The environment and education

The Institute for Pastoral Formation (now under the directorship of Rev. Dr Mark Sultana) has been organising, through a group of lay people, a series of public conversations entitled Djalogi fis-Soċjetà (Dialogues in Society). The idea is to create a forum of public discussion on topics that are important to Maltese society at large. This year's theme is about the environment and two sessions have already been held, namely on May 12 and 19 with both sessions chaired by Salvinu Busuttil. The third and last session will be held at the Phoenicia Hotel ballroom today at 7 p.m.

The particular theme chosen for this last session, which I will chair, is that of the environment and education and the two invited speakers who will open the discussion are Grace Grima, director general at the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education, and Paul Pace, senior lecturer in environmental and science education at the University of Malta.

There is hardly any doubt at all in anybody's mind about the importance of the environment; indeed, by now it has become commonplace for some people in Malta to talk about it in a very passionate and engaging manner. And, yet, time and time again, we all see that the environment is very often defaced and that, in practice, there is still much more to be done in this country before the vast majority actually respect the environment in a proper manner. Much more still needs to be done so that sufficient awareness about the whole problem becomes the order of the day. This is where education comes in; all of us need to be made more aware of the fact that our natural environment is endangered and that, in the final analysis, we are the ones who would lose out.

Dr Grima will throw light on what is being done and what is being planned for a solid education about environmental matters in our schools. On the other hand, Dr Pace will tackle some basic themes relative to environmental education.

Besides the general arguments that one can marshal for a rationale regarding the necessity of respecting the environment (which is ultimately for the good of each and every one of us), it is interesting to note that the Bible has some very interesting things to say about the matter.

Time and time again, it is underscored that the whole universe has been created by God and that it is good. The reader of the Old Testament is constantly reminded of the marvellous creatures with which the world is teeming and of the awesome majesty of its vast and variegated landscapes (Job 40-41).

One possible sound interpretation of the first chapter of Genesis regarding the relationship between humankind and the world with all that is in it is that humans are supposed to act as the stewards of creation rather than as those who exploit and/or dominate it in a negative sense. Man (in the sense of humankind) is viewed as the crown and, therefore, as the apex of creation rather than as someone who can stand apart from it and violate it at will (see Psalm 8).

The very first chapter of Genesis insists that God saw that what he created was good; indeed, in Hebrew this latter word can also mean beautiful. And the corollary is obvious: that which is good/beautiful is to be appreciated and taken care of and not violated or destroyed. No one can escape the great responsibility that we all have, especially in view of the fact that the first phrase of Genesis 1: 1 is very likely to be translated as "when God began to create", rather than "in the beginning, God created".

This means that God's act of creation is an ongoing process, which we should respect and not hinder. But to do this, one needs to be educated and made aware of all the issues involved.

Hence, this evening's session of Djalogi fis-Soċjetà should hit the nail on the head and lead to a brainstorming session on how best we could better educate our children and our society in general regarding the world in which, and thanks to which, we breathe and live.

To violate the ground on which we live as well as the natural landscape in general, and to pollute the air we breathe, are acts which will boomerang against us. The ultimate antidote against such a negative scenario is to push for a better environmental awareness and education so that there will be greater harmony between us and the rest of creation.