We do not raise funds, sell anything or charge for services. The Green Pilgrim is an entirely based on the spirit of volunteerism.
We must be responsible global citizens. There is no question about it. Start from your home but remember as guests of Imam Hussain (a), our responsibility multiplies and we must be very thoughtful of our impact on these holy lands as visitors.
The government there went through a constant crisis and still struggles to stabilize itself and make its departments more effective but we don’t really need anyone to tell us to be mindful of what we should do.
The Holy Shrines are home for each of us as these are the lands of our Imam(a). If we feel that, then we are equally responsible for its cleanliness and preservations.
Refilling stations are not common. You can refill from in and around shrines. Some hotels also provide drinkable water in dispensers. Please talk to your group leaders to arrange this for you before you travel.
There are many automatic dispensers which may be costly initially but can save continuous investment in generating loads of plastic waste. Cheap solution could be large water coolers with multiple taps, volunteers can also refill bottles quickly using jugs. There are some steps that the local government needs to take and some steps that the pilgrims need to work on then only we will be able to come up with an effective solution. We would love to hear how you address this issue.
