A Seva for the Earth
(Life and Environment)
On the first Sunday of every month the youth organize the Seva “Gite con Alchimia” (Trips with Alchimia). This month they chose to start a project for environmental awareness which was written in India during the World Youth Meet 2017 and was inspired by Mrs. Karuna Gopal’s workshop. They shared it with disabled people and on March 4, 2018 organized a visit to the exhibition about dinosaurs. The extinction of the dinosaurs made them think about the impact of the environmental changes on plant and animal life and about the impact of human actions on environmental changes; especially on how some human actions can endanger life on the planet.
The visit began with a short introduction to the project and to the exhibition. This introduction was prepared by a volunteer and it was about the story of the Earth during the geological eras. It helped the participants to understand the influences of environmental changes on life -- its development and its extinction.
At the end of the visit they sat together to share their ideas and personal reflections. These were very meaningful. One person expressed that everything that happens all around the word, can also have some effect in Italy. Another person said that where the environment is concerned; human kind, in some way, is still primitive in spite of its technology. Another one said that people have houses and a lot of useful things thanks to deforestation; but how will everyone be able to survive without the forests?
There were many solutions offered, each of which is excellent food for thought: buying products with fewer packaging during shopping; doing recycling of garbage to avoid environmental pollution. The relationship with the environment concerns both, knowing how to deal with natural phenomena (such as earthquakes) without fear, and learning to live conscientiously in the world without damaging the environment. Everyone contributed to the discussion as best as they could and proposed a solution towards the protection of land, environment and the planet which, in fact, is home to all!
«One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have. » Albert Einstein
