Green Ramadan - Let's Make It Happen!
Last Modified:
Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:05:31 GMT
v1.001
Ahmed Khan
Muslims have long had a responsibility to be "Green" & environmentally friendly long before these terms became as commonplace as they are today. We are compelled to take care of all creation as CIOGC Chairman Dr. Zaher Sahloul highlighted in his article last week that the Holy Quran states:
"Now, behold! Your Lord said to the angels: I am placing upon the earth a human successor to steward it" (2:30)
Keeping in mind this honorable role of stewards we have been given, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago is requesting Masjids to sign a pledge to have a Green Ramadan this year.
The three very basics of the pledge entail:
- Recycle and promote recycling in the masjid: Recycling conserves our natural resources, saves energy, protects our health and the environment, reduces the use of landfills and incinerators and saves money. Commit to providing recycling options at your Masjid during Iftars in Ramadan.
- Commit to form an Environmental Committee in the Masjid. The committee's role will be to gauge and discuss how to implement other Green Ramadan tasks in the Masjid now and continuously.
- Commit to disseminate Green Ramadan topics as suggested in the article by Dr. Sahloul or the Imam of your Masjid through newsletters, religious lectures after Salat, or including the topic in a Jumah Khutbah during Ramadan.
As of today, the following Masjids have pledged to participate in CIOGC's Green Ramadan initiative:
Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs, Light of Islam Masjid in Harvey, Islamic Cultural Center of Northbrook, and Masjid Al-Farooq in Chicago's Southside.
"Global warming is fast becoming fact rather than just theory. The month of Ramadan gives Muslims an opportunity to take a series of simple and practical actions towards going green today & everyday after Ramadan which will eventually contribute to a brighter tomorrow," said Abdul Javid, ISNS Rolling Meadows.
Abdul Javid has already initiated an "Environment Task Force" at ISNS led by him and ably supported by another ISNS Board Member, Dawood Khan. Together these individuals have pledged to make a difference and create a positive, greener atmosphere at ISNS.
The Mosque Foundation has long been active in this effort as can be seen in this article: First solar mosque in the nation.
We hope to hear back from many more of you as Ramadan continues. Going Green this Ramadan is a quality that we hope to instill in all of our Masajid not just now but continuously throughout the year. Please contact ahmedkhan@ciogc.org or 312-285-7553 if your Masjid is interested in signing the pledge or if you have any questions on how to participate.
Also, every Friday in our E-Newsletter we will have a new simple Green action or commitment to practice for the entire week.
This week's tasks are:
1. Engage members and leaders of our communities to pledge to join CIOGC's Green Ramadan Initiative and form a committee. The more people you have working with you on this project, the more success it will achieve.
2. The Quran states"...eat and drink: but waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters." (Al-A'raf 7: 31)
Let us initiate a recycling program in our Masjids to prevent waste.
-Find out what recycling programs or centers exist in your area. A good resource for programs in the can be found at NRC-Recycle.org.
-Determine what categories of items can be recycled in your area. For example, if a nearby center accepts aluminum cans, plastic drink bottles, and newspapers, you will want to have separate bins or bags for each type of item, as well as a waste bin for non-recyclable wastes.
-Create an appropriate collection area and take your recycling to a processing center once you've accumulated enough to make it worth the trip.
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