Participants took a few hours out of their weekend to plant trees and clean outdoor park spaces at parks across the region. The program was held at three different parks across Georgia, including Brook Run Park in Dunwoody, Blackburn Park in Atlanta, and Morgan Falls Overlook Park in Sandy Springs.
Taking care of the environment is critically important today with concerns about climate change, and relevant to our ethic of ensuring its sustainability. As Mawlana Hazar Imam said at the 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture ceremony, “The Holy Qur’an commands humankind to shape our earthly environment, as good stewards of the Divine Creation.”
“I feel that even when you are young, you can make a great impact on our planet. I believe in paying it forward; we live on this earth, it has taken care of us for so long, so I think it is time to give back,” said participant Aijaz Parpia.
An additional 150 I-CERV volunteers served across the Southeast region on this IVC-100 Day of Service, from cities such as Birmingham, Chattanooga, Spartanburg, Knoxville, and Nashville. Volunteers in these cities collaborated with local partners, including the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve in Spartanburg, Anchor Park in Knoxville, and Turnip Green Creative Reuse in Nashville.
The groups in Birmingham and Knoxville focused on beautifying their local green spaces by removing dead trees and trash, while groups in Chattanooga and Spartanburg focused on garden work by creating a bridge to help gardeners, and planting flowers in the local Jamatkhana. Members of the Nashville Jamat focused on the recycling aspect of sustainability by organizing recycled materials, a key component in getting these materials recycled correctly.
Over 40 trees were planted by 60 volunteers in Atlanta. The partnership between I-CERV and Trees Atlanta has spanned many years, as the organization’s mission aligns directly with the cause Ismaili Muslims across the Southeast also rally behind - the ethic of a sustainable environment.
James Moy, the Assistant Project Coordinator with the NeighborWoods Team of Trees Atlanta, gave more context about the program: “We work with community members and match them with volunteers to give them the resources to expand and conserve the forests in their neighborhoods. It is a great way to provide natural beauty, shade, safety from traffic, and more wildlife habitat in neighborhoods without cost to homeowners. It is great to come out on Saturday mornings like this and be with people who are out here to do good.”
As the IVC celebrates 100 years of service, this Day of Service is the perfect representation of the history of Ismaili Muslims coming together to give back to the community, and now to the environment. Over 750 volunteer hours were served by the Southeast region in one weekend, and volunteers hope to continue to promote sustainability in order to leave our surroundings better than we find it. The Aga Khan Development Network has also planted over 130 million trees around the world, placing the environment as a high priority, and one that the worldwide Jamat can point to with pride.
