April 23 – A vibrant display of plant-based Bhutanese cuisine took center stage in Thimphu as the Karzay Foundation celebrated Earth Day with a culinary competition promoting sustainable living. Hosted at the Bamboo House in the Trowa Theatre compound, the event brought together eight women participants and reflected this year’s theme, “Nourishing the Planet: Plant-Based Cooking for a Sustainable Future.”
At the event on April 22, Khenpo Losel Wangpo, who is overseeing the construction of the Druk Ugyen Samye Ling, a Buddhist spiritual center and monastery project planned within Gelephu Mindfulness City, emphasised the importance of respecting all living beings and encouraged a vegetarian lifestyle.
He stated that all beings on this planet deserve respect and compassion, and that living with kindness toward all forms of life is essential. “It is to abstain from taking life and avoid accumulating negative karma,” Khenpo Losel said, while appreciating the foundation for its efforts in advocating this cause.
The event brought together eight women competitors, all showcasing their skills in preparing a range of traditional Bhutanese dishes rooted in plant-based ingredients. The competition featured 16 distinct items, primarily varieties of curries and local delicacies, including ema datshi, kewa datshi, mushroom datshi, nakay datshi, and shukam datshi, alongside fresh preparations such as cucumber hogay, radish hogay, and steamed asparagus.
The diversity of dishes highlighted the richness of Bhutanese cuisine while reinforcing the foundation’s central message: that food can be both culturally authentic and environmentally conscious.
Four of the participants had undergone a two-week culinary training programme organized by the foundation, according to Kinley Kuenzang, Officiating Executive Director of the Karzay Foundation, who added that all competitors were women. The training aimed to promote plant-based cooking skills while encouraging sustainable dietary practices. Similar training programmes have been conducted across all 20 dzongkhags.
The Karzay Foundation—derived from a phrase meaning “pure food”—advocates for a plant-based lifestyle that avoids harm to animals and minimizes environmental impact. The initiative reflects a broader philosophy of living that emphasizes compassion, ethical responsibility, and harmony with nature.
“Our food choices are deeply connected to the kind of world we want to create,” Kinley Kuenzang said during the event. “Through initiatives like this, we hope to inspire individuals to reflect on the impact of their daily consumption.”
“Meat production is one of the leading contributors to climate change. It releases powerful greenhouse gases like methane, drives deforestation, uses large amounts of water, and pollutes our environment. So when we talk about protecting the Earth, we must also talk about our diets,” Kinley Kuenzang said.
“That is why we are organizing a vegetarian cooking competition. It shows that plant-based food is not only healthy and compassionate, but also a practical solution for a sustainable future. By choosing more plant-based meals—even a few times a week—we can reduce our carbon footprint, conserve water, and help protect our forests and biodiversity,” she said.
“This event is about inspiring people to see that small changes in our daily food choices can create a big positive impact on climate change. Nourishing the planet starts from our plate,” she added.
Founded as a grassroots movement, the Karzay Foundation continues to grow with support from members across Bhutan and beyond. It promotes awareness of the interconnectedness between diet, health, and the environment through advocacy, education, and community engagement.
The Earth Day celebration not only served as a platform for culinary expression but also as a reminder of the role individuals can play in fostering sustainability—one meal at a time.
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