Recycling, avoiding crass consumerism and reducing trash are also fitting acts of penance during the Holy Week, a Catholic bishop said Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe serenity of Holy Week offers a unique opportunity for all to touch base with Mother Earth and face the truth that we live in\u00a0 a very much abused and sullied environment,\u201d said Caloocan Bishop Deogracias I\u00f1iguez, the head of the public affairs committee of the Catholic Bishops\u2019 Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).<\/p>\n
I\u00f1iguez appealed to the faithful to use the Holy Week\u00a0 \u201cto make amends\u201d with Mother Earth. This can be done \u201cwith a conscious effort to live simply, do away with crass consumerism and go for zero waste,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I\u00f1iguez echoed an earlier call from the environmental group EcoWaste Coalition for \u201czero waste\u201d as Catholics throughout the country prepared to observe Holy Week.<\/p>\n
The campaign, dubbed \u201cWalang Aksaya Holy Days,\u201d aims to reduce trash through responsible consumption and active reusing, recycling and composting during Holy Week.<\/p>\n
According to the coalition, the campaign suggests a more determined stance for the use of reusable bags and containers\u00a0 instead of plastic containers; judicious use of water and electricity; and a stop to littering, especially during religious activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur responsibility to Mother Earth is our responsibility to ourselves and to the next generations that will inherit the planet,\u201d I\u00f1iguez said.<\/p>\n
His appeal is also a reiteration of a November 2008 pastoral letter from the Church that exhorted Catholics to \u201cuphold the sanctity of life\u201d and \u201celiminate wasteful consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also on Monday, Romy Hidalgo of the ecology ministry of the diocese of Caloocan said \u201cpreventing trash from being created, dumped or burned during\u00a0 Holy Week is a timely act of penance, cleansing and conversion that will translate to cleaner and toxic-free communities, especially in the metropolis.\u201d<\/p>\n
But these acts to preserve the environment must be done even beyond\u00a0 Holy Week, Hidalgo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cReducing both the volume and toxicity of trash generated by every person, household, institution and community at any available opportunity is no longer a voluntary option, but an essential responsibility that has to be done at all levels of\u00a0 society,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Records from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority showed that Metro Manila, with a population of 10 million, generates more than 8,500 tons of trash every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Recycling, avoiding crass consumerism and reducing trash are also fitting acts of penance during the Holy Week, a Catholic bishop said Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,45],"tags":[519,2382,44937],"byline":[136],"source":[206078],"column":[],"editor":[],"videographer":[],"position":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n