Sikhs Mobilizing To Protect the Living Planet

Sikhi(sm) was founded in the South Asian region of Panjab, the semi-arid plains nestled between present day India and Pakistan. Coincidentally, the same region famed as the birthplace of the Sikh faith was a major epicenter for the Green Revolution in the late 1960s. This agricultural experiment aimed at increasing food production in the developing world led to the serious erosion of Panjab’s natural resource base—including depleted aquifers, land degradation, and energy shortages across this land of great historic and cultural significance to Sikhs. In this session, we will explore the Sikh spiritual foundations for living in harmony with Mata Dharat (Mother Earth), Sikh efforts to protect air, land, and water in present day Panjab and beyond, and how scientists can continue to work with religious traditions in resource constrained regions to protect and restore regional ecologies.