Buddhism and Ecology News

Dreaming Of Danzan Ravjaa: June 2005: "The week was dominated by the Northern Buddhist Conference on Ecology and Development, which ran from Monday to Thursday. It was masterfully organized by my man Guido Verboom, who is Mongolia’s representative for the Manchester, England based Alliance of Religion and Conservation. The World Bank co-sponsored the event, as did the governments of the Netherlands and Mongolia. More than 200 people attended, at least a third of whom were monks and nuns from across East Asia. The main issue was how can Buddhists, living a life based on compassion and the understanding of the interrelationship of all things, take the lead in their respective countries as far as environmental protection and community education in good practices. It was really fascinating and, I think, very productive."

the Mongol Messenger:

"Environmental and Religious Conference Opens
The Northern Buddhist Conference on Ecology and Development opened in Ulaanbaatar, on Monday 20th June at the Chingis Hotel. The four-day conference was organised by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), a secular, non-government organisation which aims to assist and encourage the use of religions to promote conservation, by raising awareness in faith communities and developing environmental education programmes"

ARC:

"Northern Buddhists launch new ecological network
Ulaanbaatar: June 20 2005:

As the sound of chanting spread across a room full of several hundred Buddhist monks in Ulan Baator this morning, the newly elected President of Mongolia launched a unique event.

The occasion was the launch of the Northern Buddhist Conference on Ecology and Development.

The meeting was historic for two key reasons. It was the first conference bringing together the Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia since 1911. It is also the first body to broker partnerships between Buddhist communities, Northern Buddhist governments, the World Bank and other international bodies.


If just one tree were planted in the Gobi whenever a Mongolian person dies, then within one generation there would be up to 2.7 million more trees in the desert, with all the wildlife and climate support that these new woodlands would bring with them.

Joining leading Buddhists from Russia, Mongolia, China, Korea, and Cambodia were senior figures from the World Bank, Dutch Government, international environmental organizations such as WWF, and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation."