According to the vedic culture there are seven kinds of mothers for everyone human being. Mother Earth is one of them. Therefore, it is incumbent up on everyone to treat Earth respect and love. Mother Earth is described in different ways in Vedas. She is called:
Dharani – One who holds everyone and everything
Dhatri – One who nurses everyone
Vasudha – One who gives a place for living
and so on. Every morning when we get up from bed and before placing our feet on Earth, we chant the following prayer for forgiveness to please Mother Earth.
samudra vasane Devi
parvata sthana mandite
Visnupatni namastubyam
pada sparsam samaksva me
O Mother Earth, who’s breasts are the mountains and who is dressed by the oceans, O consort of Lord Visnu, I am touching you with my feet, please forgive me.
Our Zero Waste lifestyle is a natural consequence of such personal understanding of Mother Earth. As practitioners of Krishna Conscious philosophy we understand that we should live in such a way that we are in harmony with nature.
Therefore, responsible handling of all types of waste and converting it to value which enriches Mother Earth is a logical extension to our life style.