The Annual Green School Programme organized by CSI Synod Department of Ecological concerns was held on 21st to 22nd November 2019, at CSI Synod Centre, Chennai. CSI adopts a Green Audit in schools- an assessment about Land, Air, Water, Food, Energy and Waste, which makes the children use our natural resources judiciously. The eco-friendly practices to be adopted in our daily living and the need to protect our nature were discussed. The resource persons include Dr Sultan Ahmed Ismayil, Director, Eco-science Research Foundation, Chennai, Mr Jacob Swaminathan, Soft-skill Trainer, Prof. Dr Mathew Koshy Punnackad, Hon. Director, CSI Synod Department Ecological Concerns, Dr Pauline Deborah, Associate Professor, Women's Christian College, Chennai, Dr R. J. Ranjit Daniels, Director, Care-Earth Trust, Chennai and Mr Saravanan, World Wide Fund for Nature. CSI Schools which completed Green Audit to 100% participated in this two-day workshop. Teachers from CSI diocesan schools namely Madhya-Kerala, Malabar, Cochin, East-Kerala, South Kerala, Coimbatore, Trichy-Tanjore, Madras, Madurai-Ramnad, Thoothukudi-Nazareth, Vellore, Dornakal,participated. Noble Sam Prince, Green School Facilitator coordinated the programme.
Feedback-
"The earth has music for those who listen. I'm very much inspired to start these initiatives in my school. I'm strongly determined to impart awareness to my students to save them from the hazards of pollution and unhealthy food habits. Resources persons have really motivated us with their knowledge and expertise."
Ms. Lovely John
CMS High School, Pallom
"Campus
sustainabilityis the need of the hour. We should start teaching about the need to
protect the environment right from their childhood onward. Waste should be seen as a
resource and must be managed properly. I will make vermicompost pots- seven days
task- in my home and at school and will produce vegetables. The resource persons
were excellent in their teaching especially the lecture by Dr, sultan Ismayil sir.
The activities conducted by the trainer Mr Jacob Swaminathan were also very nice and
thought-provoking."
Ms Norah Prithviraj
St Mary's High School, Khammam
"How the earth got destroyed by our activities should be properly understood. We have to save our planet by adopting eco-friendly patterns. Dr Pauline Deborah from WCC, Chennai delivered how to implement GSP audit in our schools."
Mr P. Ravikumar
CSI Higher Secondary School Dharapuram
"Our oceans are becoming loaded with plastic waste and we are also consuming through our food. We must try to adopt good practices that reduce plastic. Farming is not a burden. Application of technology is more important. The videos including the activities done by various schools inspired me. Glad to know that CSI Synod Ecological Concerns has collaboration with UNEP."
Ms Ruksana K. S.
Church of England Zenana Mission LP School,
Tripunithura, Eranakulam.
"Soft-skills is more important for a teacher. We must be more judicious in using our natural resources. We have already destroyed by nature to a great extent. So restoration is not possible, we can only try to rehabilitate our nature. It is not winning the race, but participation is more important. We will try to achieve the goals."
Mr S. Mighavelraja
CSI Pasumalai Higher Secondary School,
Madurai.
Prof. Dr Mathew Koshy Punnackad,
Hon. Director, CSI Synod
Department of Ecological Concerns.
The CSI Synod Department of Ecological Concerns arranged a Colloquium to study the book 'Exploring Ecological Hermeneutics' written by Norman C Habel and Peter Trudinger on 30th September to 1st October 2019 at CSI Synod Centre, Chennai.
The colloquium helped the participants to think critically and clearly about theBible's relation to modern environmental issues. The book expands the horizon of biblical interpretation to introduce ecological hermeneutics, moving beyond a simple discussion about Earth and its constituents as topics to a reading of the text from the perspective of Earth. Rev.Dr. John Samuel Ponnuswamy, Rev.Dr. Mothy Varkey and Dr.Sam P Mathew were the resource persons.
Feedback from the participants:
Rev.Pratap Vasamalla Diocese of Dornakal . Privileged to attend this colloquium –Ecological Hermeneutics. I’m enlightened and empowered to continued my ecological sensitivity towards the society. Learned three new Hermeneutical tools in this colloquium Suspicion, Identification and Retrieval. Able to see the Biblical texts in ecological perspective by using above mentioned tools.
Dn S.Immanual Arputha Kumar Diocese of Thoothukudi – Nazareth. Very much helpful, two days enjoyed very much in the learning process of Exploring and Ecological Hermeneutics. Perspective has changed and dedicated to teach and preach to the congregation.
Rev. Alexander Samuel Diocese of South Kerala. Selection of the Book is very much useful. Resource persons presented the chapters in an attractive way and their responses to questions were also very much interesting. Helped a lot to know more about possibilities of ecological hermeneutics.
Rev. V. Samuel Jebaraj Diocese of Kanya Kumari,Colloquiumwas arranged very systematically. Helped a lot to know about ecology with Biblical perspective and helped me to earn many friends from various Dioceses. And would like to attend the colloquium, to become an eco-activist.
Rev. P. Austin Diocese of Coimbatore. Excellent Programme to study ecological concerns. It’s a heart touching, on knowing and feeling the voice of the creation. Rev. V. Paul Robert Kennedy Diocese of Vellore. Rich experience in my ministerial journey able to claim another height in terms of ecological knowledge.
Dn. P. Prakash Gnanadurai Diocese of Tuticorin-Nazareth. Present context needs this type of reading scriptures. I learned nature talks in a spiritual sense. This colloquium has thought new thinking and dimension in ecological sense.
Prof.Dr.Mathew Koshy Punnackad
Hon.Director, Department of Ecological
Concerns
CSI Synod
