The ISKCON Environmental Initiative (IEI) marked Earth Day 2025 with an engaging webinar that highlighted devotee-led initiatives that underscored the importance of local action in driving global change.
The online gathering with devotees from around the world was part of the IEI Seminar Series: “Divinity and the Environment,” and spotlighted practical, faith-based solutions to environmental challenges, both within ISKCON communities and in their broader engagement with other organizations.
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Local vendors participate and new bins get installed at Hulor Ghat, one of the adopted spots.
Mayapur Clean and Green, led by Murari Mohini Devi Dasi, has recently introduced a new strategy for protecting Mayapur from environmental challenges. This strategy encourages individuals and organizations to adopt specific areas of the Dham. This initiative seeks to generate funds for cleaning activities and secure regular sponsorships for essential equipment, ensuring the sustained upkeep of Mayapur.
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By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
Mayapur Clean & Green, an environmental initiative led by Murari Mohini Devi Dasi, has embarked on a mission to strategically position 108 Mayapur Clean and Green recycle bins throughout the whole of Mayapur.
MC&G has already successfully placed 20 bins around the Holy Dham. Murari Mohini said, “Every home, every shop, every building needs to have one of these bins. It should be available in all the ghats of Mayapur, including all the homes and buildings.”
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By Atma Tattva Das
In an alignment of spiritual vision and environmental stewardship, The Braj Kund Restoration Project, created to restore the deteriorating quality of kundas in the Braj region, reflects the essence of sustainable development and holistic conservation. For the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) community, this initiative transcends the boundaries of ecological restoration; it signifies a sacred duty to preserve the sanctity of Braj – a place intrinsically
By Chandni Raj
New Mayapur in Central France is working to implement Srila Prabhupada’s vision for rural farm communities where devotees can live in harmony with nature, while addressing the climate crisis. The aim is to build a Vedic village as outlined by Srila Prabhupada, where earth and her natural resources are protected, which is in perfect harmony with the modern day need for sustainability. Implementing his ideas for community living, based on Vedic wisdom, gives a lasting solution to w
By Vandana Dasi
“Vaisnava philosophy leads us to be activists,” Anuttama Dasa, ISKCON GBC member, and Global Communications Director, said, citing Isopanisad Mantra 1, which states that everything within the universe is owned by the Lord and therefore, one should accept only what is necessary for His maintenance.
“This is a very heavy philosophical statement about how we are supposed to live in the world. Nothing in our tradition says the world was created for us to have dominion over. Everyt
Washing Post recently wrote an article about an issue that environmentalists and vegetarians have been aware of for decades, the link between the cattle ranching industry and the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest. In looking back at the history of Washington Post articles on this subject, they have been regularly covering the subject from varying angles as far back as 2014. This is quite significant considering the reach and influence of the Washington Post.
April 22—Aligned with the world celebration of Earth Day 2022, ISKCON is launching a global environmental initiative to assist local temples, communities, and families in better ‘walking our talk” by living more environmentally conscious and sustainable lifestyles.
“Many devotees think that because we’re strict vegetarians, we’ve done all we need to do for the environment,” said Shyamananda Krishna das (Dr. Sreenivasulu Chadalavada), an environmental scientist and Co-Director of the ISKCON Envi
By Madhava Smullen
On Earth Day (April 22nd, 2021), ISKCON’s North American Council passed a resolution endorsing the work of the ISKCON Environmental Initiative (IEI), and encouraging “adoption of the environmentally sustainable practices promoted by the IEI by all ISKCON temples and communities.”
The IEI, which has developed guidelines for these practices over the past year, is an international team of devotees specializing in environmental concerns, including Anuttama Das, GBC and Global Min
On Earth Day (April 22nd), as US President Joe Biden hosted a virtual summit of world leaders to address the global climate crisis, Bhumi Global, a new non-profit environmental organization based on Hindu principles of environmental care, was launched.
Bhumi Global builds on the work of the Bhumi Project. Launched in 2009 and housed at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies until August 2020, it became the leading global Hindu voice on the environment, mobilized tens of thous
By Madhava Smullen
ISKCON New Vrindaban is set to offer a Covid-safe Mother’s Day Wellness Retreat for Vaishnavis and their families with an aim to provide nourishment, relaxation and inspiration for women during difficult times.
“During the pandemic, people have sacrificed their sanga, and in some ways their mental health through isolation,” says Palace Lodge Manager Sarah. “So although we can’t do something on the scale of Festival of Inspiration [which was typically held over the Mother’s Day
Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Fifty years ago Earth Day gave a voice to an emerging public consciousness about the state of our planet.
Today, Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national and local policy changes.
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day
Seechewal, also known as Eco Baba, is known for spearheading the anti-pollution campaign to save the Kali Bein river in Punjab and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017. Baba Sewa Singh of the Khadur Sahib gurdwara received the Padma Shri in 2010 for planting 346,000 trees along 382km of roads and 400 villages in Punjab. Singh began his mission in 1999 to commemorate the 500th birth anniversary of Guru Angad Dev.
Similarly, the Govardhan Ecovillage (a PoWR supporter) is a property of The Interna
By Madhava Smullen
Over four million people around the globe walked out of their schools and workplaces on Friday September 20th to demand an end to the age of fossil fuels.
The global climate strikes took place in over 163 countries on all seven continents, and were scheduled ahead of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly and the Climate Action Summit on September 23rd.
The protests were organized by young people around the world who are part of the “Fridays for Future” campai
By Madhava Smullen
Govardhan Ecovillage, ISKCON’s 100 acre farm in the foothills of the Sahyadri mountain range in Maharashtra, has won the 2019 National Energy Globe Award for India.
The Energy Globe Award was founded in 1999 by Austrian energy pioneer Wolfgang Neumann, and is one of today’s most prestigious environmental awards. Its goal is to present successful sustainable projects to a broad audience, to show that many of our environmental problems already have feasible solutions.
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