1. TREAT NATURE WITH REVERENCE

2. proceed to visualize in nature its God.”
“Man should treat nature with reverence.
He has no right to talk of conquering nature
or exploiting the force of nature. He must
proceed to visualize in nature its God.”
Unfortunately, we are not treating nature with reverence. Nature has been entrusted to our care, but instead our activities are severely impacting the environment and changing the balance of nature.

3. “You have to realize that Nature is a manifestation of God.”
We have forgotten that all of Nature is God.

4. “I am the indweller of all the insects, all the birds, and animals
“I am the indweller of all the insects, all the birds, and animals. I am present in all living beings.”
Only when we are aware that every aspect of Nature is God – all creatures, all plants and trees, the mountains, the oceans and the air surrounding – will we understand that when we harm the environment we are harming ourselves.

5. “Whatever man seeks to achieve, he has to rely on Nature
“Whatever man seeks to achieve, he has to rely on Nature. Nature is not anyone’s private property. It belongs to God. Without the grace of the Lord no one can enjoy the benefits of Nature. Not realizing this truth, some people embark on the exploitation of Nature, out of arrogance and self-conceit. This is highly misconceived.”
Doug – entrusted with nature

6. It is easy to take nature for granted
It is easy to take nature for granted. Who has ever thought that the resources that we use to meet our basic human needs – food, air, water, and shelter – are limited? However, they are limited, and our inappropriate use of them has been responsible for “natural” disasters.
QUOTE These natural disasters are the result of our not protecting nature.
“Natural calamities like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts and floods are the result of disturbances in the balance of Nature caused by reckless exploitation of natural resources.”

7. TREAT NATURE WITH REVERENCE
BABA’S EMPHASIS ON PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
“NATURAL” DISASTERS
IMPACTS ON THE WORLD’S ENVIRONMENT
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
CENTER SEVA PROJECTS
Discuss how our activities have contributed to natural disasters and have impacted the environment, discuss simple steps we each can take to reduce our impact, and end with a discussion on seva projects that Centers can implement.

8. Doug Homeostasis; earth brings nature back in balance
“Today the world is losing its ecological balance as man, out of utter selfishness, is robbing the mother Earth of her resources like coal, petroleum, iron, etc. As a result, we find earthquakes, floods and such other devastating natural calamities. Human life will find fulfillment only when ecological balance is maintained.”

9. “What is the cause of droughts and floods which occur in the world
“What is the cause of droughts and floods which occur in the world? Man seeks to enjoy the benefits of Nature without any restraint or regulation. The result is the imbalance of Nature which has grave consequences.”

10. “The Tsunami is the result of human behaviour
“The Tsunami is the result of human behaviour. It has nothing to do with God. All this is because of what man has made of man and not because of what God has made of man.”
SWAMI STORY on not stopping disasters – up to humans to live in harmony with nature or suffer consequences of our actions.
These disasters wake us up. However, they didn’t just happen overnight. They are the result of many impacts on the environment. Let’s take a look at some of these impacts.

11. Earth's water supply is drinkable
IMPACTS ON WATER
Only 1% of the
Earth's water supply is drinkable
Everybody needs fresh water….
In a perfect world only 1% is drinkable; rest is salt water. Need to protect what we have. However, much of this water is polluted from runoff from fertilizers, sewage and other waste.
Human water consumption has increased 6 times since Consequently, there is not enough fresh water.
2.3 billion people face water shortages
20% of freshwater species disappeared
Ganges river drying up
Follow Swami’s example – red eyes story
Swami story about red eyes – shutting off water while washing face; soap in eyes;

12. IMPACTS ON WETLANDS Half of the world’s wetlands have been drained
Known as marshes and swamps
Purify water – increase fresh water supply
Regulate water levels & Flood prevention – tie to Katrina
Provide important fish and wildlife habitat
Buffer system

13. Harms all living things, damages forests and lakes, destroys buildings
AIR POLLUTION
Harms all living things, damages
forests and lakes, destroys buildings
Main types of pollution smog, acid rain, CO2 and other gases, release of particles in the air from burning fuel

