In 2002 the Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life and the International Sri Madhavananda Fellowship participated in the United Nations World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg South Africa. 
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).

The WaterDome was an exhibition at the Summit that hosted water-related events. The chief aims of the WaterDome were to increase awareness of (a) water as a key issue in sustainable development and (b) the important initiatives that are being launched to solve the worldwide water crisis. It was truly inspiring discovering the innovative technologies for water resource management; but it was also alarming to learn that currently over 1 billion people lack access to safe and affordable water and unless action is taken, by 2025 over 2.7 billion people will be facing severe water shortages.

We exhibited the Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative at the Waterdome, thanks to WaterAid's NGO Pavilion and we also launched the Initiative as part of the official Waterdome program. The launches provided us with a platform to promote Rainwater Harvesting as a viable solution to the water crisis. Rainwater Harvesting is an ancient practice of collecting rain whenever and where ever it falls and storing it for periods of no rainfall and drought; it is the most cost effective and sustainable way of providing water to where it is needed the most. Rainwater harvesting enhances the availability and access to freshwater and It directly addresses the unsustainable exploitation of the planet's fresh water resources resulting from over extraction.

The Summit provided the opportunity to meet like-minded people from many different organisations and Aid agencies around the world. A highlight of the Summit was the opportunity to meet many rainwater-harvesting experts from India and the rest of the world who provided us with invaluable advice and support in implementing rainwater harvesting. In the short term we are seeking funding for immediate disaster relief to help relieve the critical situation in the Pali district of Rajasthan, where there is already acute famine, and mass migration of people and animals in search of water. The Yoga in Daily Life ashrams in India kindly deliver water to the villages, but the situation is so bad the government in now appealing for our help in delivering an extra 40000 litres per day. We are also seeking funding and support for the Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative. 

An important outcome of the Summit was the formation of the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance at the Implementation Conference organised by the Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future. This Alliance already has over 40 member countries, and has great to potential to help achieve the Millennium Development Goal, to reduce by 50% the number of people without access to safe and affordable drinking water.

Many people were disappointed by the lack of political will and leadership from governments at the Summit. For me, the World Summit for Sustainable Development highlighted how it is the individuals, local communities and non-government organisations who are making the real difference for the protection of Life on Earth. And it is up to each of us to "be the change we want to see" and do something positive for our Mother Earth.

"Famine & environmental disaster arise due to human behaviour. 
We should make ourselves conscious of the unique and highly sensitive balance of life on this planet."

- Swamiji

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.

Question: What are “THE ELEMENTS” referred to in Vastu?

Answer: All ancient cultures refer to “the elements” in some way or another. From a Vastu perspective, the physical world comprises five basic elements. You could refer to them as five different ways in which Prana (energy) manifests and operates within a system. The five elements are Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. As is the microcosm so is the macrocosm, the human body is also made up of these five elements and again it is the same elements that we see in building and environment.
Each cardinal direction is governed by a planet, for example North is ruled by Mercury – lord of intellect and wealth. And each intermediate direction relates to one of the elements, e.g. South-East is associated with the element Fire, therefore Vastu favors a fire place or kitchen (as the predominant energy is the fire of the stove) in the South-East corner of a building.

Question: I’ve heard that the direction my head points in bed is important. Can you tell me something about that?
Answer: Our bodies, just like our planet Earth, have a positive North and negative South charged pole. Therefore it is recommended that we AVOID pointing our heads to the North whilst sleeping, as with a magnet the two positive poles repel each other and can cause a disturbance in our personal energy field and consequently disturbed sleep and associated ill health.

Question: How can we remove toxins and balance the energies in our home?
Answer: A holistic home is ideally created and built to be environmentally sensitive in the first place, using materials and techniques that “tread gently on the earth’’ and are low in toxicity. This ideal home is energy efficient, using the natural free power of the sun to heat and shade to cool. Being primarily oriented with living spaces toward North, it would be built using materials that hold the heat in winter and exclude the heat in summer. No home in Australia needs be air conditioned if it is well designed. Natural materials and spaces are beautiful, yet this is not the over riding prerogative of the design. Primarily these natural environments are suited to their use and are supportive of our human subtle energy systems.
It is not difficult to reduce or eliminate toxins or electromagnetic radiation (EMR), which can contribute to ill health, allergies and even cancer. If we are aware that certain types of materials and finishes create or worsen heath problems and that alternative materials and systems exist, we can dramatically increase the potential of our home to provide holistic heath and healing.
For most of us who cannot build their own home, we can still maintain our home in an environmentally sound and holistic healthy way by using environmentally sound, non toxic furnishings, finishes and paints, as well as being aware of simple good environmental and health practices and products around the home. The reduction of chemicals and toxins found in so many personal hygiene and household cleaning products, and replacement of these often petrochemical based products with natural cheap alternatives is not difficult. The reduction of toxic chemicals greatly aids our wellbeing and the wellbeing of our Mother Earth at the same time.
We also need to rethink how we relate to our home on an energetic level and how we balance the energies in that home in relation to the natural elements such as fire, earth, water, and air.

