The Australian Salesian Missions Office has shown its dedication to protecting the environment by signing up with the Don Bosco Green Alliance.
To join the Alliance, the Salesian Missions Office had to make specific commitments indicating how they would protect and better the environment, for all people. The Missions Office has dedicated itself to:
- Supporting Salesian Communities in their efforts to care for the environment
- Combatting the amount of pollution generated at home and in its communities
- Eliminating the dependency on the wastefulness of disposable plastic
“The Earth is God’s creation,” said Br Michael Lynch, Director of Salesian Missions Australia, when explaining the move to sign up to the Alliance. “We have a responsibility for its care and sustainable development”
The Salesian Missions Office has already been working in several ways to foster a deeper appreciation of the environment with its partners, whether it be through establishing sustainable farming practices, construction using eco-friendly materials and so on.
By signing up to the Alliance, the Missions Office has solidified its commitment to environmentally friendly practices both at home and overseas
Of course, this move to go green has been something that Pope Francis has repeatedly stressed the importance of. He points out that inherently, protecting the environment is a cause of social justice and poverty-prevention, as environmental destruction hits the poorest in the world the hardest.
To name but a few examples, rising sea levels robs precious land from island nations of the Pacific. Climate change is responsible for ecological disasters striking throughout the already poverty-stricken area of South-East Asia. The ever-increasing demand of consumerism leads to the destruction of forests and habitats of native animals. All of these directly affect areas that the Missions Office already works tirelessly to alleviate poverty and suffering.
The Don Bosco Community in Sihanoukville, Cambodia has been hit by multiple disatrous floods in the past two months
The second flood hit hard, making the already immense recovery effort even harder.
The Don Bosco Green Alliance is an international collective of young people, open to any Salesian institution or organizations around the world. Its mission is “To create an environment that is safe and caring for all life on the planet, while building up a new generation of environmentally committed citizens and leaders”, which it does through developing and enacting actions, thoughts and policy.
It provides a worldwide network for exchange of ideas, resources and suggestions on how people can cut down their negative environmental impact. For more information, click here