Dear Envirocare Coordinators, Go Green Champions, and Eco Explorers,

This month, we bring to light a holistic environmental project, “Clean Planet”, which is driving environmental sustainability and personal spiritual growth among members of SSSIO, their relatives, children and friends across Russia and Kazakhstan, in Zone 8. This project was launched in 2020 and now forms part of the SAI100¹ initiative, which is an offering for the 100th Advent of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The project provides a sense of belonging and connectivity with our environment and amongst the people participating in it. 

The months of June to September 2023 were dedicated to the celebration of Zonal Purity Day, including four Zonal Purity days as part of the ‘Clean Planet’ project. Sai volunteers celebrated this day dedicating it to self-transformation and their deeper efforts to clean our only planet.

“Service disintegrates the selfishness latent in you, it opens the heart wide, it makes the heart blossom.” – Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Vidya Vahini

“By participating in this project, we purify our hearts, feel unity with Mother Earth, and walk together along the path to Divinity.”

To enjoy the bounties of Nature across Russia and Kazakhstan, each Zonal Purity Day is packed with engaging, hands-on activities, such as trips to Nature, Sai Olympics, feeding the needy, feeding stray animals and birds, planting saplings and trees, cleaning the parks, forests, and river banks.

Activities carried out:

• Cleaning the coast of the Krasnodar reservoir and collecting garbage
• Garbage collection in public places and along river banks
• Cleaning of public places, parks, forests, garbage collection and removal
  

'Fill The Bucket' Water Game in Nature

Volunteers played games with children, shared stories about wildlife, gave informative talks about flora and fauna and healthy lifestyles, distributed food to people in need, cared for birds and animals in the arboretum.

A bucket of water was hung by ropes onto trees. The children had to work together, move in unison, hustle back and forth, coordinate with each other to transport the bucket of water with the help of the ropes and pour the water into another bucket. 

This way, they developed gross motor skills and learned to overcome challenges. At the end, they won the game if they were able to water a tree and thus save a life without dropping and wasting water. Kids learned to be considerate and how to compromise and they developed values such as teamwork and collaboration.

Activities carried out:

• Cleaning forest belts, bays, quarries and nearby villages
• Garbage collection and its transportation to the landfills.

Activities carried out:

• Cleaning the shores of the Siberian rivers Ob, Aba, and Torn and removing garbage and fallen leaves from city parks, forest areas, and lakeshores.

'We also cleaned the Sai Center so that it shines with Swami’s brilliance. We sang bhajans and were grateful for the opportunity to be Sai’s instrument to serve.'

Activities carried out:

• Cleaning groves, towns, and the banks of the rivers Agidel, Ural, and Kazanka removing garbage

Activities carried out:

• Volunteers from the Almaty Sai Center remove garbage from a river bank
• SSSIO members from Shchuchinsk (a city in north Kazakhstan) removed garbage from the sports ground in a forest
• Aktau City Sai Group members cleaned the Caspian coast while chanting the Gayatri Mantra.

In the end, an online conference was held at Zonal level where everyone was recognized and applauded for their service by the National Council President of the SSSIO of Kazakhstan. All participants expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to serve.

WATCH an inspiring Poem on Nature | The Greening, Based on Teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

VISIT the Environmental Sustainability Hub for more insights, Go Green tips and resources.👨‍🌾

Wishing you all a Happy and Holy New Year 2024! It is a great time to renew your commitment to sustainability!

Share with us the environmental initiatives you are organizing in your communities / countries / Zones at gogreen@sathyasai.org.

With Sai Love and Care,

Environmental Sustainability Committee 

Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

References

^{1 Sai100 Initiative - Offering for 100th Birthday}

^{Purity day in Zone 8 https://saiuniverse.sathyasai.org/2023/purity-day-summer-service-in-russia/}

^{Purity Day Summer Service in Kazakhstan https://saiuniverse.sathyasai.org/2023/purity-day-summer-service-in-kazakhstan/}