Let us Promote a Friendly Environment with 4Gs

Sr. Josephine Taban-ud, Principal, Dominican International School, Taipei, Philippine

The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth.

The concept of the natural environment can be distinguished by these components:

Complete ecological units that function as natural systems without massive human intervention, including all vegetation, animals, micro-organisms, soil, rocks, atmosphere and natural phenomena that occur within their boundaries.

Universal natural resources and physical phenomena that lack clear-cut boundaries, such as air, water, and climate, as well as energy, radiation, electrical charge, and magnetism, not originating from human activity (please refer to Wikipedia definition of natural environment).

When we were children we enjoyed playing outside with little pollution and no effects from global warming. But this time it is so obvious the global warming is continually happening around the world. So after extensive reading of articles, listening to various conferences and doing some serious reflection on ecology by promoting a friendly environment through our positive outlook and practices, I would like to suggest something for us to do gradually as follows:

1st G to be grateful to God as the creator and for us to appreciate the beauty of nature, we have to utilize it wisely, to be creative in all things and resourceful through continually recycling, reclaiming and reducing garbage or waste.

2nd G to be generous to others so that there will be no rich or poor and everyone who has more will share with others who have less or are more needy, therefore everyone is equal, has contentment, peace and happiness.

3rd G to promote green environment by planting lots of trees, flowers and vegetables instead of cutting trees down which lead to erosion and floods, and also to live a simple life and buy things because we really need them not just because we want them.

4th G to have global awareness by updating ourselves to the 21 st century skills and values through information and communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, ability to collaborate and to be self-directed, entrepreneurial skills and civic literacy (please refer to source:www.21stcenturyskills.org)

After knowing and observing our recent situation in our environment, what are your options to show your responsibility to care for the development of human rights of all the citizens of the world? What do you think of the various consequences if little or nothing is done? What are your suggestions and solutions for not only having a friendlier environment today but also in the future from one generation to the next?