Singapore's faith communities get a new environmental handbook
June 25, 2014:
In nature good things rarely happen overnight. Anyone who plants a seed today knows that it’s only the beginning of something that will - hopefully - bear fruit much later.
When ARC helped Singapore’s environmental groups and religious communities organise the country’s first ever Faith & Nature workshop back in 2001 it was clear that many seeds were planted. As a pioneering attempt to bring the country’s rich and diverse ethnic and religious mix together in the common cause of environmental protection the event was a great success. But would it bear fruit?
Immediately after the conference Singaporean Muslim environmentalist Farheen Mukri worked with the Faith and Nature Committee to produce a conference report summarising the event's themes. That report was the basic draft for Faith and Nature and, as with all things dynamic, it was destined to evolve.
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| “The universe is a living entity and all life is interconnected and interdependent. While the call to protect our environment is inherent in all faiths, it may be challenging for faith communities to carry out these environmental principles. This Eco-Guide aims to encourage people across various faiths to put these principles into action.” From the cover of Faith and Nature |
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Fast forward to 2012 and Farheen Mukri sought the support of Project M.E - Muslims and the Environment, a new initiative set up by Sofiah Jamil in 2009. Working together over 18 months Farheen and Sofia turned the original document into a comprehensive and accessible eco-guidebook and, with the financial support of Young AMP (the Youth Wing of the Association of Muslim Professionals), they have finally been able to produce Faith and Nature.
Faith and NatureThis comprehensive eco-Guide is an attractively designed booklet intended to be a manual for individuals and faith organisations wanting to “implement change progressively.” Within its 64 pages Faith and Nature manages to include the theological arguments for conservation from eight major religious traditions as well as a set of really practical environmental checklists on everything from energy usage and animal care to community engagement and promoting social responsibility. They've even left a few pages for the reader to write their own notes at the back!
It's very satisfying to finally see the fruits of an idea first discussed at that 2001 workshop and it’s all thanks to Farheen’s amazing persistence that the eco-Guide has eventually come to be published.
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Faith and Nature authors Sofiah Jamil and Farheen Mukri |
Having been specially produced for Singapore there are no plans to distribute Faith and Nature outside the country, however you can download a pdf copy from the Faith and Nature eco-Guide page and appreciate the fruits of Farheen and Sofia’s labours for yourself.
Check our resources page for more downloadable handbooks and other useful on-line information about going green.
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