Dharamsala, June 5 – Tesi Environmental Awareness Movement (TEAM) today celebrated the World Environment Day and also its founding day with a daylong Eco-forum for the Tibetan monastic community. Monks and nuns from fifteen different monasteries and nunneries gathered at the Conference Hall of Library of Tibetan Works and Archives to discuss the theme “The Role of Tibetan Monastic Communities in Environmental Protection.”
The forum particularly recognizes that the monastic community has played a very important role in shaping the Tibetan society for better living and that the time has come to lead the Tibetans towards a more eco-friendly and sustainable way of living, said Tsering Yankey, the founder and director of TEAM.
“In our community, monks and nuns play very important roles–from the freedom struggle to spiritual guidance to education. They are leaders and role models in every field. In our last five years of work, we have realized that transforming peoples’ minds is next to impossible for just the four people in our group. We need help from the monastic community. So today is a start in involving our leaders to support the mission to revive the ecological consciousness of the Tibetan people”, said, Tsering.
Ven. Beri Jigme Wangyal, Ms. Dhondup Dolma Bhartso, Ven. Tsering Choephel, and Ms. Tenzin Pelmo spoke on various topics including ‘Buddhism and Ecology,’ ‘Traditional Tibetan Eco-friendly Culture,’ ‘Tibet’s Current Environmental Conditions, and Health and Junk Food’. The representatives discussed their roles in promoting environmental awareness in the Tibetan community and the world at large.
TEAM also honoured Rangjung Khoryug Sungkyob Tsokpa with the ‘2010 Tesi Environmental Service Award’, a recognition given to a Tibetan individual or organization for contribution towards promotion of environmental awareness in the Tibetan communities. Rangjung Khoryug Sungkyob Tsokpa is an association of Kagyu Buddhist monasteries to help protect the Himalayan region from environmental degradation under the leadership of the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje.
Ven. Penpa Dorjee and Ven. Ani Youdon won the year’s TEAM essay contest. Three publications in Tibetan— ‘An Introduction to Organic Farming’, ‘Environmental and Health Problems related to PVC Products’ and ‘Thinking Like a Mountain’ were launched at the event.
Tesi Environmental Awareness Movement is a non – profit environmental organization based in Dharamsala with a mission to revive the ecological consciousness of the Tibetan people.
