The videos and other materials on this website are not easy to watch. But don’t forget, this is reality and supported by people every day when they buy meat for food.

The solution to stop this brutal method is very easy: just some clicks and one can find tips and other tools – even a free vegetarian starter kit – to start new vegetarian way of life which is more healthy, environment-friendly and saving billions of animals a year from the misery and death in the slaughterhouses.

- LK -

The international meeting of civil activists and spiritual and religious leaders to which Radha Krishna Dasa, as director of the Eco-Valley Foundation, was invited, was held parallel to the big climate summit, aiming to influence and offer “windows of hope” to the political leaders. In fact, the decision-makers gathered in Copenhagen frequently attended the Bottom Meeting’s events, lectures, exhibitions and films where they learned about a number of sustainable cities and eco-village initiatives, as well as other fresh ideas to overcome the world’s ecological, social, spiritual and economic challenges. Many of them heard Radha Krishna’s presentation about the Eco-Valley farm community in Hungary, an internationally known and appreciated eco-village project that is based on the spiritual principles of sustainability established by the ancient Indian scriptures, the Vedas.

Following the instructions of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Eco-Valley (or Krishna-valley) was established in 1993 by ISKCON leader Sivarama Swami and a handful of dedicated devotees. Their aim was to create a community where members of each household can lead a sustainable, environment-friendly and God-centered life. Sixteen years later, there are 150 devotees living on 550 acres of beautifully cultivated land. They have built sixty-three buildings including a new temple, family homes, cow stables, a school, an art studio, a bakery, a guesthouse and several new roads. They grow their own grain, fruits, herbs and vegetables, and have planted 250,000 trees, which give shade to tens of thousand of tourists visiting and learning from them each year. The Eco-Valley community is 100% self-sufficient when it comes to food, producing ten times more grain and seven times more honey than its residents actually need. Their biggest challenge for the next couple of years will be to increase their energy sufficiency by planting more windmills and solar panels and taking advantage of the geothermic energy sources.

Although the Hungarian Eco-Valley project is considered to be one of the world’s most successful self-sustaining communities, Radha Krishna Dasa says that there are many similar eco-villages around the globe. ISKCON itself has several dozen, but unfortunately, it appears, there is not enough communication and cooperation between them.

“The Copenhagen Climate Conference was a great venue to meet similar-minded, dedicated people,” Radha Krishna says. “It inspired me even more to reach out and exchange ideas with all those who are willing to work together for a better future.”

Then, the question naturally arises: with all the good intentions, valuable presentations, yearlong negotiations and enormous efforts by thousands of people from all over the world, why did the Copenhagen Climate Summit ultimately fail?

Radha Krishna Dasa explains that as long as the main considerations of the politicians remain closely connected to economic gain or loss, there will be no breakthroughs in solving the critical environmental problems. “Unfortunately, the leaders of society are very reluctant to inspire people to change their habits and live more responsibly, get out of their cars and consume less. What to speak of asking them to become vegetarians and shutting down the slaughterhouses, which are responsible for 51% of the world’s greenhouse gas emission, and are even more polluting than cars.”

According to Radha Krishna, there are no shortcuts or easy ways out. The only solution is a substantial change of consciousness on the individual level: each and every person`s commitment resulting in actions towards a more sustainable life. “We should all pull our heads out of the sand, for one is not only responsible for what he does, but for what he does not do.”

By Krishna-lila devi dasi (Krisztina Danka, PhD.)

Source: ISKCON News

on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXvbrv50uCE

Source: Svoboditev Zivali

2.              What was the necessity behind the creation of your community?
We considered it necessary to develop an area where a self-sustainable, as well as an ecologically sustainable lifestyle can be maintained. In order to accomplish this concept the formation of an eco-village community based upon own property seemed to be the most expedient way.

3.              How was your community created? (The story of your community.)
The founder of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada asked his followers in the 1960’s and ‘70’s to develop farming communities in accordance with the knowledge described in Vedic scriptures. Members of the aforementioned society were also present in Hungary from the mid-70’s and after the collapse of socialist regime they had an opportunity to officially register the society and establish its own property. The land was purchased in 1993 from the donations of Hungarian donors and society resources. The then 130 hectare land has been gradually growing to its present size due to continuous land purchasing. One of the first aims was the building of the community centre and temple, as well as the developing of organic farming.

