After a successful visit to Rome, Sadhguru, relentless in his conviction, braved through the heavy downpour and cold, to take the Save Soil movement journey ahead. His solo motorcycle journey saw the series of interactions with opinion makers – politicians, media persons, ecologists, and influencers as well as public events to draw attention to the urgent issue of soil extinction.
Geneva rallies behind Save Soil Movement
Beginning his power-packed engagements in Geneva, Sadhguru addressed the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva, to call for urgent attention to the issue of soil extinction. “I’ve been talking about this for the last 30 years, everybody says it’s fantastic and it dies right there,” he said in his opening remarks and made an impassioned appeal to the global community to save soil, “the basis of our life and every life that we see around us.”
Stressing the need for speed in addressing the challenge, Sadhguru said policymaking “needs to happen now, not tomorrow” for the world to reverse and halt further soil degradation. This could lead to a turnaround in soil health in 8-20 years.
In another event, Sadhguru discussed the Save Soil movement with Bastien Sachet, CEO of Earthwork Foundation. The conversation delved into the significance of preserving our soil, the need for people to express long-term commitment to policy change, and the importance of using our voice to draw attention to this critical movement.
Paris bolsters Save Soil
Moving ahead with his journey, Sadhguru reached Paris, France. Amongst his many prominent engagements, Sadhguru met scientists to discuss Save Soil and Climate Change. The Save Soil movement and the ‘4 Per 1000’ initiative also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to express their commitment to collaborate for the cause. Indicating the need for urgent actions, Sadhguru pointed out, “Talking, preaching, campaigning time is over. We have come to a place where if there is no significant policy change in all the nations, we cannot really make it happen.”
A public event in Paris which saw a massive crowd supporting the movement, former Manchester United striker Louis Saha extended a warm welcome to Sadhguru. Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of India to France, described the importance of a unified purpose and hoped to leave behind a better world than the one we inherited.
At a final address in France in front of the Iconic Eiffel tower, Sadhguru said to a lively Parisian crowd that the monument we need for future generations and the pride of tomorrow is that which lies beneath our feet. He will be stopping next at Brussels, as part of the 100 day journey for soil.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that all the world’s topsoil could become extinct in 60 years, jeopardising global food security. To address this, Sadhguru is currently on a 100 day 30000 km Save Soil journey to raise citizen awareness across countries and urge administrations to urgently formulate soil-friendly policies to save soil in their countries. The journey that he embarked on from London, UK has passed through the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, and France.
-This article is a contribution by Isha Foundation in collaboration with Varnam Malaysia-
