The temperatures were hovering just above freezing. The dozens of people gathered at Alvarado Park in Albuquerque that cold November morning in 2019 had come together for a very special purpose: to plant five trees. Participants from Jewish, Christian and Sikh traditions witnessed the sacred event hosted by the Albuquerque Sikh Gurudwara and the City of Albuquerque.
The planting ceremony also had a very important spiritual purpose: a celebration of Guru Nanak’s 550th Birth Anniversary. These were the first five of 550 trees that the Albuquerque Sikh community is planning to plant over the next several months. In this video, community leader Kulmeet Singh offers an introduction.
According to the Sikh Gurudwara’s Facebook page, several other trees were planted in December 2019.
Forest of Bliss Campaign
In addition to the trees planted last year, the Sikh community–which is a participant in the local interfaith Forest of Bliss campaign–planted another five trees in the International District in April.
Other faith communities have joined in the effort to plant trees around Albuquerque. The Dialogue Institutute of the Southwest, which represents the local Turkish Muslim community, has set a goal of planting 284 trees locally. Congregation Albert has also planted some trees near the bosque. The goal, including the plantings by the Sikh and Muslim communities, is to introduce 1,000 new trees in Albuquerque.
As part of the Forest of Bills campaign, trees will be planted in the fall and trees in people’s yards or at houses of worship and religious schools can also assist the project total. Send tree planting info to carlos@nm-ipl.org.