SANGAM – All Faith Climate Change Conference 2019
**The first multi-religious platform addressing climate change in Kolkata**
Seva Kendra Calcutta (SKC), the Social Services Organisation of the Archdiocese of Calcutta organized an All-Faith Climate Change Conference at its Main Campus in Kolkata on 14th December. This was a unique initiative which brought together Religious leaders, social activists, environmental experts and members from most communities together to formulate a common action plan of climate change mitigation in the state of West Bengal.
The conference entailed simultaneous workshops amongst Indic Faiths, Tribal traditions and Prophetic Religions, with a General Assembly and Youth Open House. Finally, a United All-Faith Statement was formulated with the Sangam Declaration, which would be the basis for future implementation at the level of religious educational institutions, community centres and places of worship.
A special highlight was the establishment and conferment of Sangam Green Awards 2019, presented by Most Rev. Thomas D’Souza, Archbishop of Calcutta. The Awards recognised Individuals and organizations which have played a stellar role in environmental advocacy and social green impact of their areas of work. Sangam Solar Pioneer Award - Dr. S. P. Gon Chaudhuri Green Crusader Award - Shri Dinesh Rawat, Founder of Greenmall Green Ambassador Award - Dr Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, Founder of IHA Foundation Green Adoption Award - Calcutta Province, IBVM (Loreto Sisters).
Speaking to the media, Archbishop Thomas said “This conference recognizes that we are all responsible to address climate change unitedly as One Human Family for our common home on earth. This leads us to discover how all religious faiths and spiritual teachings guide and encourage us to adapt our lifestyle and community practices in harmony with nature.”
Fr. Franklin Menezes, Director of Seva Kendra Calcutta, added, “Seva Kendra Calcutta has been working on community environmental initiatives in Kolkata and rural areas of South Bengal. We hope to accelerate and increase participation of wider society and all communities through the platform of this multi-faith conference. We also have a ceremonial lighting of Sangam Tree of Hope and distribution of saplings to be planted at various at religious and educational institutes."
About the organizers:- Seva Kendra Calcutta (SKC), the Social Services Organisation of the Archdiocese of Calcutta, is driven by its quest for “Bringing Hope & Healing” to downtrodden and marginalized sections of society across caste & creed. With climate change as a key global concern affecting the lives of millions across the globe and indeed West Bengal today, the Sustainability programme of SKC encompasses multiple ongoing projects which work on Solar Adoption, Water Conservation, Organic Farming, Community Practices and Environmental Advocacy.
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