While global warming has become the most debatable and trendy topic amongst opinion leaders, politicians, activists and elites around the world, obvious changes in the climate, drowning of the polar bears, unprecedented pollution and increase in the number of diseases have forced a common person to think about the reasons and consider changes in lifestyle hitherto taken for granted. There is a growing sense of personal responsibility for what we as average human beings, can do, not only individually but as a global community to make this Earth a better place. As conscious citizens of this world, Sikhs have by far the most enlightened view available to them from the teachings of the Gurus and the environmentally conscious lives they lived. In the Shaloka:

Pawan Guru paanee pita maataa dharat mahat (8)

(The Air is the Teacher, Water the Father, and Earth the Great Mother) the Gurbani gives the whole environment, that sustains us the status of Guru; Water, the Father and Earth, the Mother. Furthermore, Guru Sahib directs us to take care of them as they take care of us. There are numerous examples that guide our lifestyles towards green living exemplified by the institution of Langar which feeds and nurtures the hungry with simple and nutritious food in the most earth-friendly way possible. The sensitivity that Guru Har Rai showed towards the conservation and sustenance of flora and fauna and the untiring efforts of Bhagat Puran Singh, who lobbied for saving trees and reversing pollution of our rivers also lead us to respect the environment.

Yet somehow we have become a community that takes pride in eco-destructive displays and visits fast-food outlets. We extend the use of bottled water to Langars and Chhabils that trashes the landfills with plastic bottles and Styrofoam plates without a single thought about the negative environmental effects our actions have. It’s time to look at this thoughtless behaviour and say, “enough is enough”. We have abused our planet for a long time. It’s time to stop trashing and contaminating the environment with synthetic toxic wastes that our fast and convenient lifestyle produces.

The thought of taking personal responsibility leaves us feeling challenged. Doesn’t it? Yes, theoretically we all want a greener planet but what can we, as average Sikhs and consumers, do on a practical level? Isn’t it easier to leave it up to the governments and the activist organizations to make a change? No, not if your name is Kaur or Singh. You are the change agent for the future and at least you can do your part. Simply by making a few lifestyle changes for yourself and inspiring others to do so, you can bring about a revolution in the way we treat this earth!

A very effective reduction in carbon footprint can be brought about by greening our kitchens and by changing our eating habits; Changes here, need not be monumental, but the results are. Small changes that you will make will become the seed for a larger positive impact on our environment. By adapting to these changes in our kitchen, our family of two alone has reduced thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide emission per year. The prospect is unlimited if you all join us. So open your minds, do your own assessment, and spread the seed. Here is my top 10 to-do list for a Conscious Kitchen – Gurmukh and Green.

10. Why should we get on board with organic?

Excessive use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides has not only poisoned the food we eat but it has overloaded the earth with synthetic chemicals and made it barren. These toxic chemicals make their way into the water supplies and become a part of our food cycle. Organic and sustainable farming methods produce food with a natural way of

controlling insects and pests while using crop rotations and other sustainable techniques to enrich the earth of its natural nutrients that make their way into the food. Organic dairy practices allow free roaming for cows to feed naturally and healthfully, free of BGH (Bovine Growth Hormones) and antibiotics so that those hormones and antibiotics don’t make their way into our bodies.

Easy Tips:

•In the west, almost every food chain carries organic produce, grains and dairy whereas some specifically specialize in them. Ask your grocer about carrying organic items, if they currently don’t. Yes, organic food is slightly more expensive.

•In India, organic farming is finding its roots again. Cooperatives of organic farmers, who market their products to end users such as Kudrati Kheti Producers are quickly emerging. There is a natural farming movement called Nanak

Kheti is lead by Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM), a civil society action group headquartered in the Jaitu town of Faridkot district which already has 800 members affiliated to it. The KVM network can provide natural grains, pulses, fruits, vegetables and ghee. Get involved today for a better life tomorrow.

9: Why should we love local?

