Be conscious that every word we utter or hear will leave an impression on our consciousness and provoke reactions that may or may not be beneficial. This is why the company of God and godly people is to be sought.
Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Speaks VII, 44, 252.
We all look forward to Sai retreats and meetings like akhanda bhajans. It helps to be in the company of like-minded people, to renew acquaintances, to talk about Swami, to listen to speakers, to participate in devotional songs with several hundred other people. Some feel that recharging spiritual batteries in this way is surpassed only by a trip to see Swami himself.
We can make these events more meaningful by becoming aware of how they affect the Earth and changing our actions accordingly. In this project, we discuss ways of reducing the amount of paper that we use for Sai functions.
Mailings
In a mailing about a Sai event, we should try to use as little paper
as possible -but keep the mailing attractive, of course. For example, use
both sides of the paper. This is easily learned, and most copy shops will
do it when asked.
If a mailing is just a bit too long to fit on one page, then try to rearrange the material to make it fit. Rewriting to omit needless words may also help -needless words are as bad in print as they are in speech! In the project descriptions for The Earth - Help Ever Hurt Never, our goal is to describe each project on one page (both sides).
In some cases, saving paper in this fashion can reduce the amount of postage needed for a mailing. So money is saved, as well as paper.
Handouts at a Sai Function
At Sai functions like annual retreats/conferences, akhanda bhajans,
and Shivarathri, we often have handouts containing the schedule,
prayers, devotional songs, abstracts of workshops, and so forth. Such handouts
are needed, and no one means to imply that they should be eliminated. However,
if we realize that most of them are thrown out after the Sai function,
adding to America's garbage, then we might look for alternatives and ways
to reduce the size of the handouts.
A creative way for removing the need for devotional-song booklets at an annual retreat is described below. See what creative ideas you can find for reducing other parts of your handouts. Also, try rearranging the material to make it smaller, keeping it readable and well-presented, of course. -And, use both sides of the paper.
An alternative to bhajan booklets at retreats
At some annual retreats, booklets containing the songs for the retreat
are distributed. After the retreat, most of the booklets are thrown out.
Four hundred copies of a 25-page booklet use up 10,000 pages, which will
be used only once! Last year, instead of using booklets, one region put
100 songs on transparencies and used two overhead projectors (one for the
women's and one for the men's side). People liked this, because they did
not have to constantly search for the right song. It was also cheaper,
and it was better for the Earth. Moreover, many of the transparencies will
be used again this year.
People who want song books can be invited to bring their own. Copies of the transparencies (on paper or Macintosh floppy disk) may be obtained from David Gries, 112 Glenside Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. (607) 273-4261. The words of a song are printed as large as possible to make them readable. English translations for Sanskrit bhajans also appear. You can copy your favorite songs onto transparencies at almost any copy shop.
Sai story
Swami told someone in the interview room: "I never wasted even
a scrap of paper in my entire life!"
Story
Teddy Roosevelt, President of the United States, was a staunch conservationist.
To make his words and deeds coincide, he prohibited placing a Christmas
tree in the White House. Cutting beautiful trees and putting them on display
till they died did not make any sense to him. [His children smuggled one
in the back door, so there was a Christmas tree in the White House after
all.]
Facts about paper
Paper is made from wood. Of course, wood is a renewable source, since
we can grow trees. Nevertheless, it takes energy to cut trees, to transport
them to paper mills, and to make paper from wood. Making paper also requires
chemicals and creates toxic wastes such as dioxin. Finally, the more paper
we produce and then throw out, the quicker we fill up our landfills.
Here are some statistics about the amount of paper we use in the United States (taken from the book 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save the Earth).
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