Sangha members joined with over six million people in a Global Climate Strike on September 20, 2019, attending rallies upstate and in NYC and other locations. Led by young people and their supporters inspired by Greta Thunberg’s leadership, the strike was an urgent call to wake up and address the causes of our climate crisis and to ask that governments take the lead.

Greta herself arrived in New York to rally with youth and to address the United Nations Climate Summit the following week, which was a focus of the NYC action.

Starting early morning, the Brooklyn Earth Initiative group, led by Hojin Sensei, walked over the bridge to meet up with other Buddhist groups for liturgy, meditation and a silent walk to join youth at Foley Square.

The gathering of different sanghas was organized by the Buddhist Climate Action Coalition, a group of individuals from various sangha, including Fire Lotus Temple, ZCNYC.

Meanwhile upstate, Monastery residents and Earth Initiative sangha members led by Shugen Roshi gathered in Kingston, NY with local clergy, citizens, and youth, to call for an end to reliance on fossil fuels and other means of addressing the climate crisis.

Earth Initiative is a Dharma Action group in the Mountains and Rivers Order. EI meets regularly at the Temple and at the Monastery to address environmental justice, the climate crisis, and how to learn from and care for our great earth as dharma practice.