UNITED KINGDOM, October 1, 2011 (Alliance of Religions and Conservation): In 2001, more than 60 million Hindu pilgrims attended the Maha Kumbh Mela, a festival held every 144 years in Prayag, Allahabad. This was the largest human gathering in recorded history. Imagine what could be achieved if pilgrims and pilgrim cities were to become models of care and respect for the environment, reflecting the deep values of the world’s faith traditions. Imagine the good that could be done for the people and places on pilgrimage routes, and in the cities and sacred places at the end of the journeys.
This is the idea behind Green Pilgrim Cities, inspiring environmental care all along the great pilgrimage routes, and encouraging all pilgrims to leave a ‘positive footprint’ on their journeys and in their destinations. A positive footprint requires pilgrims to leave every place more beautiful than it was when they arrived. That can involve taking away your own litter and other people’s; not buying bottled water; choosing tourist agencies with a sustainable ethos; eating food that is local and organic; buying only sustainably sourced souvenirs; walking rather than driving.
If you would like more information, email: arcworld@arcworld.org or visit www.arcworld.org