March update

During the Great Monlam Festival, from March 11th to 15th, TEAM remained very active in promoting environmental awareness to Tibetans and visitors to Dharamsala from all across the globe. From trash management to toilet training, we have tried our best to pour into peoples¡¦ minds that turning every corner spot into pee and trash zone is not only unhygienic, but an in insult to the Mother Gaia. On the 15th, the final day of the Great Monlam Festival, we carried out an Earth Prayer Vigil for the deceased wildlife, whose lives were lost to satisfy human greed for their pelts and other products. In the morning we held a press conference, where at least 20 local, international and Tibetan media personnel showed up.

Twenty nuns from the Shugseb nunnery chanted prayers and performed Choe for the deceased wildlife and 108 large butter lamps were lit the whole day for the quick rebirth of the departed wildlife. From 8 am to 7 pm, TEAM held a photo exhibition of one hundred and eight poignant images of butchered endangered animals and distributed six thousand copies of three brochures on Save Elephants¡X Say No to Ivory Products; Ecological Impacts of the Loss of Biodiversity and Role of Tibetans in the Endangered Species Trade. For the whole day, sixteen TEAM members remained busy handing brochures and making loudspeaker announcements of our signature campaign pledging never to consume endangered Species Products ever in this life.

At the end of the campaign, we not only collected one thousand and five signatures, we also received a donation of Rs. 7,500 from people of all walks of life. Other donations include 13 fox hats, 2 full size Himalayan tahr, Chuba, 1 full size fox Chuba (around pelts of fifteen foxes were used to make just one Chuba), 1 otter coat, 1 full size leopard skin, 2 fox pelts, 111 ivory beads, 12 pieces of otter skins for Chuba hem and two full pelts of marmot. As a sign of respect and gratitude for the deceased wildlife, the donated pelts were minced into small pieces and mixed with clay to make funeral Tsa-Tsa (a special votive tablet). All the one thousand, one hundred and eight Tsa-Tsas are soon going to be placed in a remembrance pillar, which is to be constructed in McLoed Ganj, Dharamsala. And on the 18th March, during His Holiness's teachings, we again distributed brochures and posters and for the whole day we played CDs of His Holiness¡¦s speeches on the protection of wildlife through loudspeakers.

While at the office, for a couple of days, we helped young teachers at the TCV Teachers Training Centre draft teaching curriculum for their students on environmental sciences with special focus on endangered species in Tibet.

Students, tourists and several curious locals stopped by our office to find out more about Mother Gaia and we helped them willingly with the best of our abilities. On the 29th March, all TEAM members joined the Tibetan Welfare Office to do a mass cleanup of the Temple area. At the end of the day, two huge loads of trash were collected and taken to the municipal landfill. TEAM also distributed mask, gloves and trash bags during the clean up.

I guess that summarises our March activities. We also have three important proposals (Endangered Species Project, Setting up Eco-Clubs in schools and monasteries and Organic Farming Survey) still waiting for funds. If any of you are interested to find more please do let us know.

With this update, we would also like to request our members and friends to help us in a book drive. TEAM would warmly welcome any donations of books, study books (school or university level), videos, specialized magazines and journals related to environmental sciences, ecology and conservation, earth sciences, and geography. These books will be shared with Tibetan students and monks and nuns studying in India and Nepal to help impart knowledge as part of our environmental activism and leadership programs aimed at raising awareness within these two target groups which are in turn to impart environmental wisdom to the wider Tibetan society.

Interest in the environment is growing within Tibetan society, especially amongst students and members of the monastic community. Appropriate resources are urgently needed to help deepen their understanding and empower their activism. Environmental resources however are not readily available in India and access to the Internet - another great source of information - is limited. Better resources would greatly assist in reviving the ecological consciousness of Tibetans and installing a tradition of environmentalism.

TEAM
Dharamsala