CEST, Chile continues to establish a culture of Care for the Planet

From March 18 to 22, and within the framework of Water Day, CEST (Centro Educativo Salesianos Talca) in Chile held the Week of Planet Care, whose objective was to motivate students and families to be protagonists of concrete actions or tasks that tend to the care and preservation of the planet, emphasizing the respect and care that should be taken with our environment.

During this week, activities were developed with students of all modalities, which promoted awareness of environmental care, where the first step should be their home and school. The kindergarten students worked in tree modes, and participated in a play called "aventura eco-amigable" (eco-friendly adventure); in the basic education modality, they worked with drawings alluding to the environment. The elementary school students worked with drawings alluding to environmental care as a way to prepare works in the subject of language, whose theme was the care of the planet. And for all the teaching modalities, a special Good Morning was held in the framework of Water Day, where a video was presented on the relevance of caring for the environment.

Nicolás Ulloa, science teacher and head of the Environmental Care Committee, recalled that the environment is the surroundings centered on the biodiversity of species, which include natural and artificial elements that are related to each other and can be seen in the environment, and that can be modified by human behavior. Hence, the importance of raising awareness of the importance of the care of the Planet.

At the Good Morning on March 20 at the North Campus and March 21 at the South Campus, emphasis was placed on the spirituality of the environment and the challenges facing Centro Educativo Salesianos Talca. At the North Campus, the message was given by professors Carla Farías and Jimena Rojas; and at the South Campus by Professor Francisco Sepúlveda, who pointed out that the spirituality of the environment invites us to recognize the interconnection between all forms of life and the environment that surrounds us.

"It reminds us that every tree, every river and every creature are manifestations of divine love and creativity.  In contemplating the beauty and diversity of creation, we can find a path to a greater understanding of our relationship with God and the world we inhabit.”

This spirituality challenges us to look beyond our own needs and to consider the well-being of the entire community of life. This year the challenge is to achieve the carbon footprint certification in Chile, which implies hard work in different areas of life, starting with the attitude of wanting to take care of the environment. This will be a joint work of all members of the educational community. As an immediate action, the educational community was invited to answer the survey sent to the mails from the Environmental Care Committee.

This week is an incentive to start the year by making the entire educational community aware of the importance of caring for the planet. With the aim of installing a culture of environmental care, it was reminded that the work of environmental care in the CEST continues, ensuring the correct use of the clean point, not to pollute with waste that does not correspond, to generate waste and avoid excessive formation of garbage; and disseminate contingent issues on environmental degradation and bad practices of destruction.