Anothony's Tips for a good night’s sleep

The directions in which we sleep and face do affect us. The ancient Vedic science of Vastu Shastra says that certain beneficial energies are more abundant from certain directions, this is a complex subject, however in the Southern Hemisphere if you remember just these simple concepts.

1. If possible try not to sleep with your head pointing to North, like a battery the North Pole is a positively charged energy as is our head, with your head it North tends to create a conflicting polarity. However pointing North for short periods of time can be beneficial for healing.

2. Facing the direction East has a general quality of enlightenment so is good for meditation and study. The morning sun of east is said to be a truly enlightening energy.

3. The south east is also gateway that brings in positive energy so, try to keep this corner or area

of your home as free from clutter and as open as possible.

Anthony Ashworth is director of Chrysalis Dwelling, providing Natural architecture, Feng Shui, Vastu Shastra, Geomancy, & Interior Design. Anthony is available for personal Feng Shui, Vastu, Healthy Interior Design and Natural Architectural Consultations for your home or business. 
http://www.anthonyashworth.20fr.com 

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 )

When we cause disharmony in nature though wrong actions then nature will balance itself again. The great Saint Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji said “Do not ignore the laws of nature or nature will take its retribution”.
To live in harmony with nature is an inevitable outcome of practicing Yoga in Daily Life. In order to reduce our ecological footprint and to reduce the rate of climate change, the practical steps that the Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life has taken to walk softly on this Earth are:

• Reducing Energy consumption
  
• An ethical and sustainable Diet
• Use of sustainable Transport options
• Chemical free and biodegrable cleaning products used
• Reducing waste by composting and recycling
• Recycled or plantation paper used in all printing

Additional steps taken include the use of biodegradable cleaning products, recycled or plantation paper, recycling of waste including bio waste and e-waste, and every Yoga in Daily Life centre only uses animal free products.

Green Energy

Electricity

The Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life uses 100% green electricity. We buy power from GreenPower  accredited renewable energy sources. This does cost extra so we have also taken steps to reduce our energy use by:

• Installing energy efficient lights. We use compact fluorescent bulbs and LED down lights for all non-dimmable lights.
• Switching off lights and electrical appliances that are not being used.
• Use timer plugs on equipment so make sure it is switched off out of hours.
• Using the energy rating of electrical goods in purchasing decisions.
• Increase our awareness of our energy use. When you are aware you are already nearly there.

Gas

Some centres use natural gas for heating and cooking so we off set all our gas use by planting trees. This should be done in an environmentally responsible way so Yoga in Daily Life usesGreenfleet  for off setting its emissions.

Diet

The choices we make about our diet can have the greatest effect on our lives and the lives of others. Good choices lead to our upliftment, good health, clear thinking, and happiness. Poor choices lead to our degradation, disease, suffering and death. 

“The two senses that have caused the most destruction to this world are touch and taste.”

- H.H. Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda (Swamiji)

Choosing to live a yogic lifestyle means following the highest principle of Ahimsa , non-violence.Living a noble life is living a vegetarian life. Being vegetarian is one of the greatest steps one can take. 
In relation to climate change the vegetarian diet has greater benefit to Mother Earth than taking the emissions from all the cars, trucks, buses, trains, ships and planes out of the atmosphere. According to the UN report Livestock’s Long Shadow  the transport sector accounts for about 13% of greenhouse gas emissions where as the livestock industry accounts for 18% of emissions.
Every Yoga in Daily Life centre is 100% vegetarian. This means no animal product is brought into the building. This contributes to the sattvic environment that many yoga students feel and comment on. Additionally every Yoga in Daily Life teacher is vegetarian. 

Transport

The Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life off sets all of its petrol use and all flights. 

Flights

If flights are bought on Virgin Blue they are off set using Virgin Blues carbon off set programme, if bought on other airlines they are off set using Greenfleet .
All flights associated with Swamiji’s Australian tour each year including the international flights to and from Australia are also included.

Petrol

The amount of petrol bought in litres is recorded for most of the Associations car use. Any use that is not recorded is calculated using distance travelled and fuel consumption of the vehicle. This is then off set using Greenfleet . 

Many Yoga in Daily Life teachers and staff choose to use foot or pedal power whenever practical. The Association also encourages teachers attending training programmes to off set their personal travel emissions.

Other Benefits

In making steps to go greenhouse gas neutral we are also contributing to the wonderful side effects of living more in harmony with nature.

• Reducing Air Pollution.
  Air pollution kills around 2400 Australians  a year
• Reducing Water Use - to produce 1kg of  :
  beef takes 100,000 litres of water.
  wheat takes 900 litres of water
  Potato take 500 litres of water
• Living Cruelty Free – Living Longer
  Vegetarians live longer with less disease
• Regenerating the Bush
  Off setting greenhouse gas with Greenfleet means we are regenerating bushland 
• Reduction in waste generated, reducing our ecological footprint 
• Shopping in a sustainable manner and sharing resources with friends 
  
  

“Greenhouse Gas” vs. “Carbon Neutral”

In this article the term “greenhouse gas” is used because Carbon Dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas. Methane has about 21 times more Global Warming Potential (GWP) than Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide has 296 times the GWP of CO2. The livestock industry is a major contributor of these gases.

