Kicking off the project was a survey conducted in December 2021 by the ARS Provincial Planning and Development Office (PDO, in English), in which all works were consulted about the activities they were carrying out and those they wished to develop. All Salesian houses were then invited to participate in a three-month preliminary diagnostic and planning phase, during which they received advice from an environmental expert.
The activities of this project are mainly related to separate waste management, composting and gardening, communication, and networking, as well as promoting good environmental practices and improving internal environmental management systems. Training on these issues will also be a very important component of the project, as during last December's research it was identified as one of the weak points to work on.
The project will be implemented practically in eight Salesian houses between 2022 and 2024, but it is intended to last and grow as local environmental teams are strengthened and consolidated. It is projected to have a direct impact on more than 5,000 boys, girls, and youth and an indirect impact on teachers and site staff, as well as more than 400,000 people (families and local communities). It will also make an important contribution to raising awareness, reflection, and knowledge of environmental issues at the provincial level.
The communities benefiting from the project are: "San Francisco de Sales" in Almagro, (Buenos Aires); "Juan Segundo Fernández" (San Isidro), "Santa Catalina" (Constitución), "Oratorio Centenario" (Avellaneda), "Nuestra Señora de los Remedios" in Parque Avellaneda (Buenos Aires), the "Don Bosco" Institute and Salesian Youth Center (Victorica), the "San Cayetano" chapel (Trelew) and the "Coudouy" community of the "San Cayetano" parish (Bariloche).
Source: Don Bosco Sur