Project Summary - GreenFriends NA Source Reduction Campaign

BACKGROUND

•  Source reduction is the prevention of environmental pollution before it happens 
• This goes beyond recycling, i.e., limit what we use in the first place. 
• This requires discrimination in our choices of what to use and what to buy in our lives. 

o    "Reduce or reuse first, then recycle." 

• Proposed Areas of Source Reduction: Plastic, Paper, Equipment, Food, Clothes, Electronic Water, Energy 
• This campaign was inspired by the Indeed Campaign and New England's Indeed Campaign Challenge:   http://greenfriendsna.org/ne_challenge.html

PROBLEM 

Amma has asked that we begin to concentrate our efforts of sustainable living on source reduction for many years now, but aside from Amritapuri, there has been no distinguished group effort.

OBJECTIVE

Encourage Amma’s children to take steps toward Source Reduction. 

PROCESS

1. Choose one area that needs source reduction - PLASTIC
2. Require Satsang's and Centers to initiate source reduction awareness by participating in a 'Plastic Challenge' that asks individuals to first become aware of their current plastic usage, and then pledge to Amma to make one small step towards reducing their plastic usage.
   
   • ​ For 'Plastic Challenge' details, read Project Plan 3.1.1 
   • Satsangs will do this by taking an initial and final plastic footprint regarding satsang materials. More details will follow regarding "how".
   • Devotees will take this challenge personally: 3 Step Plastic Challenge 
3. Collect southeast results (on plastic reduction) and give to GF NA to present to Amma at US Tour 2018. 
4. Repeat for all other fields within source reduction ( Paper, Equipment, Food, Clothes, Electronic Water, Energy). 

TIMELINE (subject to change):