The average meal in the U.S. travels 1200 miles before it becomes dinner on our tables. Buying locally grown food accomplishes the goals of eating seasonal, eating fresh and reducing the carbon dioxide emission associated with transportation thus being healthy for us and mother earth. Buying local produce also supports the local economy and small family farms. Not only does the product that is trucked, flown or shipped in contribute to global warming, it is also harvested prematurely and subjected to chemical, colour or radiation treatments for preserving the looks and texture. Local produce, however, is sold shortly after being picked, which makes it not only fresher tasting, but full of nutrients and devoid of preservatives.

I was dismayed to hear from an Aunt in India, who proudly exclaimed, “Now we can eat everything in every season from every corner of the world, just like you because such supermarkets are coming up everywhere!” My heart went out to the local Sabzi wallas and farmers and I did not know how to explain to my Aunt what I would give to have the comfort of buying great local produce every day at home – produce that never saw plastic packaging, refrigeration or a coloured wax coating.

Easy Tips:

Look for local farmer markets. They are everywhere. Ask frequented grocery stores to carry more local foods.

. Food just means so much more if you know your money is going directly to the farmer who worked hard for it.

•Some areas also have a Community Share Agriculture (CSAs), where you prepay and the farmer delivers a crate of local produce to your doorstep every week.

8. Why should we revert to reusable and biodegradable?

Paper plates, napkins and plastic dinnerware waste the environment increase the bulk of trash and kill trees. Real dishes, cloth napkins, and steel cutlery enhance the eating experience while reducing toxic trash and saving trees. For household cleaning, switching to green products such as recycled paper towels and biodegradable cleaning supplies will ensure that you are not dumping toxic wastes into the water supply. But remember, we can’t buy our way to a greener world. It takes behavioural change, which often involves buying fewer products, not more. Every product has an environmental cost, from processing to transportation to disposal even though it may be produced out of recycled material.

Easy Tips:

•Replace chemical cleaners with good old fashioned baking soda and vinegar and go for biodegradable dishwashing soap.

•Use old towels as rags for cleaning counters and floors.

•Pack lunches in reusable lunch bags and washable containers instead of plastic wrap and bags.

•Keep a set of cutlery at work and wash it after each use instead of using disposables.

•In India, advocate reverting to Pattalware (plates and bowls made from tree leaves) for community meals and Langar. The pattal products are completely biodegradable and may be discarded after a single use. These are used for composting. They are an inexpensive alternative to modern paper or plastic utensils while they promote the cottage industry.

7. Why should we be Efficient in energy and water?

Clean, Potable water is fast becoming the rarest natural resource. What we take for granted here in water affluent places, is a rare commodity in the world and our overuse and wastefulness affects the availability of water to the rest of the world. Even here in Georgia, we have faced critical water shortages and droughts that have caused many of us to rethink our behaviour. Think of the world water supply as a single tank with several outlets; some fat holes and other places with just a few pin holes. Good fortune to live near fat holes does not give us the privilege to drain the supply and deprive billions living near pinholes. Women in some countries walk up to 5 miles every day just to fetch 2 buckets of water for c o o k i n g a n d drinking. The same is true for energy; electricity and natural gas which we take for granted are mostly produced from non-renewable r e s o u r c e s a n d produce significant pollution in the process. Go easy on their use!

Easy Tips:

•Soaking your beans, lentils and grains overnight and using a pressure cooker reduces the cooking time and energy by up to 80%. Eating more raw foods is not only healthier but also more environment friendly. Add whole fruits, sprouts and salad to your diet.

•Reuse the water used to wash veggies and fruits for watering your plants.

•Chose the right appliance for the job. Heat the water in a kettle, not in an open pot. Use the toaster oven instead of a large oven for small jobs like toasting nuts. Use smaller pots for cooking small portions. Little changes make big difference. You will be saving thousands of gallons of water and energy making some simple common sense changes.

•Use the appliances such as dishwashers only when full. If washing dishes by hand, fill the sink instead of letting the water run. I want to step outside of the kitchen to address just this one. The appliance that is the biggest energy consumer in the household resides in your laundry: your clothes dryer. Revert to the old-fashioned clothing line folks! There is nothing wrong with using solar heat to dry your clothes in your backyard. Make it a chore for your children. Teach them to conserve energy as well.

