The Bhumi Project: An Initiative Whose Time Has Come: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

In late 2009 a gathering of international religious leaders was held at Windsor Castle, England. Convened by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC),1 the “Many Heavens, One Earth”2 celebration was a platform for each major world religious tradition to launch a long-term plan for environmental action. The celebration was attended by His Royal Highness Prince Philip,3 and His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations. Less than a year earlier, ARC had approached the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies4 (OCHS) with an invitation to the Windsor meeting, and the offer of seed funding to help create a global Hindu response environmental challenges. Inspired by this meeting, the OCHS formed a small working party comprising of representatives from leading Hindu organizations in the UK.