4.              What are the present needs or problems of your community?
One of the main necessities, taking into consideration our efforts to become completely self-sustainable, is the agricultural production and the organizing of storing these products throughout winter time. Important tasks are the reduction of importing goods from light industry as well as achieving self-sufficiency regarding clothes, detergents and materials used for maintaining cleanliness. We also have to address fields of energy, water and irrigation supplying in order to accomplish full self-sufficiency.

5.              What is the present situation of your community?
Today our community is practically self-sufficient regarding agricultural products; in our gardens we grow exclusively organic foodstuffs.
Not long ago the reed-bed zone sewage system was put in operation, which was designed to solve the cleaning of waste water in an environmental-friendly way. There is no electricity in the eco-village. Electricity needs are covered by renewable energy resources. To achieve more sustainable agriculture we use ox-power as well. (There are 4 different breeds; 37 cattle altogether).
Water supply is provided by public utility; however, all houses have their own well. Moreover, we have our 330 metre deep tube-well, which is nearing completion.
Our elementary school hosted in a separate building is accredited by state. The botanic garden is 12 hectare large, where we have planted a diverse variety of more than 900 plants and trees.
The community is advancing dynamically. We have attained economic and ecologic sustainability of the community. (According to an independent ecological footprint analysis it is 1.47 hectare/capita.)

6.              Which areas of your community need improvement?
It is a great task to provide housing facilities for our growing population as well as to establish secondary education for our pupils. However, the education of our adult residents is steady.
The question of firewood self-sufficiency is quite essential. Eventually, we would like to increase our firewood supply from 20% to 100%.

7.              How can technology help to solve problems in your community?
We have already established our own sewage system with reed-bed zone sewage system technology. At present, we are making efforts to develop our technology regarding sun and wind energy as well as utilizing biogas processing.
It is a general principle that instead of using high-tech technology we are trying to utilize sustainable technologies in order to avoid bondage to industry.

8.              What are the communication tools you use internally and externally?
- Internal communication tools are the regular communal meetings. Furthermore, sometimes we give presentations or have informal conversations between each other concerning main events.
- There are various tools regarding external communications. We have different websites (e.g. www.krisnavölgy.hu, www.ecovalley.hu, www. okovolgy.hu); we publish magazines periodically (Vissza Istenhez Magazin, Öko-völgy Magazin). Moreover, we organize conferences and we give presentations and lectures in sustainability and eco-conscious lifestyle in numerous places. During our ecological conference in 2008 we had 170 participants, whereas in 2009 there were more than 420 people attending the conference. In 2009 we gave nearly 40 presentations in absolutely various venues, for instance in Hungary, USA, Finland, India, Denmark, Italy.
- Annually there are around 30,000 tourists coming to visit our village, who receive a fully guided tour regarding our lifestyle and customs and get answers to their questions on sustainability.

9.              What main activities produce a monetary income for your community?
As we are striving for self-sufficiency, the proportion of external and internal economy is crucial from the economic development aspect. External monetary income is coming from tourism (entry fee, program fees, restaurant, gift shop), and in addition from the sale of surplus agricultural and other products, donations from patrons, as well as resources from various applications. The key element of our internal economy is the circulation of money among the 40 departments in the community, but this does not involve circulation in reality.

Patron of conference: Gábor Vida, academician
Among the many speakers there are going to be the leaders of Krishna-valley and lecturers, researchers from universities and colleges.
Another point of interest is that we asked four university students to speak of their work concerning the results of their Eco-valley research.
During the day there will be work-shops in small groups to have the opportunity to speak to Krishna-valley’s specialists in various fields.
Title of Conference: Do your shoes pinch? Change them to a smaller one! Our ecological footprint and sustainability
Date: 15th October, 2009; 9.00 am – 5.00 pm
Venue: Krishna-valley, Somogyvámos
No entry-fee to the conference, but only if you register in advance!
Registrations should be sent to the following email address until 5th October, 2009:
info at okovolgy.hu
Necessary data for registration:
Name, email address, occupation, workplace/institute
The programme also includes a free vegetarian meal as well.

