New Delhi: Goa has been consistently pushing the anti-plastic agenda across the state. Be it panchayat heads, civic workers, citizens or Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar himself, every stakeholder in the state is making an effort to distance themselves from everyday use of plastic. The latest to join this movement is Goa’s Roman Catholic Church, which has appealed citizens and priests to refrain from using decorative materials made from plastic and other toxic items to decorate graves. With All Souls Day (November 2) just round the corner, the Church’s social welfare wing Caritas, is using the occasion to spread awareness about pollution and environmental degradation. An advisory on the same has been sent to all churches and chapels of Goa.
We are on the eve of a season of several celebrations in our parishes. Immediately, we will have the All Souls day where we will decorate the graves where bundles of plastics, thermocol, foam and silver foil will be used. All of which is non-degradable and toxic, the letter by Caritas read.
Hence let us strongly urge our parishioners to avoid the use of the toxic material to decorate the graves.
The wing has also directed parish priests to spread awareness on clean environment and waste management during Sunday mass in the month of November.
Besides, the All Souls Day, which is celebrated in the memory of the people who left for their heavenly abode, the social welfare wing has also asked the priests to forbid the use plastic items and other such decorative materials on other occasions as well. For instance the letter mentions, “Unnecessary use of toxic materials are utilised like during the visitation of the statue of Our Lady to the families refreshments served at meetings and seminars.”
We can really make a significant difference if we seriously avoid the use of toxic materials for our celebrations.
The move by Caritas is in lines with the Chief Minister’s dream vision of making Goa plastic free by 2020, a deadline he set on this Independence Day. He has urged people to ditch all kinds of plastic items and said that small steps taken in day-to-day lives can help in reducing the overall waste generation. After banning polythenes below 50 microns, the state government recently prohibited plastic items on government premises.
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With inputs from PTI
