Wondering what the Earth Day or International Mother Earth Day is all about? Well, spare some time and get to hear what message our Mother Earth has in store for us. Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22nd to remind each of us that the earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance (source: Greening The Blue).
To begin with, our attempt in celebrating the big day need not be grand. Some very simple and small gestures of ours towards the earth can sum it all up. In line with it, get to know what small gestures we did to mark the important day
As an act of due reverence to the Mother Earth and to take a step closer to Bhutan's vision to Produce Zero Waste by 2030, a multiple stakeholder came to celebrate the International Mother Earth Day on 22nd April, 2018. The HOTEL SIX SENSES BHUTAN, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, the Bondey Institute of Hospitality Management, the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECD), Shari, and the villagers of the would-be eco-village, Damchena in unison observed the Earth Day.
The day was observed with the Vision hinging on
"Zero Tolerance to Plastic". A
deep sense of gratitude to the dynamic leaders for the gift of the
constitutional mandate on environmental conservation as well as the unique developmental
philosophy of Gross Nation Happiness, which acts as the guiding principle in
Bhutan's pursuit to growth and development in all its sphere.
Bhutan has also pledged to remain carbon neutral for all time. Its carbon negative status at the moment knit
closely with around 72% of its total
area under forest cover rides smoothly
on the constitutional mandate of maintaining 60% of the total area under forest
cover for all times to come. This coupled with its mission of going Fully
Organic has tagged the small Himalayan kingdom with a uniqueness in its own
sense despite it being a speck among giants. The lush green valleys; ridges
and mountains adorned with trees and
shrubs of all kinds; and a pristine environment is all what it has in offer.
Nevertheless, the trend of globalization is setting
in gradually. Waste and plastic litter is seen as a huge hazard to the pristine
nature. If not acted wisely to nib the trouble at bud stage then trying to
manage the situation at a later stage will not be worth it. If we not make
efforts to manage waste today, tomorrow might be too late.
What
marked the Big Day at Damchena village?
The day began with the birds chirping their soothing
hymn amid the nearby woods as they gleefully bid farewell to the enveloping
dusk. Cattle in their sheds mooed as the
bright sun rays peeped over the valley hilltop and comforted their furry
cladding. As the rays descended further down the valley, everything swung into
motion- children played in excitement; adults brewed tea and breakfast; a few
vehicles roared over the uneven road, ferrying people and materials required
for the big event.
People started assembling in the natural comfy
provided by the lush green pasture. Banners for the big event hung from apple
trees. The trees with its first flush of leaves and protruding buds seemed to
have assumed its tedious work for the season after months of hibernation.
Wooden tables stretched across to enable the display of various healthy food
items: pine needle juice fortified with honey and lemon; wild mint flavored
lemon juice, quinoa seasoned with fresh mint leaves and other ingredients;
steamed asparagus; wild fern neatly glued by cheese, dried kale leaves, sliced
and dried beet root, carrot, sweet potato, and
black and white sesame
The villagers in particular were keen to try making
various juices at home aftermath the event. They remarked, 'These plants have
been growing over here for ages. We just didn't know how to make use of it'.
The event reeled in harmonious balance with nature:
the entire celebration in the backdrop of the evergreen trees swinging to the
tune of the gentle breeze; while the azure blue sky augmented the aesthetic
essence in the firmament above; grannies and grandpas capped in grey hair
plodded in while kids caroled at top velocity as if springs were attached to
their heels; cattle and horses grazing
crazily over the freshly sprung pastures came in for the celebration; dogs
tirelessly wagged their bushy tail in anticipation of the event, their eyes
fixated on what was lying over the table; while hens raced in to be part of the
gracious occasion- knowing that the event is crucial for their daily sustenance
as well as for their future generations to come. And together, we celebrated
the grand day, the International Mother Earth Day.
The guest from Six Senses Bhutan graced the
occasion- his introduction on the event with emphasis on the vision of Zero
Tolerance to Plastic was remarkable. The theme of 'Growing with Six Senses' implied very much to the children
attending the program as well as the villagers.