Schedule

9.00-9.50     Arrival and registration
10.00     Gábor Vida (member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), patron of conference: Inaugural address and opening
10.40     Partha dasa (Director of country planning, Krishna-valley) and Ákos Bede Fazekas (student, University of Corvinus): The importance of eco-villages, local solutions. Studies of the various flora of climate change.

11.00     Radha Kanta dasa (Director of agriculture, Krishna-valley) and Csaba Dániel Lánczi (graduate student of University of Eötvös Loránd, Budapest): Sustainable farming, bio-farming. The ecological footprint of Krishna-valley.
11.20     Break (scones, herbal tea)
11.40     Premamoya dasa (Director of education, Krishna-valley) and Réka Tóth (student, University of Pécs): Social sustainability and education. Child upbringing and education in Krishna-valley.

12.00     Radha Krishna dasa (Director of Eco-valley Foundation) and Barna Giczi (student, University of Pécs): Buttresses of sustainability. Social sustainability.

12.20     Announcement of afternoon programme
12.30-13.30     Lunch break

13.30-14.30     „Fieldwork” workshops: conversations in seven different topics with the leaders of Krishna-valley and other speakers of the morning lectures.
(Only one workshop can be attended! All the groups start out from the temple entrance to the various scenes of the eco-valley.)

Available workshops:
1.    Eco-villages and the fauna of climate change – Partha dasa and Ákos Bede Fazekas
2.    Sustainable farming, ecological footprint – Radha Kanta dasa and Csaba Dániel Lánczi
3.    Social sustainability and education – Premamoya dasa and Réka Tóth
4.    Buttresses of sustainability – Radha Krishna dasa and Barna Giczi
5.    Biogardening – Sundara Gopala dasa (Head of the gardening department of Krishna-valley)
6.    Herbal medication, vegetarianism – Sundari dasi (Director of social welfare of Krishna-valley)
7.    Economic sustainibility – Radha Radya dasa (Chief accountant of Krishna-valley)

14.40 Radha Krishna dasa: Introduction of the last year achievements of the Eco-valley Program

14.55 Awarding the Eco-valley Prize

15.00 Judit Farkas (University of Pécs): Research experience in the Eco-valley Program

15.15 Ákos Malatinszky (SZIE-KTI): Students pro sustainability – The activities of the past 19 years of GATE Zöld Klub Egyesület (University of Gödöllő, Green Association) from Gödöllő

15.30 Mutual signing of cooperative documentation and speech of cooperative partners

16.30 Gaura Sakti dasa (President of Krishna-valley): The role of Eco-valley Program in developing sustainable national culture and customs

16.50 Closing words

- Why do we need spiritiual farm communities?

- When Sríla Prabhup ada left India for America to spread Krisna consciousness, he did not want just to disseminate a religion outside of India. He wanted to completely change the materialistic worldview that has become common everywhere. The teachings of Krisna consciousness affect all aspects of life. This God conscious perspective is based on Vedic philosophy. If people wish to live in accordance with the Vedic philosophical principles, then the most effective way of achieving this is in a rural economy, in harmony with nature, in the company of people who think similarly about God, the world, and the meaning and purpose of life.

- How did the idea of establishing such a community in Hungary come to you?

- Sríla Prabhupada established rural communities in several locations worldwide and he gave his disciples the opportunity to found new communities. His mission was taken up in Hungary by Srila Sivarama Swami. He, in turn, emphasized to his disciples many times that the practical application of the knowledge contained in Srila Prabhupada’s books can have a serious impact on society. When people see in practice the rural community life based on the ancient Vedic message, they are affected.

- How did the development start in Krishna Valley? How did you personally get involved?

- I came to know about Krisna consciousness in 1991. Then, after I had moved into the Budapest temple and become a monk, I felt very enthusiastic when my spiritual master, Sivarama Swami, spoke about the need to establish a farm community. Together with some of my companions, I searched for an appropriate location. We went to many places in Hungary. There were beautiful regions near Pécs, but because they were in the vicinity of the uranium mines, the area was polluted by radiation. Then there were places where people had an aversion to us. In Somogyvámos we found both a beautiful natural environment and a positive reception. The then mayor, Mr. László Hanzel, thought our presence would bring new life to the village. We were glad to accept his proposal to buy a beautiful valley. Finally, in April 1993, we could buy the first big areas of land, as Part of an auction. In this way, we started our rural program in Hungary, the one that Srila Prabhupada artfully described by the motto ’Simple living and high thinking’. I moved to the farm in 1998, and I have been the leader of the community since then.

