Let us provide a safe place to live
for our children and to our grand children.
World Environment day was designated by the United Nations General
Assembly in 1972 on June 5th with the motto of aiding to the
environmental issues and concerns of the world and spreading
awareness about the necessity to save environment. 'Connecting
People to Nature' is the theme for World Environment Day 2017 which
implores us to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its
beauty and its importance, and to take forward the call to protect
the Earth that we share.
The statistics available clearly note that Carbon dioxide (CO2)
emission has increased at an alarming rate in India leading to harsh
consequences. With 17 percent of world population, India contributes
about 5 percent of human-sourced carbon dioxide emission. India
emits about 1.6 tons of carbon dioxide per person per year. The
urban/semi-urban areas in India generates over 0.1 million tonnes of
solid waste every day - 36.5 million tonnes annually.
In his encyclical letter on ecology 'Laudato Si', Pope Francis
emphasizes the need of Environmental education at all levels. Yet
this education, he points out, aimed at creating an "ecological
citizenship" and encouraging a "culture of care", is at times
limited to providing information, and fails to instill good habits.
He exhorts each individual to engage in ways of acting which
directly and significantly affect the world around us, such as
avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption,
separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed,
showing care for other living beings, using public transport or
car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights, or any
number of other practices. There is nobility in the duty to care for
creation through little daily actions. (Laudato Si 210 & 211 & 231)
Contributing its mite in line with Laudato Si and to country's
efforts, VIMUKTI has been engaging its member institutions in
environmental friendly efforts. It has so far mobilized and
facilitated People, Youths, and Children in its working area to
protect the nature and encourage them by distributing saplings
freely. This year Vimukti has encouraged to plant 1000 plants in
various schools and public place to make the surroundings clean and
green. The Vimukti staff planted the saplings in front of the
Vimukti office to mark the event.
Each community, each individual has the duty to protect the earth
and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations while taking
from the bounty of the earth whatever one needs for subsistence.
Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic
question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs
to those who will follow us. (Laudato Si 67,159)
Dear readers, let us start connecting ourselves to nature……
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