Aparigraha And Environmentalism

This document, titled "Aparigraha And Environmentalism," explores how Jain principles can contribute to saving the environment. While the author and publisher are not specified, the document links to a catalog entry on jainqq.org and is marked for private and personal use only.

The document begins by posing the question: "How Jainism can save the environment?" It then proceeds to present educational content related to environmental science, using visual aids and textual explanations.

Key environmental concepts covered include:

• Water Cycle: Briefly introduced with links to YouTube videos.
• Carbon Cycle: Illustrated with a diagram showing the movement of carbon dioxide (CO2) between the atmosphere, plants, animals, oceans, and fossil fuels, including processes like photosynthesis, respiration, combustion, decomposition, and extraction.
• Carbon Footprint: Defined as the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere daily through human activities such as respiration, electricity use, fuel consumption, and food production/consumption.

The document then shifts to discuss the disruption of the carbon cycle, highlighting significant changes over the last 10,000 years:

• A dramatic increase in the human population (from 1 million to 7.5 billion).
• A severe decline in wild animal populations (a 99% decrease).
• A substantial rise in farm animal populations (from 100,000 to 70 billion).

The following pages (5-26) are primarily composed of imagery, likely intended to illustrate the impacts of environmental change and perhaps showcase nature. These pages include photographs of a panda, wildlife, and potentially other natural scenes. Some pages contain statistical information, such as the water and alfalfa hay required to produce a gallon of milk.

A significant section focuses on the water footprint of different food choices:

• Almond Milk vs. Cow's Milk: It states that almond milk requires 8 gallons of water per pound, while cow's milk requires 90 gallons per pound. It emphasizes that dairy milk production requires approximately 12 times more water than almond milk production, advocating for veganism with the hashtags #SUCKLESS and #GOVEGAN, citing PETA2 and veganstart.org.
• Global Crop Production: A pie chart illustrates that 55% of global crop production is used for food, 36% for animal feed, and 9% for fuel. It also notes a +4% contribution from animals.

The core Jain principle discussed in relation to environmentalism is Aparigraha, which is explained as:

• Not taking anything that is not needed.
• Minimizing possessions.
• Practicing Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
• Conserving water.
• Saving electricity.
• Preventing food waste.
• Choosing foods that do not come from farm animals (i.e., a plant-based diet).

The document concludes by advocating for reducing our carbon footprint to combat global warming, preserve forests and oceans, save water, and protect wild animals. It explicitly states that individuals can reduce their carbon footprint by adhering to the principles of Aparigraha and Ahimsa (non-violence), ending with "Jai Jinendra."

In essence, "Aparigraha And Environmentalism" serves as an educational piece that connects fundamental Jain ethical tenets, particularly Aparigraha (non-possession) and Ahimsa (non-violence), to contemporary environmental challenges. It advocates for a lifestyle of reduced consumption, mindful resource use, and a plant-based diet as a means of mitigating human impact on the planet and restoring ecological balance.