Hindu campaigners in push to encourage eco-careers

Hindu campaigners in push to encourage eco-careers

Hindu Climate Action (HCA) is urging more south Asians who follow the faith to take up careers in the environment sector and build up their own grassroots efforts.

Co-founder Priya Koria said: "There are certain career paths which people think they should be doing such as medicine, dentistry or engineering."

HCA has more than 500 members and has run 30 events in the past year.

The recent workshop, which was organised with the National Hindu Students Forum (NHSF) UK highlighted careers such as wildlife photography and environmental consultancy and sustainable engineering.

Ms Koria, from Bristol, said the "arts or even environmental sciences ... feel less accessible" and encouraged people to do different courses ranging from free learning to Masters, adding it would not do anybody's career "any harm”.

The group also encourage students to do simple tasks to help them take positive action.

"We had a pyramid of climate challenges - ranging from cooking a vegan meal or up-cyling an item," said Ms Koria.

"Through HCA I've met so many amazing people, groups doing work similar to ours or doing completely different work to us.

One of those attending the workshop was music graduate Aashna Patel, 22, from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire who graduated from the University of Bristol earlier this year.

She switched her career goals from music performance to environmental policy after volunteering for Hindu Climate Action and attending the career workshop.

Hindu Climate Action network has also partnered with South Asians for Sustainability, which was set up in January by Vibhati Bhatia, 25, from Birmingham who was on the career workshop panel.

"We really want to reach out to south Asian businesses and business owners, community organisations, and religious organisations and make sustainability relatable to every south Asian."

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-57803897

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