NAME: VERONICA KANDEWO

REG NUMBER: P1952042C

COURSE: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

CODE: BSDS 105

QUESTION: As a community development officer in your area, create a fully justified
community programme for upholding effective environmental practices.

Thich Nhat Hanh has contributed immensely to the understanding of eco-spirituality of

mindful living by starting that, “Only when we combine our concern for the planet with
spiritual practice will we have the tools to make the profound personal transformations
necessary to address the coming environmental crisis.”It has long been understood by
indigenous peoples that our relationship to the Earth is spiritually as well as physically
sustaining. For indigenous peoples this is often included in their way of life, and expressed
through their rituals and prayers. To show the importance of eco-spirit at a global level, The
UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, stated on Dec 4, 2015, that “Faith communities are vital
for global efforts to address the climate challenge. They remind us of the moral dimensions of
climate change, and of our obligation to care for both the Earth’s fragile environment and our
neighbours in need.” In this essay the writer will use the theory of cultural determinism
position that is grounded in notion that the ideas, meanings, beliefs and values people learn as
members of society determines human nature. People are what they learn. The optimistic
version of this theory postulates that human nature being infinitely malleable; human being
can choose the ways of life they prefer. The pessimistic version maintains that people are
what they are conditioned to be; this is something over which they have no control. Human
beings are passive creatures and do whatever their culture tells them to do. This explanation
leads to behaviourism that locates the causes of human behaviour in a realm that is totally
beyond human control. Thus in relation to environment management will support the
pessimistic version of the theory that environmental influences dominate who we are instead
of biologically inherited traits.

The protection of the natural environment is everyone’s responsibility, in support of this fact
Gibbons (2004) observes that Francis Assisi creation theology was not one of domination or
even stewardship, but of relationship. To live in right relationship with God also meant living
in right relationship with other people, and with the created order. Francis called everything
in nature his brother or sister, recognising that God had created them as he had created human
beings. According Human beings, Francis felt, need to be aware of that relationship. In what
could be the first "ecological statement" outside the Bible, Francis said this: "These creatures
minister to our needs every day; without them we could not live and through them the human
race greatly offends the Creator every time we fail to appreciate so great a blessing."
Therefore one cannot fail realise that this is a call for humanity’s full acceptance of
responsibility for what we have done – physically and spiritually – to the earth. Only through
accepting responsibility will healing and transformation occur. There is clear concurrence by
Earth-based traditions and earth spirituality Care for and respect to earth as Sacred. In May
2015 Pope Francis’s Encyclical, “Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home,” endorsed
the need for a spiritual and moral response to our environmental crisis, and thus implicitly
brings the subject of spiritual ecology to the forefront of our present ecological debate. This
encyclical recognizes that “The ecological crisis is essentially a spiritual problem,” in line
with the ideas of this developing field. This resonates well with Mataire (2013, p.23) who
quoted Gogo MaDube of njelele, a staunch traditionalist who explained the significance of
the Njelele Shrine in the ancient days said. “It was the place where elders used to go and
report all problems bedeviling communities such as droughts, lightning bolts striking people.
They also went there to apologise for society’s misdemeanors and other related issues. There
used to be a voice coming out of the Njelele rock wherever spirit mediums and iwosana
(persons with rainmaking spirits) would go to present their reports to the shrine. However,
that voice has since been mum and that could have been caused by the way the sacred place is
treated these days.” This clearly shows that problems such as drought are a form of
punishment for disobeying the God at njelele mountain. This shows that people’s actions can
have negative effect on living being in the planet as evidenced by droughts. Hence as an
environmentalist, my emphasises will seek to encourage and motivate everyone to preserve
the natural environment and ensure that it is not disturbed by human activities.

