World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on the 5th of June every year, and is the United Nation’s principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment. First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. WED has grown to become a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually. 

Many ISKCON centers worldwide are actively involved in environmental protection by using recyclable plates, utensils, eco-friendly energy-sources; promoting a healthy, holistic lifestyle, or by just living by the principles of “simple living – high thinking” on one of the farms.

Lately, one of the main environmental concerns for Vaishnavas worldwide has been the pollution of the holy River Yamuna. Due to human greed and neglect, over the past two decades, deadly toxic materials have been poisoning about 80 million people, including the residents of Delhi, Agra and Vrindavan, and thousands of pilgrims and tourists who visit the holy land of Braj each year from every corner of the globe.

Despite the great efforts of and protests by hundreds of thousands of activists, and despite the countless promises by present and previous Indian governments, so far, there has not been any improvement in the Yamuna’s condition.

 Yamuna Devi still needs our help. 

The first thing devotees could do is to understand the situation and raise awareness of the Yamuna’s plea in their communities. They could celebrate World Environmental Day by screening the multi-award-winning The Stolen River documentary, made by Vaishnava filmmaking professionals.  The film is now available in six languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian and Hungarian) and could be shown worldwide.  

The summary of the film goes as follows: “Six young people in rural India set out on a journey to find out who is poisoning their sacred river Yamuna, causing people and animals to fall sick and die en masse in their village and surrounding areas. By the time they arrive at the foothills of the Himalayas, a shocking reality unfolds in front of them: their river has been “stolen” and replaced by an open flow of sewage, causing a major ecological disaster affecting tens of millions — to which, unknowingly, the whole world contributes. Can they save the river, people’s lives and their holy land, the very heart of the ancient Indian culture?”

The Stolen River / Non-Profit Public Screening from Karuna Productions on Vimeo.

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For a copy of the film and for public screening license click here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thestolenriver2

For a limited time, to get 25% off of the screening rights please enter the promo code ENVIRONMENT19 at checkout. (The code valid until June 10^th.)

For more information on the film and to get involved please visit: stolenriverfilm.com