Q & A with Father John Pozhathuparambil

How do you engage students in becoming more involved with environmental efforts?

I believe education, mindfulness, and action are essential in environmental efforts. Many times, we take things for granted, and there is the exploitation of natural resources. It will be difficult for the next generation if everyone becomes greedy and overexploit natural resources, from kitchen taps to driving cars. So, a pressing question arises: What kind of earth (planet) will we leave for the next generation? What we have done is totally devastating. We are not masters of the universe. Answering this question, I believe we must begin with the simple things. With the help of Fr. George, staff and faculty, I organized a two-week Bellarmine University campus program on campus on Laudato Si connected with the feast of St. Francis. The celebration started with a Tree Pilgrimage on campus. Students learned a lot about visiting a few trees on campus, how they make a difference in our lives and how they support animal beings. Another celebration was Free Plant Giving. Students replanted a plant into a new pot, named the plant, and took them to their dorm. Seeing students walk with the plant on campus and engaging their friends was a great view. I also believe that by developing a relationship with this plant, they will slowly form a relationship with other plants, leading them to care for our common home and be aware of broader environmental issues. Around 200 students participated in this event. We have been doing this for the past 12 years. They were given a short reflection from Laudato si during the event. Simple programs like this led students to be mindful and act. Other events were working in the garden and removing invasive species from the campus. The climax of the program was a Camping Retreat at Mount St. Francis. Nature can teach us a lot, give us peace, and rejuvenate our spirit on a deeper level about the power of coexistence. The environmentalist chef Anne-Marie Bonneau said “We do not need a handful of people doing environmental work perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”

What do you think is the most important action for students and others to take in regard to Laudato Si?

Educating students on environmental issues is the most important action. They are future leaders. We need constantly talk to them about environmental issues in and out of classrooms. Awareness of what is happening in the environment will help them be mindful and create action plans for personal life and the community.