Discussions on ‘Ecological Conversion’

On 14 May, as part of the initiative launched by the TA Council for Culture to promote ‘ecological conversion’, Carmelo Coco held discussions with Biochemistry students in the Aula Magna of the Technical College and later with members and friends at the TA headquarters in Rossano.

With the students

The morning meeting with the young people took the form of a lively exchange. This was primarily due to the interactive teaching method the speaker used to address issues relating to the ecosystem. He presented slides that were packed with meaningful concepts and images. The students asked numerous questions, and it could be seen that all were enthusiastic and encouraged each other to care for our Common Home.

Professor Coco holds degrees in Business Economics, Sociology and Education, and is an expert in Ecology. He immediately began to actively engage the young people by inviting them to read and discuss the various slides detailing key milestones in environmental awareness and the care of creation.

He began with 1972 and the first global conference on the environment, the Stockholm Summit. Its report ‘The Limits to Growth’ warned of the depletion of natural resources. H reviewed the succession of global meetings up to 2025, when COP 30 took place in Belém, Brazil, a summit with a special focus on the Amazon.

He then explained the UN Agenda “Sustainable Development Goals” relating to the environment and set out the reasons why ecological conversion is so necessary.

He emphasized that we must play an active role in transforming our Common Home as we have a duty based on justice to preserve it and use it responsibly and sustainably. To this end, he quoted key passages from Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato si’, which stated the following: “If the present ecological crisis is one small sign of the ethical, cultural and spiritual crisis of modernity, we cannot presume to heal our relationship with nature and the environment without healing all fundamental human relationships.”

The students had prepared for the meeting and had numerous questions to ask. They expressed their concern about ecological degradation and the lack of adequate solutions from world leaders and those in power. At the same time, they demonstrated a strong sense of responsibility to pursue a path of knowledge and discernment. They asked whether a school subject could be introduced to explore ecological issues in greater depth, and what action would be most effective for the well-being of all and would reduce the gap between rich and poor (those most affected by the destruction of resources), and for world peace.

Working for the common good

The same visual and interactive presentation served as the basis for the afternoon meeting at the Teresian Association headquarters in Rossano. However, as a true educator and true to the chosen title “Discussions on Ecological Conversion”, Carmelo Coco, a member of the Standing Committee of the TA Council for Culture, engaged in conversation with all of us, encouraging and welcoming everyone’s reflections. From this arose the need for training, discernment and critical thinking, better human relationships, and responsible, democratic community action to present proposals to local authorities. It requires firm determination to stand up and take action for the common good.

Here you can download the book Towards Ecological Conversion.

TA Rossano.
TA Translators Team.