14. “Our primary task is to purify the environment which is affected by pollution of air, water and food. All the five elements are affected by pollution. People should, therefore, try to reduce the use of automobiles and control the emission of harmful industrial effluents.”
Power plant; power from turning on lights, cooking, driving – poison our air; affects health – asthma, heart attacks during bad air; cancer
Increases global warming
Do you know what is in this smoke? SO2, NO2, CO, CO2, CH4, benzopyrenes

15. “The carbon dioxide smoke from motor vehicles and factories is already polluting the air in cities and is affecting the ozone layer above the earth.”
Air pollution not just from factories but from cars QUOTE

16. "…you have the ozone layer in the atmosphere which protects the people on earth from the evil effects of solar radiation. Because of the advance of technology, several factories have sprung up causing emission of harmful gases in the atmosphere as a result of which the ozone layer has become thinner; and if this goes unchecked, it may have disastrous consequences.”
O3 layer protects us from harmful radiation from the sun – KEEPS 95-99% of sun’s radiation from reaching the earth – without O3 layer life on earth could not exist QUOTE
As Swami has said, O3 destroyed by CO2; also from RELEASE of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) from aerosol cans, cooling systems and refrigerators
Global ozone has decreased 3% past 40 years ( O3 hole over 80% Ant’a; since then more than doubled size)
TODAY IT IS 6 times the size of the US
Increased radiation
-impairs immune system
-Genetic damage
-increases risk of skin cancer and cataracts
-damages plants and wildlife

17. “The scientists are trying to stop the break-up of the ozone layer, but they are unable to find a remedy. The actual cause for this situation is that more carbon dioxide is let into the atmosphere, which normally is absorbed by plants and trees which can assimilate the gas and supply oxygen by the natural process of photosynthesis.”
There are several reasons that there is more CO2 in the atmosphere:
Burning of fuel – just discussed
Less trees to absorb it – explain photosynthesis
Oceans warmer – absorb less CO2

18. GLOBAL WARMING: Early Warning Signs
Increase in CO2 is one of the primary causes of global warming.
Heat from the sun is trapped in the earth's atmosphere by the buildup of carbon dioxide, along with other gases -- methane, and nitrous oxide.
Total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 25% in less than two centuries
A warmer Earth can lead to a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans; to changes in rainfall patterns, and a rise in sea levels
Global warming has been linked to the increase in and intensity of natural disasters
Fingerprints and Harbingers
Heat waves and periods of unusually warm weather
Sea level rise and coastal flooding
Glaciers melting
Arctic and Antarctic warming
Spreading disease
Earlier spring arrival
Plant and animal range shifts and population declines
Coral reef bleaching
Downpours, heavy snowfalls, and flooding
Droughts and fires

19. “…because there is deforestation to an alarming extent, the extent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has considerably increased. Therefore, the remedy for this situation is intensive afforestation, growing more trees everywhere and protecting the existing trees without destroying them for other purposes.”

20. IMPACTS ON THE WORLD’S FORESTS 80% DESTROYED
Deforestation is one of the primary causes for global warming – not only are there less trees to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, but cutting down trees releases the carbon that is stored in the trees.
Forests reduce global warming by storing carbon
Moderate climate (decrease extremes)
Capture and store water – prevent erosion and flooding
Home to 2/3 of all species -- Deforestation destroys habitat; Many of these plants and animals face extinction, as do many of the people and cultures who depend on these forests
WHY ARE TREES CUT DOWN – 1/3 FOR PAPER PRODUCTION; THE REST AGRICULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT

21. IMPACTS ON ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES
Species disappearing 100 times faster than a century and a half ago
From loss of habitat and
Chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides kill birds and other creatures

22. Resources limited; continue at present rate need the equivalent of 4 earths to support life. Does this mean that we should stop using resources? No

23. It should be obvious that protecting our environment must not be considered as a luxury, but as important to our survival as food, air, water and shelter. So what can we do? Need to use nature wisely
“Essentially, there is no conflict between man and creation; just as a child is entitled to enjoy the milk from its mother and the bee is entitled to enjoy the honey from flowers, there can be no objection to man enjoying the resources of nature. But as a result of uncontrolled desires and reckless exploitation of natural resources, Nature is exhibiting frightening disorders.”

