For this 2021, the Day highlights the human cost of the climate crisis by putting pressure on world leaders to take meaningful action for the world's most vulnerable people. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said: "The climate emergency is a race we are losing, but we can still win."
Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs that focus on improving environmental impact around the world.
In India, the Salesian missionaries have inaugurated a new 45-kilowatt solar power plant and rainwater collectors at the “Don Bosco House” in New Delhi. This installation is a fundamental step towards the goal of making all Salesian campuses in the world green by 2032.
In Nigeria, the Salesian missionaries manage the “St. Joseph's Farm ” in Sagamu. The farm is a training, research and production center. Overall, the farm has several goals. It provides training for young people and the poor, especially widows and girls, enabling them to generate income and reduce food insecurity. The farm also improves crop production methods and teaches climate-resistant techniques and practices, which help increase the productivity and income of smallholder farmers in a sustainable way.
In Pakistan, in the centers of Quetta and Lahore, the Salesians are responding to Pope Francis' call to take care of the environment. They recently planted 100 trees on the campus grounds.
In Tanzania, a total of 511 students received training on the installation, operation and maintenance of solar energy, thanks to the grant that “Salesian Missions” received from the “Charles Stewart Mott Foundation”. The training initiative took place from April 2019 to July 2020 at the Don Bosco training centers in Dodoma and Iringa. A similar initiative was also conducted at the "Don Bosco Oysterbay" in Dar es Salaam.
Also significant is the impact of the Don Bosco Green Alliance, an international collective of young people and Salesian organizations that contribute to action, thought and global environmental policy. Launched in April 2018 in India, in just two years, the Don Bosco Green Alliance has gained 273 registered members from 56 countries. Membership is open to all Salesian institutions and organizations throughout the world.
