As part of promoting various eco-friendly measures in the Laudato Si anniversary year, Caritas Institute of Developmental Action & Learning (CIDAL) organised a state-level webinar for the partners of Caritas India in Karnataka. The year 2020 brought with it a significant anniversary for environmentalists around the world, as fifty years had passed since the celebration of the first Earth Day in 1970. This golden anniversary was accompanied by the five year anniversary of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home, an encyclical letter that meets issues of global warming and environmental catastrophe head-on and calls for an urgent and all-encompassing global response to issues that have long been a need of serious attention. As such, 2020 presented an opportunity to not only celebrate the environmental progress we have made in the last half century, but to reflect on and rededicate ourselves to the work that still needs to be done. We might challenge ourselves to take the teachings of Laudato Si’ more seriously with a shared purpose that looks to enact real and significant global change.

Having the above thoughts, Caritas India organized an input session on Laudato Si to her 14 partner organizations of Karnataka State on 7^th December 2020 at 10.30 am – 12.30 pm. 22 members have attended the session including Directors of Diocesan Social Service Societies and their staff members. Were. Rev. Fr. Yagappa, Director, Bellary Diocese Development Society (BDDS), Bellary started the session with a prayer. Mr. Robert D’Souza, the State Officer for Karnataka welcomed the participants and set the context of the webinar. Rev. Father Jolly Puthanpura, the Asst. Executive Director of Caritas India inaugurated the webinar.

Fr. Jolly said that the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced a Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year from 24^th May 2020 – 24^th May 2021. Pope said that coronavirus has highlighted the importance of “caring for our common home,” and voiced hope that reflections surrounding the ‘Laudato Si’ anniversary will “help to create and strengthen constructive attitudes for the care of creation. The fifth anniversary of ‘Laudato si’ coincides with important events in the race to find solutions to the environmental crisis. This year is the deadline for countries to announce their plans to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement. The year 2020 will also see the UN’s conference on biodiversity, in which humanity will have the opportunity to set meaningful targets to protect the places and species that sustain all life. To commemorate the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si, Caritas India, the leading humanitarian organization in India is organizing a series of events in association with its partners and collaborators in India. Caritas India has already organised a webinar on Laudato Si and covid-19 which was attended by around 220 participants across Asia. From May 18 – 21 where posters on different themes of Laudato Si was released.

It is imperative to strengthen the organizational and institutional capacities of Regional forum and dioceses by building the local knowledge on different aspects of climate change and the risks associated with the changing climate. This can be done through trainings and community education process. We have already organised training in other parts of India and I am happy that it is done for Karnataka today.  The purpose is to

1. Establish, demonstrate and advocate planning, implementation and monitoring processes that aim at adapting and mitigating climate change and bring climate justice. Network and share good practices, approaches and results for wider influencing.
2. To bring in Climate Change as the cross-cutting issues in all the projects, programs and interventions of the institutions within the dioceses.
3. Adopting green protocol campaign in all the institutions of the dioceses (diocesan social service societies, schools, colleges etc.) with no to plastics being used in the campus, no to paper/plastic cups and plates, encourage multispecies planting of trees for more Oxygen,  promote cultivator consumer connectivity to reduce food mile, promotion of local resources, promotion of natural farming and creating replicable models in the dioceses, Promote Water recharging and harvesting, Proper Waste Management System, promotion of renewable energy sources such as sunlight, wind and biomass and ensure Healthy living.

Dr. Haridas V.R, the Manager in-charge of Climate Justice division of Caritas India took sessions on the proposed components of Laudato Si anniversary year. To promote climate justice and caring for our common home and voiced hope that reflections surrounding the Laudato Si’, Caritas India proposes the few actions and explained in detail the methodology of setting up of such models such as:

1. Promoting the Garden of Eden to ensure safe to eat food promotion
2. Roof Zone Fertigation Techniques in Tree Plantation for faster growth of plants
3. Promotion of Green protocol
4. Promotion of Green umbrella initiatives in Campuses.

The webinar was concluded with the clarifications on the components mentioned in the sessions which were followed with the vote of thanks by the Director of CMSSS.