
Dates
September 22, 2024
28th Annual Conference of the International Environment Forum
Building Futures in Communities
Report of the third event, 22 September 2024
Panelists reported and reflected on various local projects aimed at enhancing environmental sustainability and human well-being. These initiatives include a reforestation project in Iceland, community gardening in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, agricultural and environmental education in Colombia, and relief work following recent flooding in Brazil. They offered real-life experiences and insights related to Baha'i-inspired approaches for social action.
Scroll down for a summary by Nava Khorram, individual presentations, and speaker biographies.
Panelists:
LEONG Lau Kheng Janice, senior member of the Baha'i community in Singapore, social activist
Halldór Thorgeirsson, Chair Icelandic Climate Council, Iceland
Ayman Reyhan, Cluster Coordinator for the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program in Ajman, UAE
Amelia Hedley, undergraduate student of English, did an internship with FUNDAEC in Colombia
Lucas Umpierre Conter, biomedical scientist with PhD in Molecular and cellular biology, Brazil
Louisa Yazdani, Psychologist, therapist for individuals and families, Brazil
André Akhavan, physician specialized in anesthesiology and pain medicine, Brazil
Moderator: Peter Adriance, former Representative for Sustainable Development, U.S. Baha'i Office of Public Affairs, retired
Summary by Nava Khorram Ahmad, LLM
The event “Building Futures in Communities” highlighted the significance of Baha'i-inspired initiatives in addressing environmental challenges through reforestation, gardening, and social action. Central to these efforts were virtues like patience, collaboration, and a profound sense of responsibility toward nature, all serving as the foundation for sustainable, long-term change.
In Singapore, Janice Leong’s community garden project, initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, exemplified how local efforts could foster intergenerational connections and inspire a deep love for the environment. Emphasizing the importance of collaboration across different age groups, her initiative aimed to cultivate a greener and more sustainable future. Similarly, Ayman Reyhan from the UAE shared the success of a gardening initiative that brought together a multicultural neighborhood, nurturing community bonds and promoting environmental stewardship. The discussion also touched on the response to climate disasters, with a focus on Brazil, where the Baha'i community’s systematic approach to empowerment and collaboration facilitated a swift and effective mobilization of resources. This demonstrated the strength of community-based resilience in the face of crisis.
By integrating both material and spiritual elements, these projects fostered a sense of ownership and responsibility, empowering communities to lead their own development. Many panelists reflected on the initial hesitation and concerns within their communities, which eventually turned into widespread support. This evolution highlighted the essential roles of patience, persistence, and collaboration in achieving meaningful progress, and suggested a future where small, community-driven efforts could contribute to larger societal transformations.
Individual Presentations
LEONG LAU KHENG, JANICE: COMMUNITY GARDENING IN SINGAPORE ENGAGES YOUTH AND SENIORS
The passion of gardening and love of mother nature inspired me to write to the National Parks, Singapore to grant us a piece of land next to the school at the edge of the park to plant fruit trees, grow vegetables and medicinal herbal plants. We affectionately call our garden Ridvan Garden@Mount Emily and we are are Google Maps. We started the project during Covid in May 2021. We share the fruits of our labour with volunteers and kindergarden children for the work they did. The focus is on education. We reuse car tyres for pots, friends in the community bring their kitchen waste for composting and we recycle twigs and,large branches as support structures. We also work with community partners to collect egg shells, spent coffee, soya bean, banana peel, orange peel to make soil probiotics and natural fertilisers. We host devotional gatherings and picnics where we serve herbal drinks from medicinal plants and share the seeds provided by National Parks.
HALLDÓR THORGEIRSSON: RESTORING THE LAND AND NURTURING THE SOUL: REFORESTATION EFFORT IN ICELAND
The Icelandic Bahá'í community has continued land restoration efforts started around 1950 by one of the pioneers of reforestation efforts in Iceland and one of the early Bahá'ís in Iceland. The site in Skógar in Þorskafjörður is exposed and windswept and growing conditions are quite challenging. Patience and determination has made it possible to transform the site. The priority is now shifting towards building paths and bridges to make the site more accessible to the general public, including the birth place of one of the nation's most beloved poets and author of the national anthem. Formal reforestation agreements have been made with the government agency Land and Forest Iceland and with the Icelandic Road Administration.
AYMAN REYHAN: CULTIVATING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AND FOSTERING BONDS WITH NATURE THROUGH A LOCAL GARDEN
The idea for a community garden in our urban neighborhood originated from a suggestion by a member of our junior youth spiritual empowerment group. Our neighborhood in Ajman, UAE, consists of many residential buildings around a central common area. While this space is functional, it lacks natural elements that foster a connection with the environment. In my talk, I will highlight the importance of increasing community awareness and rekindling our relationship with nature. By exploring gardening as a way to bring people together and work towards a shared goal, this project can strengthen community ties and create a greener, more connected neighborhood.
AMELIA HEDLEY: PREPARATION FOR SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAM IN COLOMBIA
This talk will explore key insights from the experience of engaging the community in a process of spiritual and social transformation through the PSA in Colombia. The PSA program is an education program focused on the role that integrative education (both intellectual and spiritual) can empower communities to learn how to apply the concepts and knowledge to address local needs. The talk shares experiences of promoting and growing the program and the role that the agricultural and environmental education aspect of the program plays in addressing the needs of the region of Cauca, Colombia.
EFFECTS OF COMMUNITY BUILDING ON THE APPROACH TO A CLIMATE DISASTER IN RIO GRANDE DU SUL, BRAZIL
We are fortunate to have three speakers for this topic, each one highlighting a specific aspect:
LUCAS UMPIERRE CONTER, LOUISA YAZDANI, AND ANDRÉ AKHAVAN:
In May 2024, the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul was affected by the worst floods in its history, displacing around 600,000 people from their homes in a matter of days. Baha’i-inspired community building efforts had been underway for years in areas neighboring the floods. These neighboring areas were severely affected by the incoming flow of people seeking shelter, by water-borne illnesses and shortages of food, water and electricity. We describe how conditions created by previous community building efforts allowed for a more effective response to the climate crisis. A collective sense of belonging, a deeper understanding of the connections between individual and collective well-being, an active approach to problem-solving, close ties between neighboring families and a habit of visiting each other allowed for rapid assessments of a very dynamic situation, identification of needs, dissemination of accurate information, and harboring a sense of hope.
Speaker biographies
![]() LEONG Lau Kheng, Janice is an active senior member in the Bahai Community in Singapore, engaged deeply in social action and building vibrant communities in her neighbourhood. She previously worked in Cisco Systems Singapore, NCS, the Info Communication Technology arm of Singapore Telecom holding senior positions providing Smart government and IT solutions in Hong Kong, India, China, Australia, and Malaysia. Upon retirement, she also helped in ICT consultancy work and in a social entrepreneur company Angels of Impact to help women entrepreneurs in the region to improve the lives of their communities by offering technical expertise and financial governance support to entrepreneurs.
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To see other events of the 28th Annual Conference, go here.

Last updated 3 October 2024