Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew underlined the need for an intense struggle for the protection of nature, ecological awareness and the education of society during the inauguration ceremony of the School of Environmental Education at the Recycling Center of Ioannina.
The School of Environmental Education has been honored with the name “Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew”, because the Ecumenical Patriarch fights for the protection of the environment and, as Metropolitan Maximus pointed out, for his ecological sensitivity associated with the issues of faith and of our Holy Tradition.
Since 1989, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been fighting to face the ecological crisis, to highlight the anthropological, moral and spiritual roots of environmental problems.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew enthusiastically noted, among other things, that “the place where we are is a place of practical ecological behavior. Recycling is a step in the right direction and many similar efforts need to be made, which serve as a reminder of the magnitude of the ecological problem today and contribute to a wider awareness of the need for change and attitudes towards the natural environment. threatens. We congratulate those who took the initiative to create this school of environmental education in Ioannina and those who contribute to its smooth running. Ecological awareness must be multidimensional; this must be done at school, in the family and in the ecclesial catechism through private initiatives. With these simple thoughts and feelings, we inaugurate the School of Environmental Education in Ioannina and wish every success in the work of teachers and students.
The Ecumenical Patriarch said that today humanity is facing its own fault, facing the difficult and great ecological problems, throughout its history and continued: “The ecological problem has revealed that our world is unity, that our problems are global and common. It is particularly provocative; humanity recognizes the gravity of the environmental crisis and behaves as if it does not know it.
During his speech after the sanctification and inauguration ceremony, Metropolitan Maximos of Ioannina spoke about the history of the efforts, while emphasizing the benefits of recycling.
“Initially, we installed a machine in the main square and we found that in one year; approximately 59,000 bottles had been recycled. Today, we see that over 59,000 bottles are recycled every day. This whole recycling business has another benefit. There are many people who make a living because they can redeem the vouchers they make from recycling…and we see the phenomenon of many people who have had other activities engaged in recycling…Just like there to so many people finding a way to get even a little help… Of course, this whole business also involves a number of jobs. We first wanted to connect the metropolis of Ioannina to our spiritual life and we took the initiative in this area, to build an 80 square meter chapel so that we could begin to understand that all this ecological awareness is not just activism, it’s spiritual energy tied to our faith.