Save Soil Starts With A Bang — 1
Whatever Sadhguru says or does these days becomes a controversy. So, when today he launched his #SaveSoil bike journey, some people already have gone nuts over it.
The noise actually started right after he announced about undertaking a 30,000 kilometers journey on a solo bike ride crossing Europe and Asia, trying to raise awareness of the bad health of soils across the world & potential desertification of the world among people and various countries’ governments, and how people can participate in bringing about laws / policy changes for promoting better soil health.
At the outset, this looks like a noble pursuit. So, why are some people having issues with this? Let’s look at a few objections raised.
Objection (1) He is starting a campaign every two years to make money
Let’s start with this as this could sway public opinion in a big way. And to correct the record, he is launching a campaign almost every year.
Did Sadhguru ask to raise money for his “Rally For Rivers” movement launched in 2017?
- NO
Did Sadhguru ask for money for his “Youth and Truth” campaign launched in 2018?
- NO
Did Sadhguru ask for money during his “Cauvery Calling” movement launched in 2020?
- Yes, but not for his rally. He was asking people to donate money for raising saplings for farmers. Some people tried to heckle Isha about it being a huge scam considering 242 crore trees and Rs 42 rupees per tree. However, it was clearly established in the High court of Karnataka that:
o Isha Outreach is the entity that is raising the funds
o The fund management is being done by a separate board
o There is no scam or anything wrong with the fundraising
- In a recent public statement from the Cauvery Calling team, they have openly declared the statistics regarding saplings distribution so far and what they are planning to do in the coming year.
- Many farmers have come forward and have shared that they have immensely benefited from the Cauvery Calling initiative.
Did Sadhguru ask for money for his “FreeTNTemples” campaign launched in 2021?
- NO
Did Sadhguru ask for money during his 2022 “Save Soil” movement that is just launched?
- NO
So, is there a scam in the making? If someone has concrete proof of it, they can always publish that. But until that time, there is nothing at all to prove a scam here.
Objection (2) He is claiming to save soil but will cause pollution by riding a bike
The first time I heard it, I could not believe someone has an objection to one person riding a bike in an attempt to raise awareness about our dying soil.
Has any such person even know the kind of pollution the vehicles in India are causing on a daily basis?
What is the typical CO2 emission for a typical passenger vehicle?
It is around 4.6 metric tons per year.
What is the CO2 emission for the bike that Sadhguru is going to drive?
It is < 4 metric tons for the entire distance and period of the rally.
Try this online pollution calculator for yourself:
Let’s look at the statistics related to vehicular pollution in Delhi alone.
So, is this Save Soil bike ridereally going to cause a lot of pollution? The single-person bike journey that Sadhguru is going to undertake does not even hold a candle to these vehicular pollution statistics of just one city in India, let alone the world.
It just does not make sense to even compare, especially looking at the kind of awareness about preserving the soil, that he is trying to raise among billions of people worldwide.
Objection (3) But he does not campaign against the Fertilizer companies
Well, well - this objection comes mainly from people who think doing protests is the way to get the world to change. Lets’s look at the hard facts.
- Does the common man even know about this soil health issue today?
NO
- Have the activists around the world been raising noise about pollution in the environment for decades?
YES
- Have people around the world changed because of the protests someone does for the environment?
NO
- Will the governments do anything that the common man does not know and will not ask their city or country leadership about?
NO
So, what will bring about long-term change in the situation? That is what Sadhguru is trying to do through this campaign, by rallying the public together for a common cause and bringing government policy changes across the world.
Once something gets established by law, it is easier to enforce and have everyone follow.
- Did banning single-use plastic happen due to protests?
NO
- What really really caused the public adoption of not using single-use plastic?
BAN BY THE GOVERNMENT UNDER A LAW
The Save Soil movement starts with a big bang. Will there be more controversies coming up? Is the situation of the soil really that bad? I will try to cover some of this in my future posts.