6. Why should we reduce restaurant trips (unless it’s the dhabas of course)?

By reducing the dependency on fast foods, restaurant foods, soft drinks and processed meals and replacing them with nutrient-rich, home-cooked meals you will improve both your and the planet’s health. By reducing those trips and eating a family dinner in your kitchen, you’ll not only reduce gas pollution and food wastage but also build a stronger

foundation for healthy living for your children. By eliminating those empty calories you will lose weight and feel great.

Easy Tips:

•Plan a menu for the week ahead of time to cut down on shopping trips. Thinking ahead the night before (for example, soaking the lentils or beans) also makes the job quicker and easier.

•Simplify traditional recipes by forgoing the frying of onions, ginger and garlic and instead cooking them raw along with main items – saving time, and energy and cutting down on saturated fats.

•Keep healthy snacks, like nuts or dried fruit, in your car, so you don’t need to waste time and gas sitting in a drive-through for some junk when in need.

•If you are on the run, put your money in local eateries such as Punjabi Dhabas or local flavours of Pop and Mom diners that make real food. Retrain taste buds to like the real food taste instead of frozen and reheated processed food. It is unfortunate

that even in India our new generation prefers to eat out at McDonald’s and KFCs than to patronize the local Dhabas that make fresh and healthy food.

5. Why should we buy bulk and banish bottles?

For bottled-water addicts, trading in the convenience and cool-looking bottles for a good old tap in a reusable glass container may seem like a status downgrade. However, consider this: according to National Geographic magazine, Americans alone buy more than 8 billion gallons of bottled water a year and toss 22 billion empty plastic bottles in the trash. So what’s the problem? Nothing if plastic was biodegradable. Plastic takes anywhere from 500 to 1000 years to degrade and not in a bio-friendly way. The toxic little pieces of broken plastic eventually find their way into the water supply or end up in the ocean and guess where else? In you!! Through the fish, you eat or water you drink. Oh, and by the way, some plastic bottles can be toxic while in use too. Canada just declared it is taking some types of plastic bottles for babies out of the market because they contain bisphenol A, a known toxin.

Why buy bulk?

Because packaging pollutes. While individual packs are convenient, measuring out snacks, nuts or granola from a big jar into a reusable box for lunch or car takes only a few seconds. Not only do companies charge a premium for individually packaged goods, but you will also save on trash bags to throw out all that excess garbage, saving the landfills and associated transportation emissions.

Going for natural snacks like fresh fruits, dried fruits and nuts eliminates the intake of toxic preservatives, additives, colours and flavours in your diet while minimizing packaging.

Easy Tips:

•Buy a reusable neoprene bottle and use it till it breaks. If you do not trust the lead content in your local water supply, get a filter

for your home and fill your bottle from that. Remember the facts above when you reach for bottled water at the convenience store or a lunch meeting. If you must purchase a water bottle, at least recycle it.

•We save our pasta sauce jars and glass juice bottles. Unlike plastic which leeches at higher temperatures, these are safe left in the car.

• Instead of packaged veggies and fruits, go straight for the bin. If you eat a particular food in quantity, such as yoghurt, choose the large container and spoon out what you need instead of buying several individual tubs. (Better yet, make the yoghurt at home).

•Substitute fruit juice with a wholesome fruit. Not only do you save the environment, but you also get additional fibre along with all the vitamins and minerals intact, which the pasteurization kills.

•If you are or have children into sports, buy powdered electrolytes and mix them in reusable water bottles instead of buying prepared products such as Gatorade.

4. Why should we BYOB (bring your own bags)?

According to National Geographic magazine, more than 500 billion plastic bags are consumed worldwide in a year. Most of these degrade toxically, go to landfills or get littered and in the end provide hazards to animal and marine life. Over 100,000 birds and marine life die each year, due to an encounter with plastic debris, much of it, plastic bags. So is paper better? No. Americans alone use 10 billion paper bags in a year. That’s over 14 million of oxygen-producing, carbon-consuming trees that are cut down to provide pulp needed for shopping bags. The shopping solution? Bring your own reusable bags.

Easy Tips:

•Purchase and use canvas or laminated bags. As soon as the groceries are unloaded; go put them back in your car trunk so that they are always there when you stop shopping.

