Colombo students’ practical advice to protect the environment by eliminating plastic bags
About 2,000 women and girls took part in a six-kilometre march to back Pope Francis’s Laudato si’ encyclical, which speaks about social justice. Sri Lanka is among the five countries that pollute oceans the most. Developing best practices in school can be passed on in the family.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – About 2,000 students, teachers and alumni from the Holy Family Convent School, a Catholic school for girls, took part in a six-kilometre march in Bambalapitiya, Colombo, to send a clear message to society about the need "to protect the environment and heal Mother Earth".
The students (click here for video) have identified the best practices for protecting the world in which we live, starting with the elimination of plastic bags and polyethylene.
School principal Sr Deepa Fernando said that the march on 10 September was organised by the Alumni Association (PPA) with the goal of raising the visibility of the message of Pope Francis’s Laudato si’ encyclical, which "does not only speak about the environment, but also about social justice.”
“The pope clearly said that many acts of destruction of the environment are man-made, the result of human activities. He further said that this is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible; otherwise, children will no longer have a place to live."
Every year, students come together to march, but this year they wanted to make it even more of a "special" event, offering practical solutions and acting as agents of change.
"Being a Catholic school, we have a responsibility to respond to the Holy Father, the head of the Catholic Church,” the principal said. “His encyclical sent such a strong message that we cannot remain silent in the face of the destruction of our society."
Although "We live in a developing country that needs development, our mega projects are not eco-friendly,” Sr Deepa explained. “Indeed, they are negatively affecting the lives of the poor and the marginalised. Entrepreneurs are motivated by selfish motives and do not have a long-term view when engaging in such projects. They do not think about the future of generations to come."
"We want to do our part,” she added, “and shall not use plastic bags any more in everyday activities. We want to set an example for our children and we have planted a tree in the garden of our school."
For Alumni Association president Gowrie Indraratna, the ultimate goal is "to create a large forest. Hence, we are handing out 2,000 plants to the schoolchildren.”
However, the work does not end with the march. "Our message must go further,” she added. “We are among the five countries that pollute the world’s oceans the most. We want students to spread the message of ‘No more plastic bags' even at home. We do not want them to come to school with plastic bottles, bags or lunch boxes anymore."
Some former students, now mothers, "will take the message to their home. As a woman and mother, I too shall pursue this initiative as much as I can. I believe in the philosophy of 'small drops of water that make the ocean mighty’."
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