Environmental projects.
God created everything with love and in the service of man. Although we humans are the highest creatures in the world, we have a duty to respect all other creatures and to participate together in worshiping the Creator. In his message, Protocol No. 629/1989, Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrius established the first day of September of each year as the Day of the Protection of the Natural Environment, and gave the patriarchal and fatherly blessing that on this day the entire Orthodox world was to pray for the whole creation. In this message, he expressed that he was observing the destruction of the environment that is being made by man today and encouraged all the believers of the world to cultivate ourselves and to educate our children, as well, to respect and preserve the natural environment.
Also from our Church there have been many serious initiatives given under the direction of His Beatitude, Archbishop Anastasios, who also in speeches and messages speaks about the importance of ecology and the role of man in the world.
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Environmental projects from a specially created office.
Efforts to accomplish amajor environmental study project began in March 2001, with the formation of an environmental program and gathering of staff. The project also involved the formation of a postgraduate program for Albanian student who graduated in the fields of: Biology, Forestry and Environmental Engineering. Projects were implemented for the protection of the ecosystems of the area of Zvërneci, of Vjosa watershed, of the park of Llogara, and for the administration of the solid waste management in two cities of Albania.
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Youth initiatives and cleaning up the environmental.
Our Orthodox youth are involved in a number of activities inside and outside the community, offering an important witness to every generation. Year after year, during meetings in Tirana and in other parts of Albania, ecological themes have been developed in order that the youth will become sensitized, not just informed, by participating in the cleaning up and regulation of nature and the environment.
At the “Bethlehem” Youth Center and also in the student center at “Student City” in Tirana, different speakers have addressed this issue, and activities have been organized on weekends in and outside the capital city to assist in the most polluted areas. It is worth mentioning such activities as the National Park of Llogara, the Park of the artificial Lake of Tirana, regions of Mount of Dajti, the Bay of Lalëzi, as well as in other Metropolis of our Church, without forgetting the areas where the annual camps are held.
These activities have enabled the young people to reflect also in everyday life, trying to create an environment less polluted and much more useful for all people.
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Sensitization through brochures.
One tool for raising awareness which has had a direct effect to influence environmental protection has also been the brochures that are published and distributed to thousands of people across Albania. The methodsexpressed in these leaflets on how to protect the environment have been quite effective, offering practical ways for citizens to simply keep the environment that surrounds them clean. Through the “Spirit of Love” Foundation, various projects have been implemented in cooperation with other international organizations. These awareness tools have been a necessary contribution especially for specific and isolated communities and remote towns or distant villages in our country.
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Articles and publications in the newspapers.
The newspaper “Resurrection”, the youth magazine, “The Bells”, and the magazine for children, “Rejoice”, have occasionally reflected the diverse activities, as well as sensitizations messages about the problems of the environment. Articles by different authors, new poetry and prose have been accompanied also by parts of speeches from different personalities of the Church and other institutions. These articles have influenced many readers and are appreciated for their spirit of creativity and the message about the protection of God’s gift, nature and everything it contains. Articles of this nature are also published periodically in the newspapers as “Our Community”, “The word” etc.
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Sensitization through radio waves “Resurrection”, FM 88.5.
The wisdom of the environmental message is also continually communicated through the air waves on FM 88.5 of the Radio of our Church, “Resurrection”. This powerful media tool is conveying the message and is becoming a partner in the life of the environmental care effort. In this venue you can listen to four programs implemented in collaboration with the students of Theological Academy “Resurrection of Christ” in Saint Vlash of Durrës.
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The Beauty of Nature as a Camp Theme in Kosovo
The Albanian nature is distinguished for its spectacular beauty. In Albania and also in Kosovo there are several beautiful and amazing places which need to be taken care of.
One of the camps, which have started to take place since 2001, and more specifically the one organized in 2010 had as its theme the beauty of nature and the protection of it.
Through the wide variety of games, role plays, conversations that the children of the camp had with the representative youth from our church, the young participants received very important messages. The children showed their generosity to nature by cleaning up the area in front of their schools and houses and promised that they would always continue to undertake such initiatives.
Beauty is one of the most significant value in humans’ life. There are tons of beautiful things around us which we should value and this camp strengthened this idea even more.
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In our Church’s view, the natural environment is seen as a gigantic home which has the sky above and the ground underneath. Our home, that is our environment, is God-created, and as such, it is useful and unreplaceable, according to the Holy Scriptures and the teaching of our Church Elders. For this reason, special emphasis is given by our Church to the education of the youth and the rest of the people about the protection of our environment.
In our country, the natural environment is too polluted. The rivers, the lakes, the seas, the flowing waters are getting polluted due to industrial wastes and our carelessness. Air pollution is also a reality. The animals are getting extinct and there is less and less greenness on earth giving way thus to the total transformation of the earth surface synthesis. The spiritual man can feel closer to God when he is amidst His Hands. Fyodor Dostoyevsky stated that we, humans, should love every particle of sand, every leaf, every sun ray of God, the animals and the plants. Because, if one loves everything, then he receives the divine grace of things. And finally he manages to love the planet with a universal love.
The orthodox Christians love nature because it is created by God and so they keep praying about it contributing thus to its preservation. Our church has special prayers which focus on the creation of God. During Divine Liturgy the priest says, ‘For healthful seasons, for abundance of the fruits of the earth and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.’ St. John the Chrysostom said that, ‘Earth is our common residence, our food, our mother and grave.’ So, it is our duty to contribute in preserving God’s creation. We are no more allowed to be either passive or mere bystanders to a condition that threatens all of us.
In such a critical state, the Church reminds the faithful for their obligation as Christians regarding the protection of all life creatures and their responsibility towards everything that makes possible their living at this time within the endless universe.
Let us take care of our environment contributing thereof to a healthier lifestyle.