Advocating on the proper management of plastic wastes to the children at
a very young age is viewed as a tactful means of rooting up of problems associated
with waste at infancy stage. This would inculcate in the young minds a sense of awareness so
that they cautiously deal with problems at the later stage of their lives.
The children of Shari ECCD was the epitome of the
event. Their shrill and sharp voices on Plastic waste reduction and management
echoed through the valley. Their messages were clear, " Say No
To Plastic; 3 Rs of Waste- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and Don't Throw Plastic in
the River" said it all.
The rural folks could also grow with Six Senses.
This is evident from the concept of 'Farm
to Table', which Six Senses is adopting to help rural communities generate
income and alleviate poverty. This is what exactly is happening at the Damchena
Eco-Village.
The ministry of Agriculture and Forests and the
Agriculture Research and Development Center, Yusipang in particular and the Six
Senses Bhutan is in the process of molding the village- with more than 17 acres
of the village farmland registered organic. Exploring organic means of growing
fruits, vegetables and herbs, flowers and other horticultural products that
would find the ultimate shelf at the Six Senses Bhutan is heart-thrilling.
Organic crops could not only fetch premium for the
producers but the greatest contribution would be the utmost care and respect
rendered to the mother Earth. This will ensure that we don't compromise the
health of our soils and its capacity to nurture us for generations to come
while working towards food and nutrition security. With technical and input
support from the research center in close collaboration with the Six Senses
Bhutan, we aspire to develop this model Eco-Village, which might find its
replica in the years to come elsewhere.
In aligning with the Farm to Table concept, the team
also prepared land and sowed the seeds of super foods like Quinoa and Chia
along with herbs like fennel, lettuces, parsley, chocolate mint, etc.
The ministry would also like to applaud on the
initiative and role-model Six Senses Bhutan is setting by way of bridging the
wide gap existing between production and marketing. This will be a realistic
approach to 'The farm/garden to table' concept.
Many a times, all the hard work the Bhutanese
farmers endure to produce various cash crops goes in vain. All the days hard toil on small,
fragmented farmland with minimal feasibility of mechanization, and no assured
market leaves the farmers deprived of motivation to proceed further. On top of
that, safer, healthier produces from the
mountains stand no match with the chemical-laden imported produce in the market,
as price dictates everything. This is the biggest disgrace to the hard working
small scale farm holders.
However, with the produce being directly linked to
the Six Senses Bhutan, this will act as the greatest incentive for the farmers
to produce more. The way of growing high value, nutrition-laden super foods as
dictated by ultimate market will also contribute immensely towards meeting the
daily nutritional intake of the farming community itself.
Hopefully but gradually, the Bhutanese farming
community will find a way of blending their traditional food habit with that of
the nutritious super foods. This will also enhance nutrition security as
Bhutanese diet at the moment is carbohydrate-rich and lacks diversity and other
essential nutrients. The growth of high end consumers like Six Senses,
stretched across the country as well as other similar hotels could boost the
production of high value crops by acting as the ultimate sink of the farm
produces.
All
in all, let's eat healthy, live healthy and promote healthy way of living by
saying 'No To Plastics' and enriching our gardens with super plants so that we
have nutritious foods on the table. Together, we shall find a way of saying
Plastics are our greatest enemies for it indiscriminately pollutes our soils,
dwindling its capacity to produce to the optimum and sustain billions of lives
on it. Let's all grow together, healthier, cleaner, greener and happier but
without compromising the health of our mother Earth. Please help us spread our love and message for our Mother Earth.
Some images as the memento of the Earth Day, 2018.
 |
| Super-foods in display |
 |
| Villagers of Damchena Village |
 |
| Message on the earth Day from the children of Shari ECCD |
 |
| Nursery Raising of Chia seeds |
 |
| Sowing of Quinoa Seeds |
 |
| Children bidding Goodbye after the program |
