Trees around holy sites, solar panels on the roofs of temples and churches plus no cars on pilgrims roads. These are just some of the initiatives taken by a newly launched Green Pilgrimage Network
“The Green Pilgrimage Network will ask the faithful to live, during the most intense of religious experience, in a faith-consistent way. To travel to a holy place in such a way as to treat the whole world as sacred is to be a true pilgrim”, says Secretary-General of ARC, Martin Palmer in connection with the launch.
The network consists of representatives for ten major religions plus a number of specific pilgrimage centres round the world. The launching of the network was celebrated with festivities in Assisi in which a number of high profiled representatives for WWWF, UN and national and regional governements took part.
At the meeting a number of issues were placed high on the agenda. Amongst other things it was decided to lobby for green zones around holy places, solar panels on roofs plus car-free pilgrimage roads. Further it was decided to publish guides for environmentally sustainable pilgrimages. At the event a green guide to the Hajj was launched.
ARC estimates that app. 100 mil pilgrims take to the roads every year.