Bharat Soka Gakkai Organises A Sustainability Conclave In New Delhi

EE News Desk Apr 28, 2023

Bharat Soka Gakkai, an organisation promoting peace, culture, education and sustainability across the Indian society, organised a Sustainability Conclave on April 26, 2023, to discuss the issue at hand. The conclave, held at the Chinmaya Mission Auditorium in New Delhi, brought together thought leaders, experts, and sustainability enthusiasts to explore the challenges and opportunities for creating a sustainable future.

The theme of the conclave was 'Goals to Action: Through Sustainable Human Behaviour.' The event aimed to raise awareness about the urgent need for sustainable human behavior – a term coined by Bharat Soka Gakkai, and how this is the only way to drive all people to turn conversations on sustainability into action for sustainability. Sustainable human behaviour is a tangible shift in the mindset and lifestyle of people – in the way they think about other people and the resources of this Earth – and how they conduct themselves in their everyday lives with mindfulness to respect all life and preserve all resources.

Introducing this theme, the Chairperson of Bharat Soka Gakkai, Vishesh Gupta said: “The basic definition of sustainability refers to "meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." To achieve this goal, a fundamental reassessment of our way of existence as individuals, as societies, and as a human civilization is required. Towards that end, we must take concrete action in our everyday life. And for this purpose, adopting sustainable human behaviour as a way of life will be crucial.”

The conclave included a panel discussion which had renowned speakers such as Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute; Dr. Radhika Batra, Co-Founder and President, Every Infant Matters; Mr. Anshu Taneja, Managing Director and Board Member, VisionSpring, India; and Mr. Gaurav Shah, Co-Founder and Director, Indian School of Development Management.

The panelists shared their expertise and perspectives on the theme and emphasized the need for collective action to create a culture of sustainability. They highlighted the importance of each person bringing a change in their own lifestyle.

Dr Vibha Dhawan, who was also the keynote speaker in the conclave, said: “The imperative of adopting sustainable lifestyles to achieve most of the development targets had never been so critical in the past and global discourse needs to recognise, integrate and mainstream them for achieving the 2030 development agenda.””

Gaurav Shah, in his statement, said, "Right now, we are eating into not just the "interest”, but the "principal" of the natural resources provided by planet earth, thereby depleting those resources. We need to live lives in a manner that gives our children the right and opportunity to lead the lives we lead."

Dr. Radhika Batra emphasised the importance of utilizing the bounties of nature in all our endeavors. She said, "Each one of us has a different mission in life, a different path to follow. But there is one thing that must be common: an attempt to utilize the bounties of nature, the sun and the wind and the rain, in all our endeavors, and a pledge to preserve Mother Earth and save her from harm."

Anshu Taneja highlighted the need to view sustainable human behavior from the lens of self-interest rather than just a means of creating social impact. He warned that if we do not mend our ways and act now and act big, we severely risk affecting the quality of our lives and leave behind an existential threat for the next generation. He said, "Our planet is competent in saving itself; it's ourselves that we need to save."

Bharat Soka Gakkai also launched a carbon footprint calculator on the occasion to give a concreate means to individuals to measure what impact they are making on the environment. It can be downloaded as a mobile app called “BSG for SDG” from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

BSG also put up a sustainability exhibition titled ‘Seeds of Hope & Action: Making the SDGs a Reality’, which speaks about the “Power of One” to create a more sustainable world, and about adopting Sustainable Human Behaviour as a way of life.