•If you have ethnic prints or embroidered bedspreads lying around for ages; too beautiful to discard; get some shopping bags made out of them and give them the showing they deserve. •As a further incentive, it would help to know that reusable bags are the status symbol of the decade. Also, they are great statement-makers.

3. Why should we revert to roots (convert your lawn to a mini-farm)?

Think about the amount of water, fertilizers, weed control and fungicide you use to keep that lawn green. Plant fruit trees if you have the space or go for a vegetable and herb garden. Punjabis have a long connection with agriculture. Guru Nanak, after returning from his Udasis (travels), settled in Kartarpur and farmed. Re-cultivate that connection with the earth. Once you feel that connection with

food, you’ll change the way you eat. It becomes so much more real, and so much more a part of you. It also brings appreciation for the farmers, who make their living nurturing their fields for your food.

I remember visiting Punjab as a child and snacking on a huge carrot or radish or sugarcane without one knife touching it. Now, our young ones would have no clue what to do with them.

Start community-based agriculture share practices. You don’t have to grow the whole array of kitchen vegetables; just a select few coordinated with your friends. Gurdwara provides a perfect place to exchange your tomatoes with Binder’s Bhindi and Maninder’s homegrown Methi.

Easy Tips:

•You can start with a single-window pot of basil and move on to a herb garden with fresh mint, peppers and a rosemary bush then gradually up your level to a vegetable garden.

•Already connected to the inner farmer? Start your compost pile. It’s not as challenging as it sounds. Keep a bucket with a lid in your kitchen right next to your trash can and deposit all your vegetable and fruit peels in it. Once a week empty the bucket in your compost pile and turn the pile over. Add dried-up leaves, and yard clippings for brown material when you have them. You will not only have healthy compost for your garden but you will reduce your take-out garbage amount by more than 50%. That amounts to saving in transportation and landfill area.

2. Why should we welcome vegetarianism?

The resources needed to raise, slaughter, process, refrigerate and transport animals for meat: such as livestock feed, water, fuel and land greatly exceed those required for raising fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains up to seven times more! As the world population multiplies and giant corporations get greedier, the space used for raising animals is

reducing, resulting in their exposure to high levels of diseases and toxins from their own waste products, antibiotics and growth hormones. Runoff from meat farms pollutes the water source and methane gas produced by them directly adds to global warming. The health benefits of a vegetarian diet alone give one a reason to say good bye to meat. Most diseases including major killers such as heart disease and most cancers have a direct link to an animal-based diets. I don’t even have to address the inhumane way cattle are treated from birth to death.

Easy Tips:

•Go vegetarian three days a week and slowly increase. While using meat, use it as an addition instead of as a main dish, adding it into dishes loaded with vegetables, grains and herbs.

•Substitute meat with foods high in protein such as lentils, beans, tofu and nuts.

•Still worried about protein and other nutrients? Green foods such as Spirulina have more protein, rare amino acids and B12 one typically attributes to a meat diet.

1. Why should we nurture the neighbor in need?

Remember people are a big part of the environment. The no. 1 job of every Sikh kitchen is to feed the hungry. Hunger is everywhere; hunger for nutrition that is. Even in our middle class neighborhood in the USA, our kitchen finds a needy family almost every week. It may be a sick

neighbor, a friend who just had a surgery or an elderly person. Many have learned healthy and green ways of eating and benefited. Some who did not have a clue about vegetarianism

and health foods are more conscious of what they put in their bodies now. They have learned to eat more vegetables, appreciate more fruits and learned how simple it is to cook beans and rice at home from scratch. They have learned to grow sprouts and fresh herbs.

By focusing on our needs versus our wants we can afford a lot more in time and money to feed not only ourselves but a neighbour in need. Wherever a Sikh lives, the neighbour should know where to turn to in case of need. They should know the benevolence and power of a Conscious Kitchen, of Guru Nanak’s kitchen.

In the end, Simply open your mind and evaluate your role as a conscious Kaur and Singh of the Guru. Educate yourself about the issues concerning the planet today. Know that the Guru has empowered you and that even from your own kitchen, you can be a beacon of change. Implement the change and talk to your communities about it. If we all make a resolute and collaborative effort, we can implement positive changes for ourselves, our children, our communities and our mother Earth.