Land to Feed Cattle or Humans
Most cattle graze for the first part of their lives and then are fed carbon-intensive grains and legumes for the second part. In fact, a majority of the world’s crops become feed for cattle and other livestock. In both tropical and temperate regions, much of the same land used to graze livestock and grow feed could instead regenerate tall grasses and forest, among which - as well as in the soil beneath – much more carbon could be absorbed and sequestered than in land set aside for grazing and feed. If regeneration of pasture and forest would occur on a large, global scale, then as much as half of today’s atmospheric carbon could potentially be absorbed.
The documentary Meat the Truth from the Nicolaas G. Pierson Foundation is now available on YouTube. DVDs can be purchased here.
Support Meat Free Mondays
Paul McCartney recommended the introduction of onemeatless day per week to help cut CO2 emissions.
"By making a simple change in the way you eat, you are taking part in a world changing campaign"
Less Than 10 Years to Halt Greenhouse Emissions
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says: "The world has less than 10 years to halt (the) global rise in greenhouse gas emissions if we are to avoid catastrophic consequences for people and the planet." In the following article from Robert Goodland, UK member of Telegraph Co. group Independent Minds, published on the Worldwatch Institute website, he states that ranching in tropical regions, forest is cut and burned to create new pastures. Soil is depleted in a few years, so then more forest is cut and burned. That, added to by livestock’s breath and other excretions, has resulted in high levels of atmospheric carbon, significantly fuelling climate change.
Going Greenhouse Gas Neutral
The Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life has made all it's activies greenhouse gas neutral. Using 100% renewable electricity, off setting travel and gas use and most of all being 100% vegetarian. This is article explains how we did it ...
Living in Harmony
"Yoga brings balance, where there is balance there is harmony, and where there is harmony there is oneness. This is the aim of Yoga."
- H.H. Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda (Swamiji )
Healing Your Home with Vastu Shastra
Q & A with Anthony Ashworth
Anthony answers questions on the vedic science of Vastu Shastra.
Question: What is Vastu?
Answer: Vastu Shastra is one of the poetic Vedic sciences as applied to architecture and the design of temples, homes and buildings. Just as the Yoga Asanas & Pranayama and Ayurvedic medicine are applied to our personal interior environments to bring about harmony, balance and health of our body; so Vastu is applied to our homes to bring about such balance, harmony and environmental health.
Applied Vastu takes into account and works on the physical and subtle etheric energy levels of our home. In some respects it is similar to Feng Shui, in fact it is the “great grand father” of Feng Shui. The two systems can be applied and do work well together.
Yoga in Daily Life at the World Summit for Sustainable Development 2002
Our main focus at the WSSD was the launch of the Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative , a grass roots project aimed at alleviating poverty and providing a reliable water supply to remote villages in Rajasthan, India, who have been in the grip of severe drought for the last four years. The situation is so severe that women are walking over 4km each day in 40-degree heat just to bring the family's water supply.
Our aim was to garner support for the initiative, network with other environmental and humanitarian organisations and to raise awareness of the drought situation in Rajasthan. Swamiji (the founder of Yoga in Daily Life) was invited to launch the Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative as part of the Official UN Summit as a 'Type II Partnership'. The launch took place on Friday August 30 at the Sandton Convention Centre; it was well attended and generated media interest. (There were also quite a few Norwegian ministers in attendance and the former President of Finland).
