Don Bosco Green Alliance - Take Action now!

EAO Good Night Talk (68)                           

Cebu, Philippines

           1 November 2019

                                                                                                            

Don Bosco Green Alliance – take action now!

                                                                 

Dear Friends and Salesian Family members,

 

    Receive my heartfelt greetings from Cebu, starting the last full month of 2019 animation visits. Since last July I was surprised by the growing sensitivity to the environment, care for our ‘common house’. In secular society this is about ‘environmental care or climate change activism’ and for the Catholic community it is about following the beautiful encyclical Laudato si’.

 

   All the participants at the local Past Pupils of Don Bosco Congress in Dili, Timor Leste, last October wore a Green T-shirt. When the senior Past Pupils were asked what it signified, they talked about the colour of Hope, but the juniors were rather clear about Green as the Colour of the Environment, care for the protection of nature! And we realise that among the 200 members of the ‘Don Bosco Green Alliance’ are members in Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam and the Philippines. As you may know, this grass-root Salesian movement ‘Don Bosco Green Alliance’ came into existence in May 2018. Today, there are no less than 200 registered member organisations from 50 different countries. On the website (https://donboscogreen.org) you can immediately see the simple but action-centered priority areas with simple and very concrete goals:

 

      Combating pollution - Reducing global warming - Eliminating disposable plastic

 

    Wherever we encourage our youth to aim for simple but meaningful environmental care-related action, there is a good response. Until now, even without a special campaign, already 15 Salesian institutions from 7 EAO provinces have registered with the Don Bosco Green Alliance and a good number of our houses are raising awareness and encouraging environment-related action in most of our provinces.

  

    But you may ask: What is the added value, if we already ‘do something’ for the environment in our education institutions? It looks simply like the energy inspired by any movement – yet, young people feel that they are part of something bigger: a world-wide Salesian network and a global cause of saving creation. They are also inspired and learn from similar action happening in other countries. With their youthful enthusiasm they might also encourage others to participate. Thanks to this movement related to one of the major global issues of our times, our youth are also engaging their parents, mentors and Salesian family members! Be inspired by Don Bosco Green Alliance!                                                     

 

Fr. Václav Klement, SDB

EAO Regional Councillor