Bhubaneswar: Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG), an outfit engaged in activities related to peace, culture, education and sustainability, in collaboration with Odisha University of Technology and Research (OUTR), organised an exhibition ‘Seeds of Hope and Action (SOHA) Exhibition: Making the SDGs a Reality’ here Monday. The exhibition, which aims to showcase how an individual’s action can reduce the effects of climate change, was inaugurated by OUTR VC Bibhuti Bhusan Biswal, along with BSG representatives. Speaking on the occasion, Biswal said, “While factors like regulation, technology and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding are driving sustainability today, they are not enough in themselves. A transformation is required at the deepest level of human life – bringing mindfulness and consideration towards others at the forefront in our day-to-day life – be it towards other humans, animals, birds, environment, laws and institutions. This transformation is what Sustainable Human Behaviour (SHB) is all about, the core focus of all sustainability activities undertaken by BSG.” “Technology alone cannot undo what it has created.
Policies can be effective only when people follow them. People are at the heart of everything. It is people’s behaviour which will determine whether the society will flourish on a sustainable basis,” he added. The SOHA exhibition is a joint initiative of the Soka Gakkai International and the Earth Charter International. The exhibition encourages viewers to overcome feelings of powerlessness and highlights the fact that a single individual can initiate positive change. It further urges viewers to adopt SHB as a way of life.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP