sun were God, but they saw the kindness of God toward us represented in them. All the elements created by the Lord are different representations of His powers, and the combination of all the components produces food for us, the conscious beings.

House of Wisdom :
Eco conscience - Recommendations
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/services_eco_conscience1.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"

http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

FLOODS WREAK HAVOC IN GERMANY

FLOOD MISERY AS SURGING ELBE
BREACHES DEFENSES IN GERMANY

http://edition.cnn.com - Soldiers dropped huge sandbags from army helicopters Tuesday as part of efforts to stem devastating flooding in northern Germany after the swollen Elbe River breached flood defenses. A sea of muddy brown water has flowed through two broken dikes in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people from their homes. The situation is stabilizing in the flooded village of Fischbeck, near the town of Stendal, which was left largely submerged after a dike there broke Sunday, officials said.
The flow of water pouring through a gaping breach nearly 50 meters (160 feet) across is now slowing, and water levels have dropped slightly across the state, Interior Minister said. 

The water level around Stendal has dropped about half a meter (20 inches) since its peak Monday morning, and should drop another 20 inches in the next 24 to 48 hours. The peak surpassed 8.2 meters (26.9 feet), breaking the 2002 record of 7.68 meters (25.2 feet). Police shut down the center of Wittenberg on Tuesday, a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited to meet volunteers and see flood prevention efforts for herself. About 4,000 German soldiers have been deployed in Saxony-Anhalt, with some dispatched to drop the huge bags of sand from the air.
Three people died in the state last week in connection with the flooding. Another five deaths have been reported across the country.

Tens of  thousands of people were being forced to evacuate their homes across swathes of Germany and Hungary these days as further dramatic rises in the levels of the swollen Elbe and Danube rivers continued to cause some of the most devastating floods ever experienced in Central Europe. In the east German city of Magdeburg, some 23,000 residents were  forced to flee their homes as soldiers, rescue workers and volunteers battled furiously to shore up leaking dykes. Meteorologists says heavy rain was forecast for southern Germany and that further flooding in the region could not be ruled out. Global meat consumption, affects the whole planet without distinction between rich and poor countries.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The environmental community rightly recognizes global warming as one of the gravest threats to the planet. The expected consequences include coastal flooding, increases in extreme weather, spreading disease, and mass extinctions. Yet by focusing entirely on carbon dioxide emissions, major environmental organizations have failed to account for published data showing that other gases are the main culprits behind the global warming we see today. ... Animal agriculture produces more than 100 million tons of methane a year ... and the collective effect on the environment of the hundreds of millions of livestock animals worldwide is enormous. ... Simply by going vegetarian we can eliminate one of the major sources of emissions of methane, the greenhouse gas responsible for almost half of the global warming impacting the planet today. 

Dr. Noam Mohr :
“What They Didn’t Tell You In Copenhagen”
VINA - Vaishnava Internet News Agency
http://wadcconference.com/bio_mohr.aspx
http://kirbymtn.blogspot.com/2007/01/noam-mohr-on-meat-eating-and.html
http://www.vina.cc/news/index.php/General/What-They-Didn-t-Tell-You-In-Copenhagen.html

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

TODAY IS WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2013
ITS THEME IS “THINK. EAT. SAVE”

www.dnaindia.com - World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated each year on June 5 to spread global awareness among the inhabitants of earth regarding mother nature. Each year this day is celebrated with a theme and this year the theme is THINK.EAT.SAVE. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted. At the same time, 1 in every 7 people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die daily due to hunger. 
This year's theme encourages reduction of food wastage and be more aware of the environmental impact of their food choices, which in turn will help save money and minimise the environmental impact of food production. It is the responsibility of every citizen to help maintain the ecological balance. 

Here are 5 things that you can do as a global citizen: 1) Spread awareness: The major purpose of this year's theme is to start making changes from the household level. 2) Build a small farm or garden: We know it's difficult to find space in a metropolitan city, but if you're blessed with one, make and maintain a small farm or garden. 3) Travel by public transport: Take public transportation on World Environment Day and vow to take it more often than you do. If you're already a public transport user, take a walk. 
4)  Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Renew, Recycle: If you're not already into this habit, it's a good day of the year to start. These 5R's are magic mantras when it comes to environmental conservation and sustainable usage. 5) Publicise: Let people know what you plan to do and do it this World Environment Day.

