On World Environment Day, in order to reaffirm its commitment to the environment, the Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai has announced its intention to earmark one million euro from 8×1000 funds in 2023 for initiatives linked to the environment. This in addition to the 1.7 million euro already invested in environmental projects in the 2021 and 2022 8×1000 campaigns.
On this World Environment Day, the Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai renews its commitment to helping everyone realize that they can be agents of change in terms of how to tackle climate change and environmental protection.
We are deeply aware that the future we want can only come about when we become deeply and personally aware of our responsibility in translating the values of sustainability and protection of our planet into concrete action.
Embracing the value of Buddhist humanism as its guiding principle, the Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai, has decided to use its 8×1000 funds to support social and humanitarian activities in the following areas of intervention: human rights, education, the environment, culture and research. These are all deeply interconnected and show the association’s commitment to respecting the dignity of life in all its forms.
As stated by Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International, it is paramount for every individual to be encouraged to nurture a sense of leadership that can generate waves of change within our communities and societies. Only then will we be able to attain the goal of a sustainable global society that recognizes the utmost importance of the innate dignity of life.
The environmental projects promoted by the association are diverse and aim at reaching significant goals. The “Climate Change? Claim the Change!” project implemented by Fondazione ACRA aims at promoting inclusiveness and awareness of global dynamics in schools, which need to be reorganized in the post-COVID-19 emergency context. With “Agiamo per cambiare!” (Let’s act to change!), also in collaboration with Fondazione ACRA, the goal is to strengthen the environmental awareness of young generations. “Il verde in città” (A green space in town) focuses on regenerating abandoned green areas to turn them into public spaces that the citizens of Bologna can enjoy. “ALL – Agro Living Lab Ponticelli” seeks to set up new green areas for inclusion, sharing and active citizenship activities in the Campania region.
For “AGES – Agroforesta Ecologica Sociale” (A social ecological agroforestry system) the main goal is to implement an agroforestry system on land that was confiscated from organized crime. “Giovani NEET per la sostenibilità” (NEET youth for sustainability), in collaboration with Associazione Salam, fosters youth’s participation in social and professional environments dealing with sustainability.
The Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai is also supporting international projects such as “Fotovoltaico sostenibile in Burundi”(Sustainable solar energy in Burundi) to grant local communities access to energy and drinkable water and “Energia solare in Mozambico” (Solar energy in Mozambique) to foster the economic development of rural populations in Africa through access to renewable energy.
Additionally, the “Ancora natura per il Col di Lana” (Col di Lana goes back to nature) project intends to rebuild the forest that was destroyed by storm Adrian (Vaia), a symbol of global warming damage in Italy.
Other projects include “Da discarica a bosco urbano” (From landfill to urban wood) which is decontaminating the Aguzzano Regional Park and giving it back to the citizens; “Habitat” in the Salerno area, which is building a new and inclusive place by restoring abandoned land.
Finally, the Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai has implemented the campaign “Cambio io, cambia il mondo: pensare globalmente, cambiare interiormente, agire localmente” (I change, the world changes: think globally, change inwardly, act locally). The goal is achieving individual inner transformation to then implement actions in the community based on a personal commitment towards the great challenges of our time such as the climate crisis, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
For more information on the projects supported by the Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai and on its initiatives for World Environment Day: https://ottopermille.sokagakkai.it/en
“I change, the world changes” campaign: https://www.ereditadellavita.it/
Media contacts:
ufficio.stampa@sgi-italia.org