Express Your Green Heart

A yearning to make a difference? Curiosity for unexplored territories? Daring to try out challenging paths and a naive sense of idealism? This marks the mindset of the youth worldwide, you are normal, but concerned. We live in an era where youth are searching for an alternative direction for applying their creativity, passion, and energies. They are mobilizing themselves online and through direct action on the streets with the purpose of disrupting corrupt establishments and paving the way for a new way of life that is based on an ethical framework. The youth today reject the wisdom of the people who have learned the game of survival in the current corrupt system. They dont let skepticism and cynicism cloud their search for an environment that is not polluted by human greed for cornering resources and opportunities selfishly. We are faced with a perfect opportunity to take a political stand on re-directing our resources towards building a society of responsible citizens who are driven not by a consumer economy but by a creative ecology. India is in the middle of a churn of ideas. People, who are in search of alternative and sustainable vision of the future are drawn to the Aam Aadmi Party as a platform for exploring the idea of a sustainable development agenda. We understand the enthusiasm and idealism of the youth who are attracted to the disruptive yet ethical alternative being explored by the AAP in the idea of Swaraj. We have come together to mobilize a political caucus that will harness these ideas, this pervasive enthusiasm and the idealism of the Aam Aadmi to direct public policies and political actions with a sense of responsibility for ecological balance. We are proposing a green manifesto, which we will take to each of the candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party and get them to commit to a political imperative to preserve ecology - to stand by the idea - that a modern society of responsible citizens must fight the environmental corruption at the same level as economic corruption. Please join the grass root level campaign for a sustainable future. We believe that India can become a laboratory for sustainable development with a firm political backing of the Aam Aadmi party. This requires imagination and committed action from all of us based on an agreed set of guidelines outlined on our Green Manifesto.

We would like you to please share this message with your friends and have them express their Green Heart. Sincerely
Ranmal Singh Jhala, Village Navalgadh, Taluka Dhrangadhara, Dist Surendranagar, Gujarat. Rajeev Manikoth, Bangaluru, Karnataka. Mehmood Khan, Mewat, Haryana. Uday Dandavate, San Francisco, California and Mumbai, Maharashtra. Anando Dutta, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Jacob Matthew, Bangaluru, Karnataka. Amit Krishn Gulati, Gurgaon, Haryana. Dean DCruz, Goa Ashish Kothari, Pune

The first draft of the Green Manifesto is outlined below.

Green Heart The aesthetics of a light eco-footprint

A Creative Roadmap for Collective action to Save Our Planets Ecology 1. Developing Strategies for Sustainable Livelihoods and Lifestyles with a focus on Local Ecology 2. Conducting Workshops and Camps to Sensitize people towards Corporate, Institutional and Individual Social Responsibility for the Conservation of Our Ecology and Traditions 3. Dialogues with various stakeholders including Educationists and DecisionMakers 4. Participatory Education in Watershed Management and Forest Regeneration 5. Legislation to implement the inclusion of Arts & Crafts and the Performing Arts in Education 6. Campaigning for a Greener World through the setting up of Seed Banks, Nurseries and Kitchen Gardens in villages and towns, in homes and in educational, commercial, religious and government institutions 7. Documentation of Local Flora and Fauna 8. Documentation of Traditional Knowledge Systems of Agriculture. Medicine, The Arts & Crafts and Performing Arts 9. Revival of Herbal and Alternative medicine and Development of an Integrated Approach, which includes all Schools of Medicine.

10. Promotion of Bio-Diversity-Friendly Farming 11. Promotion of Green Products and Services 12. Legislation for Mandatory footpaths and Bicycle Tracks in all Urban and Rural Master Plans. 13. Promotion of R & D for phasing in of non fossil fuel vehicles 14. Provision of Incentives for the use of of Non-Conventional Energy for Transport. Domestic, Commercial and Institutional systems 15. Global Outreach Programs and collaboration with like-minded individuals and institutions 16. Collaborating with ARC (Alliance of Religions for Conservations) to motivate Institutions of all religions to follow the Ecological Principles and Core Values included in their Scriptures 17. Working towards investing in rural and small town India to create the jobs and opportunities that meet peoples aspirations and needs, and bringing about a Paradigm Shift towards Gandhis dream of Gram Swaraj or Village Republics. This will also include converting the Systems of Small Towns into Energyefficient and Sustainable Habitats. 18. Invest and use strategies of design for public good as against using design just for commercial or luxury goods. 19. High Density low rise housing for urban areas 20. Urban Mobility without car 21 Local food security as a driver for development 22 National policy on Solid Waste Management *Ranmal Singh Jhala first drafted the original draft of the manifesto. It is being modified based on feedback from readers.