World Environment Day - which is similar to Earth Day - is celebrated annually on June 5th and was created to inspire people around the globe to become active about the environment and learn more about ways they can help to ensure the future of our planet is safe. Each year the United Nations pick a theme and a host city where environmental topics can be discussed. This year (2013) Mongolia is the global host of WED 2013, and the theme is “Think.Eat.Save.” Many environmentalists, academics and scientists will come together to bring new ideas to the table concerning the environment. They should search for spiritual and moral inspiration about environmentalism in the ancient Vedic culture.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Long before ecology became the refrain of the global song at Stockholm and Rio, the ancient Indic heritage had already provided a spacious spiritual home for the environmental ethos. In the West, the term ‘ecology’ was coined only in the latter half of the 19th century from the Greek word Oikos, meaning ‘home’. But India has, throughout trackless centuries, provided an ample expanse of friendly space for an open and ongoing discourse of ideas. The Jain, Vedic and Buddhist traditions established the principles of ecological harmony centuries ago - not because the world was perceived as heading for an imminent environmental disaster or destruction, nor because of any immediate utilitarian exigency, but through its quest for spiritual and physical symbiosis, synthesized in a system of ethical awareness and moral responsibility. 

H. E. Dr Laxmi Mall Singhvi :
Former President of the World Congress on Human Rights
“The East is green” - August 1996.
http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/82/singhvi.html
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Nature_Worship.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

DIABETES: DIRTY AIR MAY RAISE INSULIN RESISTANCE RISK

AIR POLLUTION INCREASES RISK
OF INSULIN RESISTANCE IN CHILDREN

www.bbc.co.uk - Children's exposure to air traffic pollution could increase their risk of insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes in adults, suggests a study in Diabetologia. German research on 397 10-year-olds found that living close to a major road increased resistance by 7% per 500m. 
Air pollutants are known to be oxidisers that can impact on lipids and proteins in the blood. But some experts say the results should be treated with caution. The children in the study were invited for blood sampling at the age of 10, and glucose and insulin measurements were taken. Their level of exposure to traffic pollution was estimated using air pollution figures from 2008-09 for their birth address neighbourhood.

The results were adjusted to take into account birth weight, body mass index (BMI) and exposure to second-hand smoke at home. The study concluded that levels of insulin resistance were greater in children with higher exposure to air pollution, such as nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter. It also found a larger effect in children with higher BMIs. 
Elisabeth Thiering and Joachim Heinrich, who led the research at the German Research Centre for Environmental Health in Neuherberg, said the link between traffic pollution and insulin resistance could be explained. "Although toxicity differs between air pollutants, they are all considered potent oxidisers that act either directly on lipids and proteins, or indirectly through the activation of intracellular oxidant pathways," said Dr Heinrich.

Previous studies have shown links between air pollution and atherosclerosis and heart disease, but this new research shows that growing up in areas where air pollution is increased raises the risk of insulin resistance (the precursor to diabetes) in children, who are particularly vulnerable. "Breathing the same pollutant concentrations, children may have a two to fourfold higher dose reaching the lung," said Prof Frank Kelly. The development of diabetes in adults might have its origin in early life and associated with environmental exposures to air pollution. We should live in a simpler way, in more contact with nature and become God conscious.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The cosmic situation is giving us all facility to reestablish this relationship with Krishna and return to Godhead. ... Everything we need is being supplied by God - land, grain, fruits, milk, shelter and clothing. We only have to live peacefully and cultivate Krishna consciousness. That should be our mission in life. We should therefore be satisfied with what God has supplied in the form of food, shelter, defense and sex, and should not want more and more and more. The best type of civilization is one that ascribes to the maxim of "plain living and high thinking." … Although God has given us all facilities to live peacefully on this earth, cultivate Krishna consciousness, and finally to come to Him, in this age we're unfortunate.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“On the Way to Krishna”
Chapter Five: “Steering Toward the Supreme”
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase
 

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/