Ananda Marga Gurukula supports the building of a global network of Master Units as the foundation of a universal and sustainable society, through research and education in all related areas. This new section of the Gurukula Network newsletter will be devoted to education about sustainable communities, agriculture, and economies. The focus will be on models of sustainable communities, including eco-villages and master units (Shrii P.R. Sarkar’s model to concretize a comprehensive sustainable community) which are helping us move together towards a brighter future for humanity and the planet Earth. The urgency of the current planetary crisis calls for a comprehensive plan for sustainability that not only acts locally through bioregional approaches, but acts globally to reduce violence to the environment and its people. Affordable oil resources are diminishing and the lower socioeconomic classes are increasingly disenfranchised. We must build a future that ensures equitable and proper utilization of all of our physical, mental, and spiritual resources. The greatest hope for replacing the current monopolistic / multinational economies, which are fossil fuel dependent, is the movement towards sustainable communities, self sufficient local economies and alternative energy. For sustainability at a global level we need a world government that controls violence, disease and environmental degradation while promoting an economy that serves the general welfare at the local and global levels. What follows in this issue are some introductory articles: one that applies Shrii Sarkar’s socioeconomic model of PROUT to sustainable communities, another that looks at family life and intentional communities, and a brief report on some innovative projects. In future issues we will have articles that focus on “Comprehensive Sustainability” and “Sustainable Agriculture”. We invite your suggestions and participation through articles on sustainable development and information on existing projects.
