EcoSangha Committee
2013 Annual Report
HISTORY:
Karen Akahoshi founded the San Jose Betsuin EcoSangha Committee in 2008. The mission statement &
facility use guidelines were written by EcoSangha & approved by the Betsuin Board of Directors. The
inaugural Betsuin Earth Day was held on May 3, 2009. Earth Day guest speaker, Rev. Don Castro of the
Seattle Betsuin & founder of EcoSangha at Seattle University in early 2008, inspired us with these words,
“To be a Buddhist is to be both an ecologist and conservationist.” Permission from Rev. Castro allowed
the committee to use the same name, EcoSangha, as well as our EcoSangha logo.
MISSION STATEMENT:
As Buddhists, the EcoSangha of the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin recognizes that we are
interdependent with all life. From this position of Oneness, we ask what we can do for our
environment. Our goals are to promote:
* understanding of the inherent ecological nature of Buddhism
* ecologically friendly behavior through the established guidelines
* recognition of the profound implications of our behavior on future generations
All affiliated organizations and groups/individuals using the San Jose Betsuin facilities
are given guidelines. These guidelines encourage the use of:
1) paper products rather than Styrofoam or plastic
2) compostable utensils and non-plastic bags
3) bamboo chopsticks (sustainable) rather than wood
4) tap water rather than bottled water
5) appropriately labeled containers for recycling
6) recyclable products & washable plates & utensils
7) eco-friendly cleaning products
ACTIVITiES for 2013:
EcoSangha hosted its 5th annual Earth Day on Sunday, May 5, 2013. Earth Day speaker was Rev.
Gerald Sakamoto, San Jose Betsuin Minister and Ecologist. This year, for the first time, the Earth Day
service ran from 9:30 am – 10:15 am, fifteen minutes longer to allow time to award the winners of the
2013 Earth Day Art Contest. At 10:15 am, Dharma School students & teachers were excused to the
annex to participate in pre-assigned Earth Day stations. Grades kindergarten through high school, were
assigned to three age appropriate stations each. A bullhorn sounded the end of one station and signaled
the move to the next station.
The committee wrote a list of Q & A’s to help teachers and parents
anticipate and facilitate discussion of Earth Day activities. Maps of the Earth Day stations were created
to help everyone locate each station. This year, Aquaponics, Seed Pots & Worm Composting were
located outdoors in the BBQ area. Adults attended an abbreviated adult service and joined the Earth Day
activities at 11:00 am.
The Earth Day stations were: Aquaponics, Ecopia Farms, Newspaper Seed Pots, Worm Composting,
Cycles of Change DVD, T-shirt Totes, Hovercrafts, & Arts & Crafts from recycled materials such as old
CD’s. kamaboko boards, toilet paper/paper towel rolls, egg cartons, old t-shirts, etc. Crafts included bird
houses, hovercrafts, snake craft and paper roll looms. Ecopia Farms is a sustainable indoor urban farm
located in Campbell and they provided microgreens for tasting. Rev. Sakamoto’s aquaponics is a multitank, fully operational ecosystem where fish, bacteria and plants form a mutually beneficial relationship.
In addition to other vegetables, napa cabbage was grown aquaponically to make kim chee.
Our main fundraising was at the Earth Day event by selling musubi, raffle tickets, reusable chopsticks &
eco bags. This year, we hope to raise additional funds through our recycling program.
EcoSangha
participated in the 2013 Dana Project by collecting recyclables for cash, such as ink cartridges, old cell
phones, etc., After the Dana Project, EcoSangha will continue to collect the same items to raise funds for
Earth Day activities.
This year, the committee took a tour of a recycling plant in Milpitas, a tour and gourmet lunch at Ecopia
Farms in Campbell, and a tour of Ouroboros, an aquaponics farm in Pescadero, CA.
The committee has 17 members & 15 friends of EcoSangha (FOES). Rinban Fujimoto & Reverend
Sakamoto serve as our advisors. The committee coordinates with Steve Sorakubo, Dharma School
Superintendent.
Jeanne Nakano
October 30, 2013