ISNA Green Initiative pledges to award mosques with the “Best Green Ramadan” prize
By The ISNA Green Initiative Team
Mar/Apr 2024
For the past ten years, the ISNA Green Initiative Team (hereinafter “team”) has been encouraging mosques, Islamic centers, schools, homes and individuals to adopt environmentally friendly practices. The site energystar.gov has recognized ISNA as an Energy Star Success Story.
As Muslims, we know that the blessed month of Ramadan has many layers of significance, among them the revelation of the Quran’s first verses and the bestowal of prophethood upon Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). During this month, Muslims are not just required to fast from food and drink but are also instructed to engage in spiritual contemplation by focusing on self-improvement and increased worship, as well as practice self-restraint, sacrifice, empathy for the less fortunate and abandon wasteful practices ( Quran 6:141).
The team encourages the leadership of Muslim institutions to form a “green team” that can guide their community toward more eco-conscious practices. Ramadan is a great time to give up bad habits and begin new ones. This team can be instrumental in getting youth involved in creating awareness and educating members about the significance of observing a greener Ramadan.
It’s not easy to change habits, but with some perseverance the Islamic Center of Evansville, Ind., has had some success. For example, no plastic water bottles are allowed during iftar and other community events. Attendees have become more mindful about minimizing food waste. And, they installed solar panels to reduce their carbon footprint and received EPA Energy Certification in 2022. It also received the IPL “Cool Congregations” runner-up award of $500.
“Your mosque is one of only 130 congregations to have achieved ENERGY STAR certification for their worship facilities,” said Jerry Lawson (national manager, Small Business and Congregations, EPA). “This is out of 39,368 total U.S. facilities certified, and out of about 400,000 U.S. worship facilities.”
Ramadan is a great time to remember our responsibility to care for and protect Earth, which, by God’s grace, provides the food we need to sustain a healthy life. Interacting mindfully with our environment and within our ecosystem is a manifestation of faith. As we fast, let’s reaffirm our sense of self-restraint, ethics of conservation and accountability to make this Ramadan both spiritually and practically better.
To celebrate the tenth Green Ramadan Campaign, ISNA will be awarding $500, $300 and $200 to three mosques that exemplify the best Green Ramadan. The relevant details will be communicated through ISNA’s digital media. In recognition of this effort, the team, through the courtesy of Pen and Ink Pot Foundation, will also plant a tree on your behalf at a place needing trees. Your Islamic center or mosque will also receive a certificate of achievement. After Ramadan ends, please email your contact information and details of your Green Ramadan to isnagreenmasjid@gmail.com.
Let’s be the change we want to see in the world by turning eco-friendly practices into habits that will allow us to live in a more merciful, compassionate and caring way, so that we “walk upon Earth gently” (25:63).
Fourteen Tips to Make Your Ramadan Greener
• Reduce food waste. Eat more fruit and vegetables and less meat. Get as much local produce as possible. Remember that the Prophet ate mostly grains, dates, water, milk, honey, vegetables and fruit.
• Take only what you can finish, eat moderately and repurpose leftovers for the next day’s iftar so that food isn’t thrown away. The Prophet said, “The son of Adam cannot fill a vessel worse than his stomach, as it is enough for him to take a few bites to straighten his back. If he cannot do it, then he may fill it with a third of his food, a third of his drink, and a third of his breath” (“Sunan al-Tirmidhi” 2380)
• Recycle materials, especially plastic water bottles, which take a very long time to decompose and now make up 25-30% of our landfills. Bring your own reusable water bottle to iftar and taraweeh. Avoid using plastic disposable bottles, as an estimated 80% of them are not recycled.
• Avoid all Styrofoam® plates and cups at iftar parties, as they are nonrecyclable and non-biodegradable. Never warm styrofoam in the microwave, as doing so can release toxic fumes.
• Place recycling bins in your mosque so people don’t trash all the fundraising fliers and extra literature distributed in Ramadan.
• Replace light bulbs with energy-saver LEDs and schedule your facility for an energy-efficiency audit. Consider installing solar panels, using light sensors and carpooling when possible. Driving with a friend can keep you more accountable for taraweeh and ease parking issues at the mosque.
• Reduce water use. Use low flow, Energy-Star plumbing fixtures, install water fixture sensors, conserve water even while making wudu’ and use warm to cold water for laundry. As we learn in the hadith, “Never waste water, even if you are at a running stream” (“Sunan Ibn Majah 425”).
• Consider planting trees and vegetable gardens at home and at the mosque. Start a vegetable garden with soil or hydroponics, a type of horticulture that enables crops or medicinal plants to grow without soil by using water-based mineral nutrient solutions. “Any Muslim who plants a tree or sows seeds and then a bird or a person or an animal eats from it is regarded as having given a charitable gift” (“Sahih al-Bukhari” 2320).
• Strive for a healthy mind, body and spirit. Follow prophetic medicine tips. Buy fair trade products, get daily Vitamin D from sunlight and stay hydrated. Avoid foods with a high concentration of preservatives, sugars, oils and salt.
• Reconnect with nature and inhale the beauty of God’s creation while reminding yourself to walk gently on Earth.
• Celebrate this month by joining civic activities, volunteering at homeless shelters, collecting food for food pantries, joining community social projects, inviting non-Muslims to community and home iftars and taking care of Muslim inmates. Find ways for children and youth to participate in age-appropriate Ramadan activities. For instance, they can be “Green Ambassadors” during community dinners.
• Ask your imam to deliver at least one Friday khutba on conserving and protecting the environment and contributing to the greater social good.
• On Eid, gift experiences instead of just more stuff. Your loved ones might enjoy indoor skydiving or a visit to an ice cream museum rather than more cakes and home decor.
• If you do exchange gifts, opt for reusable gift bags and boxes to avoid wasting wrapping paper.
Find out more at ISNA Green Initiative – Islamic Society of North America
ISNA’s Green Initiative Team includes Huda Alkaff, Saffet Catovic, Nana Firman, Uzma Mirza and Saiyid Masroor Shah (chair).
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