Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, second only to water. It comes in many varieties: black, green, white, oolong, and herbal. Tea is celebrated for its health benefits, from antioxidants to its calming effects, and it continues to play a major role in global culture and commerce.

In recent decades, tea has experienced a revival in interest, with a growing market for specialty teas, such as artisanal blends, organic teas, and matcha. The modern-day global tea market is vast, and tea continues to evolve as both a daily beverage and a symbol of tradition, health, and innovation. It can solve 3 key problems, particularly in the Himalayas:

• Urban migration - young folks are moving to megacities in search of work which fragments the family and drives unsustainable urban growth

• Land degradation - abandoned farmland due to the fragmented family deteriorates into unusable dirt

• Climate change - increased droughts and floods trigger catastrophic landslides

Tea is one clear solution:

• Tea creates rural jobs and reverses urban migration

• Tea revitalizes wasted farmland and is an anchor crop for biodiversity

• Tea leaves drink CO2 which gets stored in their roots and removed from the atmosphere

• Tea is a gender economic equalizer -

• And the outcome of what my guest has started is aligned with many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Young Mountain Tea partners with farmers in North India to get a new factory up and running. Tea farmers, 90% being women, will launch their region’s first community-owned tea factory. This factory will be a blueprint for a model of sustainable change in the tea industry, eventually throughout the Himalayas and the world.

Building A Sustainable Future For Himalayan Farmers And Their Families is truly a social enterprise.

For more information, go to:

www.youngmountaintea.com

Finding inner peace is a process that leads to a practice; there are important rituals that guide us in self-discovery. Derived from the Sanskrit word for “circle”, the Mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the universe. It is a sacred art form that connects us to our inner selves and the world around us. Their profound wisdom and tranquil messages, serve as a powerful medium to contemplate and find peace within.

Mandalas are typically circles with repeating symmetrical shapes, and are considered a sacred symbol. In Sanskrit, mandala translates to “sacred center” or “circle.” Mandalas symbolize harmony and unity, and represent that everything is connected.

Pema Chodron, the incredible American-born Tibetan Buddist and ordained nun who is soulful and wise shared, “Each person’s life is like a mandala – a vast, limitless circle. We stand in the center of our own circle, and everything we see, hear, and think forms the mandala of our life.”

I love that imagery.

One organization has discovered that bringing in the concept of inner peace through an evidenced-based curriculum using the Mandala as a cornerstone enables youth to build and strengthen their capacity to manage stress and conflict in new ways, giving them lifelong skills that serve to build a more compassionate society. Building that society begins with our youth.

Tools for Peace is a mental wellness program for youth that provides curricula to grow compassionate minds.

Their Mission is to inspire kindness and compassion in everyday life. Their mindfulness-based social-emotional learning programs support mental health, academic and professional success, and community health and wellbeing. Studies show that the Tools for Peace curriculum improves focus, conflict resolution skills, and confidence, and reduces stress in participants.

For more information, please check their website for more information:

www.toolsforpeace.org

Investing in youth and education aligns directly with Sustainable Development Goal # 4 (Quality Education) and indirectly fuels several others like Decent Work and Economic Growth (goal # 8) and Reduced Inequalities (goal # 10). This perspective reinforces how crucial it is to view sustainability as not just environmental, but deeply tied to social and economic development.

It takes a village is a common expression, used by so many to essentially mean…we all need to lift one another up to attain the most robust society for long-term sustainability

Lifting up any society often begins with opportunities that offer economic sustainability - those opportunities can only be realized when individuals are schooled and trained. If we don’t invest in our youth, we are essentially saying that the next generation isn’t worth the investment…what does that say about sustainability? What does that say about building competition that creates a landscape of creativity and forward-thinking products and services?

Domestic violence and Early pregnancies among young girls are rampant in communities and are caused by poverty and unemployment forcing families to lack basic needs.

Dependable Youth Initiative Uganda is a registered Community non-governmental organization committed to empowering youth and women through vocational skill building, agri-business, Gender rights and equality, environment conservation, and reproductive health education.

Please check out their website: https://dyinitiative.org/