 |
| Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, a Sikh environmentalist activist, holding the 5 year Sikh plan |
WASHINGTON, DC : The Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) would like to announce two exciting opportunities for enthusiastic individuals who have both an affinity with Sikhism, and a passion for the environment.
The first is a full time position based in Delhi, for somebody who will pioneer the EcoSikh initiative and take it to the next stage.The second is a part time internship based in Washington DC, who will be instrumental in the dissemination of the EcoSikh message throughout the global Sikh community, and in getting some great environmental actions underway.
What is EcoSikh?
EcoSikh is the Sikh community’s response to the global environmental crisis. It is a specific initiative that follows from the launch of the Sikh Five Year Environmental Plan launched at Windsor Castle last November (www.windsor2009.org) as part of the ARC/UNDP Long-term Commitments to Protect the Living Planet.
 |
| Baba Sewa Singh, Baba Balbir Singh, UN Secretary, General Ban Ki Noon and Leon Chen, founder of suchenglobal.org |
The Five Year Plan assists Sikhs in the Punjab and the diaspora to become model eco-communities who have extended their traditional Sikh protection of the vulnerable, including widows and orphans, to now include all of Nature, which needs protection more than ever. For more information see www.ecosikh.org.
Why?
Because Sikhs can make a huge difference. Since Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa in 1699, in which he emphasised the importance of protecting the vulnerable, Sikhs are now giving free, nutritious food or langar to 30 million people a day in their gurdwara kitchens, regardless of caste, creed or need. Three hundred years later, in 1999, Sikhism announced the 300-year Cycle of Creation. Since then:
·
March14th has been established as Sikh Environment Day, which this year saw Avtar Singh Makkar, President of Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee(SGPC), pledge to plant 100,000 trees in SGPC run schools and colleges. Dixie Road Gurdwara in Toronto has made plans to install solar panels for energy. Many gurdwaras including the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation Gurdwara in Washington have started planting vegetables and fruit trees on their land to be used for langar. Over100,000 trees have been planted under the auspices of Baba Sewa Singh, a Sikh environmental hero based in Khadoor Sahib. River Bein associated with Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, has been cleaned with community’s activism led by Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal. Amritsar is to become a model eco-city under the ARC/UNDP Green Pilgrim Cities Network. RakabGanj Gurdwara in Delhi and the Golden Temple in Amritsar have started giving tree saplings to devotees on important occasions. The Nanh iChhaan Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in India, was founded in August 2008 with the objective of promoting women's empowerment and protecting the environment by preserving trees. The EcoSikh movement has been initiated…
 |
 |
| Prominent Sikh leaders from all over India deliberating on the EcoSikh plan during the Sikh Summit on Global Warming in July 2009 in New Delhi. |
Manohar Singh Gill, Indian cabinet minister, planting a tree at Khadoor Sahib along with Baba Sewa Singh. |
And there is much more to come, which is why EcoSikh needs two focused, driven individuals who are passionate about the environment to become part of this amazing venture and see that EcoSikh operates at its most effective level.
“This is a great opportunity to implement the worldly principles of the Guru, helping make a more sustainable, greener earth through which people can connect to God. It is putting the principles of Sikhism into practice. And it is a great opportunity to do sewa.”
- Dr Rajwant Singh, Chairman of SCORE and Founder of EcoSikh.
“We’re delighted to be here at the very beginning of EcoSikh, a movement in Sikhism which we believe might last for many generations. The Sikhs have a strong tradition of looking after the vulnerable, and as soon as they understood just how vulnerable nature is today, they rose to the challenge of protecting it too. These two jobs, in Delhi and Washington DC, will be very challenging, interesting, rewarding and if they are taken up by the right people, then they will also be very important.”
- Martin Palmer, director of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) which is backing EcoSikh, together with SCORE and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Please send a full CV and covering letter stating why you are interested in the position you have applied for, and what special qualities/ skills you can offer, to:[email protected]. The deadline for application is Sunday 6thJune, 2010.
To view the full job descriptions online, go to:
http://www.arcworld.org/downloads/EcoSikh-Job-Descriptions.pdf