Along with their many other endeavors, Ghanaian consecrated religious set aside time to assist the general public in realizing the importance of protecting creation, with a particular emphasis on plastic pollution, which has grown to be a significant issue, particularly in suburban regions adjacent to cities.

near Ghana’s Eastern Region, near Donkorkrom, pollution is readily apparent. While taking a leisurely stroll in Donkorkrom, one can observe plastic bags left on the ground as one walks from the doorstep through the streets and towards the markets.

The people who live in Donkorkrom usually drink sachet water, and as soon as they finish the plastic, they toss it on the ground.

Seeing is not out of the ordinary Despite repeated requests from priests and other religious leaders to exercise greater caution, plastic waste can be seen lying around on school or church property.

Pollution-related damages

The ecology is seriously impacted by the careless disposal of plastics on the ground. Rain, for example, gathers plastic from the earth and mixes it into the soil. This is sometimes only seen when someone goes to till the ground in preparation for planting and discovers dead land—a result of plastic pollution—where nothing can sprout.

An additional issue with plastic pollution is that when plastic debris clogs gutters and rain falls, the water cannot flow through, which leads to spills and floods that worsen the harm to the neighborhood.

Plastic contamination poses a threat not just to not just to the earth, but also to creatures that are a part of God’s creation. If any animals unintentionally swallow any of the plastics that have been brought by the rain or floods, they will perish.

Lookers for answers

Consecrated religious have made it their mission to raise community awareness of the importance of environmental protection. They are accomplishing this, largely via their own lived reality, but also by including the community in discussions and other events on the topic. They commit to setting the example so that others will follow.

Their intention is to carry on with environmental care in their parishes and religious communities so that when neighbors come to visit, they may observe, awaken and do the same.

The religious also think that in order to combat plastic pollution, there needs to be a replacement of some type. Given this, they intend to create shopping bags made of recyclable fiber or material that they can use for their shopping rather of lugging around a lot of plastic bags from the store, which will only add to the pollution.

They think that if the neighborhood witnesses them taking this action, it will undoubtedly cause a positive change in them and make them more aware of the need to protect the environment.

Candle-lit walk

In a candlelight parade through the town of Donkorkrom in June 2024, consecrated individuals from the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom carried signs and A banner calling for environmental conservation.

Fr. Bernard Adjei Appiah, SVD, the Cathedral Administrator of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral in Donkorkrom and President of the African Religious Union in Ghana, led the procession.

One of the events planned by the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana, to commemorate the Jubilee Year and special year for religious people announced by Pope Francis was a candle-light procession with the theme ‘Send Forth your Spirit and Renew the Face of the Earth’ (Ps104:30).

‘While we are all traveling along, God has given us something very beautiful, that is, the Earth,’ Fr. Bernard stated in a speech that ended the procession. It is our responsibility to tend to it, not to neither ruin nor deteriorate it.

He also called out representatives from each of the church groups and institutions present, each with a placard, and asked them to pledge themselves to protecting the environment. He further urged the students and pupils in attendance to consider it their duty to pick up any plastic they find littering the school compound.

continuous process of becoming more aware

The effort of raising awareness about the issue of plastic pollution is still ongoing, but it is starting to show results. Among them is the awareness of one in two preschoolers that they should put their plastic biscuit wrappers in the trash can rather than on the floor. Children attending Sunday School are also aware that they should pick up any plastic that they come across on the earth.

In order to more readily convey the message to the community, the religious organization has decided to replace their banners with trash cans as the next phase in their sensitization campaign. The goal is to collect plastics from the streets.