Going Green Initiative

Sathya Sai Baba Center of Beaverton

 Swami Says...
• “Nature is very close to God, closer than man is, for in man there is a veil
of ignorance clouding his vision and marring his sight. But Nature is the
purest handiwork of God. If you are able to love Nature and feel in tune
with it, you are that much closer to God. It is very easy to know God
through Nature, for in Nature there is goodness, simplicity, purity and
selflessness.”

• “Nature is God’s vesture. The Universe is the ‘university’ of man. Man

should treat nature with reverence. He has no right to talk of conquering
Nature or exploiting the forces of Nature. He must proceed to visualize in
Nature its God.”
 Swami Says...
• “We are prone to take the creation for granted, thinking that it is but
insentient Nature, thereby ignoring the sentient principle that regulates
Nature and imparts a proper balance among its various constituents.
Scientists and technologists in pursuit of selfish interests as well as of
name and fame, utterly disregard the security and welfare of the society
by upsetting the balance in Nature, causing calamities, losses and misery
to public at large.”

• “WHATEVER man seeks to achieve, he has to rely on Nature. Nature is not

anyone's private property. It belongs to God. Without the grace of the
Lord no one can enjoy the benefits of Nature. Not realizing this truth,
some people embark on the exploitation of Nature, out of arrogance and
self-conceit. This is highly misconceived. Without the sanction of the Lord,
man cannot achieve anything in the world. The Divine is the basis for
everything.”
 Usage of Plastics...
• Consumption rate
– Styrofoam products: 25 billion per year in USA alone!
– Plastic beverage bottles: 500 billion per year worldwide.
– Plastic bags: Around 1 trillion bags per year worldwide.
Plastics – Life-cycle

(techalive.mtu.edu)
 Impact on environment...
• Oceans are being polluted by plastic debris – 90% of trash floating on
Oceans is plastic!!

• Pacific Garbage Patch: twice the area of the state of Texas!

• Atleast 267 species of birds, aquatic life, mammals suffer from

entanglement or ingestion of plastic waste.

• Landfills – affecting the soil quality and underwater resources.

 Go Green Practices...
• Avoid buying items that come with plastic as much as possible!
• Strive to REUSE! plastic bags, spoons, forks etc. at home.
• RECYCLE!!! RECYCLE!!! RECYCLE!!! (only 15-35% of plastic products
are recycled)
• Buy boxes, not bottles.
• Resources available on the Internet that show ways for adopting a
GREENER life-style.
• Links: Mother Nature Network (www.mnn.com),
www.sodastream.com, Go Green Living (http://www.gogreen.org/).
 Test our awareness..
• What happens to a plastic item that we throw into a garbage bin?

• Can all plastics be recycled?

• Can a plastic item be recycled forever?

• How long does a plastic spoon/fork stay in a landfill retaining its form?

• Worldwide consumption (in tons) of plastic per year?

REUSE-RECYCLE..GO GREEN
Thank you for Going Green!!