24. CEILING ON DESIRES DO NOT WASTE TIME MONEY ENERGY FOOD
“Man should realize that there should be no excessive indulgence in any desire, whether it be food or other necessities.”
Swami has given us clear instructions on how we can protect the environment -- by practicing the Ceiling on Desires program, which teaches that we should not waste money, food, time and energy.

25. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF A SMALL DESIRE
1.5 ounce candy bar
3 ounces of oil

26. USE OF OIL IN MAKING CANDY BAR
Plastic for wrapper
Energy for factory
Fertilizer & pesticides
Fuel for transportation

27. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
Each person in the U.S. produces almost 1,600 pounds of trash per year (that’s about 4.4 pounds per day!)

28. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
REDUCE
Do I really need it?
Can I borrow it?
Do I have something that can do the same job?

29. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE REDUCE
Don’t create waste – try to avoid unnecessary packaging
Product packaging accounts for about 33% of all household garbage
Shopping bag; fruit in trays
Takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to produce plastic bottles for bottled water – almost 90% ends up in trash
Discuss oil used in production of plastic; health effects of plastic (hormones affected)

30. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE REUSE
Use durable items – cups, plates, utensils, cloth napkins, sponges, dishcloths
Reuse bags, containers, and other items
Print and copy on both sides of the page
Sell or donate items you no longer need – or recycle
using 1000 throwaway plastic teaspoons consumes over 10 times more energy and natural resources than making one stainless steel teaspoon and washing it 1000 times!

31. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE RECYCLE Paper, metal and plastic products
Buying recycled products encourages companies
Saves energy and water; Reduces pollution; Reduces need for incinerators & landfills

33. “I never waste even a small piece of paper.”
One day Swami created vibhuti for a student. He pulled a letter from the bunch in His hand. Only a few lines were written in that letter. Swami folded the letter and tore off a bit of that paper and gave it to the student for the vibhuti. Then Swami said, “I never waste even a small piece of paper.”
One third of all wood harvested in the U.S. is used for paper products.
One-third of waste sent to municipal landfills is paper and packaging
4 million tons of paper is thrown away every year – enough to build a 12 foot-high wall from New York to California. (1/4 million trees.)
It takes 75,000 trees each week to produce the Sunday edition of the New York Times.
Recycling just one-tenth of the newspapers we read would save 25 million trees each year.

34. Producing one ton of paper from recycled pulp saves
17 trees
3 cubic yards of landfill space
7000 gallons of water
390 gallons of oil
reduces air pollutants by 60 pounds
conserves 4,200-kilowatt hours of energy – enough to heat a home for half a year.

35. CENTER SEVA PROJECTS
Start a recycling program – recycle paper, plastics, glass and metals
Collect items that can be used by other agencies (eyeglasses, cell phones, computers, etc.)
Stream, river cleanups
Plant trees
Replace Styrofoam plates and cups with paper; even better stop using paper plates and plastic utensils, and start using reusable products
Car pool to Center events
Adopt a park
Adopt-a-road cleanup project
Increase use of recycled paper – at your Center, office, home etc
Organize a “Bike to Work” day

36. “You enjoy the sight of the mighty mountains, the big rivers, the vast ocean, and the dense forests. Who is the creator of all these beautiful manifestations in Nature? God is the basis for all these.”
Humans do not deliberately set out to destroy Nature. Our actions are due to our belief that Nature is composed of vast resources which are necessary to meet our basic human needs. The tremendous advances in science and technology make it easier to extract and use resources – all for our benefits. Our modern day lives have isolated us from Nature, such that we have forgotten that we are all part of Nature, and we don’t see the suffering that our demands for resources place on the rest of Creation.

37. “The Universe is the body of God; every particle in it is filled with God, His Glory, His Might, His Inscrutability. Believe that God is the inner Truth in every thing and being. He is Truth. He is Wisdom. He is Eternal. Be humble, before the evidences of His Power and Majesty.”
We must remember that…; As we love our Beloved Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, we must love our Mother Earth and do all we can to protect her.