- People say that modernity makes life easier and more enjoyable, and because of that, most of them reject the idea of returning to a simpler way of life.

- Modern people seek happiness in sense objects. They buy all kinds of machinery
in the hope that they will become happier. To put it another way, they simply fall prey to the marketing policies of the consumer society, which are based on creating an illusion of happiness. While equipping themselves with many useless articles, they completely forget about the people around them and become impersonal. They begin to consider and treat humans beings as objects. Their relationships become shallow and personal dealings and true love disappear from their lives. The result is that they become unhappy. And they see no way out of the situation. The biggest problem of our time is depression. We can see that the development of technological comforts does not make people happy but causes the opposite effect.

- How can a simple rural life remedy this problem?

- Simplicity is not enough. We become happy only if we develop a personal attitude of caring for more than material things. And the objective of all this is not some kind of sentimentalism but getting to know the greatest person, Lord Sri Krisna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Making His acquaintance is easier for those who learn to live depending only on Him. The magnificient organization of nature reflects His unlimited intelligence and care, and the ever-new beauty of nature reflects the indescribable opulence of the spiritual world.

- What is the mission of the residents of Krishna Valley?

- Our goal at Krishna Valley is to establish a society based on a spiritual foundation. Following the principle of self- ufficiency, we depend on the land and cows for our living. We educate our children in spiritual life and practice the process of Krisna consciousness to attain pure love of God. And we have a strong hope that by our humble efforts our example may become a source of inspiration for those sincere souls who are seeking for pure spirituality and loving and caring community.

- What have you already achieved and what are your future plans?

- At present we have a wonderful community of 130 devotees and we have all the basic facilities we need for our Krisna conscious life. We have a beautiful temple for worshipping Radhe-Syama, we have a school to educate our children. We also have a gosala with 38 happy cows and the different gardens where we can grow what we need to offer to Radhe-Syama and maintain the community, and all these in a beautiful rural environment. When we started the farm the pioneers of the project were in their early twenties but today most of them are married people and the families are just in the natural phase of accepting the responsibility of receiving children. I may list many wonderful projects for the future but I believe that the main future challenge is to be able to continuously engage and maintain the devotee families, since a solid social and spiritual environment is very much needed if one wants to harmoniusly progress in Krisna consciousness, especially in a householder life situation.

- How do you personally evaluate your achievements here?

- We founded Krishna Valley just more then 16 years ago (in 1993), and we have a long way to go before the farm becomes a perfect example of a God-centered society and self-sufficient economy. However our achievement here so far point in a very inspiring way to the truth of Srila Prabhupada’s teaching that ‘simple living and high thinking’ are a realistic basis for a practical alternative to modern society. Those who would like to find a solution to the spiritual and material problems of modern society may have a look with interest to the model we follow, as we also call it to be daiva-varnasrama-dharma.

(First published by Manorama das, Hungarian Society for Krishna Consciousness).

See here the original article:
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_933_ENU_HTML.htm

- Is it possible to produce all needful foodstuffs on a smaller field?
- Yes!
On 1.5 hectares you can produce food requirements for only one meat consumer, meanwhile six lacto-vegetarians could be fed from the same size of land.

-    Can I reduce the rate of rain forests deforestation?
-    Yes!
Stock farming needs pasture and cropland, therefore deforestation is continuous worldwide. For example thanks to beef stock breeding huge rain forests of South America became waste lands. Size of Central America’s forests decreased three-quarters during 25 years.
Each person who shifts to vegetarian diet saves 0.5 hectare forest per year.

- Can I reduce global climate change?
- Yes!
Meat consumers serving animal husbandry emits more greenhouse gas than the whole transport sector together.

- Can I help to slow down decrease of World’s drink water resources?
- Yes!
Because the water requirement of forage production a meat consumer indirectly uses twelve times and a lacto-vegetarian uses four times more water as a vegan (strictly vegetarian).

Source of facts: Réka Könczey, Andrea S. Nagy: Zöldköznapi Kalauz (published by Föld Napja Alapítvány, Budapest, 1997)