Dist Admin, Forest Dept and St Aloysius PUC observe ‘World Environment Day’
World Environment Day (WED) was hosted by Karnataka State Forest Department in association with District Administration; Mangaluru City Corporation; District Legal Service Authority; and Mangaluru Lawyers Association.
Mangaluru : Yes, it was time once again where UN Environment seeks to make the biggest global call and mobilization for action on World Environment Day (WED), and this year with the theme “Beat Plastic Pollution”. World Environment Day is the biggest annual event for positive environmental action and it is a day for everyone, everywhere. Since it began in 1972, global citizens have organized many thousands of events, from neighbourhood clean-ups, to action against wildlife crime, to replanting forests. “Beat Plastic Pollution”, the theme for World Environment Day 2018, implores us to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its beauty and its importance, and to take forward the call to protect the Earth that we share, but lot littering plastic materials.
This year’s theme invites you to think about how we are part of nature and how intimately we depend on it. It challenges us to find fun and exciting ways to experience and cherish this vital relationship. Polluting the nature with plastic waste, where animals and marine life consume them, will harm their lives and result in their deaths. This WED campaign is to bring awareness about the harm done to humans, animals and marine animals/fish, thereby urging people not to litter plastic materials wherever they want.
The program began with the Nada Geethe, followed by a environment song by the students of St Aloysius PUC. The welcome address was delivered by Dr V Karikalan Deputy Conservator of Forests, followed by Oath Taking pertaining to World Environment Day administered by Mallana Gowda, Senior Civil Judge . Prior to the formal function, saplings were planted in the premises of St Aloysius PUC by the chief guest Principal District and Sessions Judge K S Bilagi, along with other dignitaries. The programme was inaugurated by lighting the lamp by chief guest Justice Bilagi, along with other dignitaries on the dais namely- Dr Sanjay S Bijoor-Chief Conservator of Forest Dept-Mangaluru; Dr V Karikalan Deputy Conservator of Forests; M R Ballal- President, Mangaluru Lawyers Association; Mallana Gowda, Senior Civil Judge and Member Secretary, District Legal District Legal Services Authority, DK; Fr Melwyn Mendonca Sj and Fr John Lang Bosco Sj -Principal and Finance Officer respectively of St Aloysius PUC; were among many others seated on the dais.
Addressing the audience chief guest K S Bilagi said, ” Do you know that that the recent flooding in the City due to torrential rains was due to the curse and punishment from God and Mother Nature on people for destroying trees and other illegal activities done in polluting the environment. When God has given us greenery and better environment, it is not right to destroy them. We need to pant at least three saplings every year so that we could save some green environment to the future generation. What a coincidence, while I was watering the sapling that I planted this morning here at the College, suddenly it started drizzling, which shows that Mother Nature will take care of the sapling from now on.”
“Environment Day is very important day in our life. It is the day when we get aware of issues related to our environment and pledge to keep it safe for our better future. We should take care of our environment all through the life, and not just today. It can be done only when we will keep our eyes open and be active to bring some positive changes within ourselves and environment. We should make our kids and children aware about this issue so that they can be the active agents of this campaign in future. The condition of our healthy environment is getting declined day by day just because of the industrialization, deforestation, technological development, global warming, pollution, etc. It affects the health of living beings and environment very badly.” added K S Bilagi.
Also speaking on the occasion, Fr Melwyn Mendonca Sj said, “Despite repeated global pledges to protect the planet’s environment, the trees, the animal and other living species and their habitats – and the goods and services they provide – the earth natural resources continues to decline at an unprecedented rate. Human activities are the cause. In such a grime situation, celebration of World Environment Day – provides a timely opportunity to focus on the urgency of safeguarding our valued environment for the wealth, health and well being of living beings on the Planet. The theme of this year “Beat Plastic Pollution’ should be taken very seriously, and students and citizens should see that they don’t litter plastic materials and create a better and greener environment”
In his presidential address,Dr Sanjay S Bijoor said ” Some of the environmental problems are rapid growth in world population, deteriorating natural resources, diminishing forests and wetlands, erosion of soil and coral reefs, depleting underground water, regular shortage of fresh drinking water, vanishing plants, etc etc. Some other issues are loss of biodiversity, rapid extinction of some important animal species, collapse of fisheries, rising air and water pollution, rise in atmospheric temperature, thinning of ozone layer, spoiling rivers, seas and underground resources. Even though science and technology have radically altered the terms of adaptation to the nature, we still need to adapt to the environment. Human society is embedded in an environment. We must not forget that the human being is first and foremost an animal, sharing living space with other animal species in an environment on which they are mutually dependent. It is our responsibility to save our environment and earth and make the possibility of healthy and happy life here.”
During the programme saplings were distributed to the students. Few other dignitaries on the dais also spoke and urged the audience to help in bringing changes in the community through active participation in creating a better and cleaner Environment. The Vote of Thanks was proposed by Shridhar- Forest Range Officer, and the programme was professionally compered by Ms Anita Pinto-Lecturer in Commerce at St Aloysius PUC.
In conclusion, Environment is the surrounding in which we live. It is the source of life. Our whole life is dependent to the environment. It directs our life and determines our proper growth and development. Good or bad quality of social life depends on the quality of our natural environment. The need of human beings for food, water, shelter and other things depends on the environment around us. There is a balanced natural cycle exists between environment and lives of human beings, plants and animals. Human society is playing vital role in degenerating the natural environment which in turn negatively affects the lives on this planet. All the human actions in this modern world directly impact the whole ecosystem. Therefore we need to practice and make a change in our life style for a greener and cleaner environment through our initiatives and actions. Go Green! Let’s all “Beat Plastic Pollution”!