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.

"I have assessed the life cycle and supply chain of meat and dairy products. We have deduced that at least 51% of worldwide human-caused greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are attributable to livestock. The full report is viewable on Worldwatch Institute website.

We show that a 25% reduction in livestock products worldwide can be achieved at minimal cost, while yielding at least a 12.5% reduction in human-caused GHGs. This is about as much reduction as is considered possible to achieve in an agreement at the upcoming U.N. conference on climate change in Copenhagen. 

The FAO’s prior estimate is based on a simple model of the carbon cycle. However, a virtuous carbon cycle model does not work these days in the real world, which is much more complex. A simple carbon cycle model does not account for the tens of millions of hectares of forest converted in recent decades to grazing land and cropland to feed tens of billions more livestock each year.

In 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. 

In responses to Lord Stern, meat and dairy producers claim that their products use grass more efficiently than in tropical regions, and therefore should not be targeted in Copenhagen. However, in British pastures and other temperate regions, large amounts of soil carbon are released over time.

Moreover, while meat and dairy producers do not often reveal this, most British cattle – as elsewhere – 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. 

Feed, meat and dairy products are global commodities, so they get flown, shipped and trucked all over the world. Then British and other tables get laden with highly carbon-inefficient foods. And global warming is trans-boundary, which means that Lord Stern and others must look beyond British borders in considering the impacts of meat and dairy products on climate. 

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. At the same time, many carbon emissions from livestock’s breathing and other excretions could be stopped. Most important, carbon absorption in forest, grasses and soil reclaimed from livestock and feed would be the only feasible way to absorb a significant amount of today’s atmospheric carbon in the near term. This analysis shows why Lord Stern dares to imagine a world where not all land today dedicated to livestock and feed would remain so. 

Following submission of our article for publication, we learned that the number of livestock worldwide in 2007 was actually 56 billion, many more than we accounted for in our article. That would raise our estimate of GHGs worldwide attributable to livestock. On the other hand, our article noted that further work remained to be done on producing a reliable estimate of global carbon from methane not attributable to livestock. Once that estimate is available, it would offset some carbon attributable to the new numbers of livestock that we have learned about. 

It will not suffice to substitute one meat product with another that has a somewhat lower carbon footprint. Marketing campaigns should pitch meat and dairy substitutes that can be eaten all week long – because they are tasty, economical, easy to prepare, and healthful. Most important, by replacing meat and dairy products with better alternatives, consumers can collectively take a single powerful action to reverse climate change. Action is needed now, before it is too late."

Source:  http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/study-claims-meat-creates-half-of-all-greenhouse-gases-1812909.html

The European Parliament will host a major event on global warming and food policy on Thursday 3 December 2010 when the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Dr Rajendra K. Pachauri and environmental activist Sir Paul McCartney will urge legislators and experts to focus on what an individual can do to fight climate change, for example by eating less meat.  Global Warming Hearing with Sir Paul McCartney and Dr Rajendra K. Pachauri of the International Panel on Climate Change

Sir Paul to tell EU:  'Less Meat Means Less Heat' Rearing fewer animals for food will slow global warming, says the former Beatle – and he's interrupting his European tour to tell world leaders how.

Less Meat = Less Heat was the message propagated by Sir Paul McCartney on December 3 when he and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, addressed the European Parliament. Remember to support Meat Free Mondays to do your bit to reduce carbon emissions. Read on to learn more about the European Parliament talks on Climate Change...

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"

It was evident that the advice to go vegetarian, or at least reduce meat consumption, made the representatives of the meat industry and some politicians quite hot under their collars.  The comparison of tobacco and meat may have frustrated them even further.

Go to source: Evana.org to avail yourself of the speeches given by Dr. Pachauri and Paul McCartnery about the need for personal action to mitigate climate change.

Did You Know?

Livestock consumes 75% of the world's agricultural yields. Today 70% of the Amazon rainforest is now occupied by cattle-feed pastures.

beef requires 15,000 litres of water per 1kg of product
wheat requires 1,300 litres of water per 1kg of product
rice requires 3,400 litres of water per 1kg of product

20 million farm animals and poultry will be slaughtered this year. In 2006 the world produced 5 times as much meat protein than in the 1950's. Why the need for this increase when our forefathers were strong & healthy individuals!

Dr. Rajendra Pachauri says,

If the world continue on the same path it will lead to a disruption of life in several ways. It is likely a dozen countries will become failed states...failed states mean the haven for illegal drugs, weapons, human trafficking, terrorism.... We are all residents of spaceship earth - cutting down on meat consumption would go a long way to help mitigate carbon emissions

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.

At the same time, many carbon emissions from livestock’s breathing and other excretions could be stopped. Most important, carbon absorption in forest, grasses and soil reclaimed from livestock and feed could be the feasible way to absorb a significant amount of today’s atmospheric carbon in the near term. This analysis shows why Lord Stern dares to imagine a world where not all land today dedicated to livestock and feed would remain so. By replacing meat and dairy products with alternatives, consumers can collectively take a single powerful action to reverse climate change. Learn more at World Watch Institute