As an environmentalist, my major focus is to educate local communities to sustainably use

nature resources without depleting them. The can also take the form of awareness campaigns
at public places and religious gatherings. Taking advantage of religious gathering to educate
communities on sustainable utilisation of the natural environment is key in that, According to
White (1967) Christians like Catholics believed that it is God's will that man exploit nature
for his proper ends. Hence Catholics, like the perceptions of the local peasant firewood
collectors, see nothing wrong in utilising the natural resources as long as they utilise it in a
sustainable way, using only dry branches. This view is similar to the Judeo-Christianity in
which nature is seen as God‘s blessing to the people who are supposed to be stewards of
nature for the furtherance of Christianity and human benefit (Weber 1993). According to
Buddhist culture (de Silva 2011) a household should collect natural resources as a bee
collects pollen from the flower. The bee harms neither the fragrance nor the beauty of the
flower but gathers pollen to turn it into sweet honey. Similarly human beings are expected to
act legitimately in the use of nature so that they can rise above nature and realise their innate
spiritual potential. In this passage even the high value towards nature by the Buddhist was not
respected for they as their religion emphasise, could not destroy the forest but only collect dry
branches enough for their use. Zimmerman (2008, p.57) notes that it is a point of view that is
not widely accepted or included in the work of most environmentalists and ecologists.
Academic research on the subject has also generated some criticism. There has also been
criticism of some aspects of ecological spirituality by Ken Wilber, who suggests that
“spiritually oriented deep ecologists” fail to acknowledge the transcendent aspect of the
divine, or hierarchical cosmologies, and thus exclude an important aspect of spirituality, as
well as presenting what Wilber calls a one- dimensional “flat land” ontology in which the
sacred in nature is wholly immanent. Linking with theory of cultural determinism in
particular the optimistic version of this theory postulates that human nature being infinitely
malleable; human being can choose the ways of life they prefer. Therefore Wilber’s line of
thought resonates the optimistic version of the theory. In my analysis I strongly believe that
Wilber's views are parochial as they are not including an in-depth understanding of
indigenous spirituality. Therefore using public church gathering as platform to disseminate
and educate people on environmental management issues is critical as most religious thinking
has influenced people to sustainably utilise natural resources.
Advocacy for compliance with environmental protection laws is key in ensuring environment
management at all levels, that is as an environmentalist it is key always ensure that
environmental policies are implemented by Government and private institutions. This is call
for environmental Justice. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines
environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people
regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”
“Environmental justice is achieved when everyone, regardless of race, culture, or income,
enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access
to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and
work.” Most proponents of ecological modernization endorse the “organizational
internalization of environmental responsibility” through the Dutch principle of
verinnerlijking. Cohen (1998B) notes that this concept: requires all public and private
entities to integrate a concern for environmental quality into all of their activities as a means
of overcoming the standard approach of treating ecological considerations as add on
considerations. Environmental issues in Zimbabwe gained prominence in the post-2000 era
when the process of framing the main environmental statute, the EMA (Chapter 20:27)
gained momentum, culminating in the promulgation of the Act which came into force in
March 2003. (7 yrs). EMA Act introduced a host of modern environmental law such as;
polluter pays, precautionary principle, intergenerational equity, EIAs, local governance,
sustainable development and public participation in environmental governance. Main purpose
of these principles is to foster environmentally sustainable econ activities and development.
Zimbabwe does not as yet have a constitutionally guaranteed right, but the EM Act does
provide for a right to a clean and healthy environment not harmful to health. New EIA
Regulations of 2007 in Zimbabwe require applicants to ensure stakeholder participation in the
EIA process (policy now superseded by EMA). For example EIAs proposed Gwayi-Shangani
Dam and Murowa Diamond Mine 1999. As ana environmentalist I will advocate for
collective action by both public and private entities to support and adhere to laid done
environment management laid down policy procedure such as EIA, before they commence
their activities to be compliant with environment management practices.
As a community development officer, I will design environment educational programmes
through establishing clubs like Environmental Club working together with the Environmental
Agency team to educate people on the sustainable use of resources through the three Rs that
is reduce, reuse and recycle. Similarly, Cantel (2020) notes that the Kenyan Red Cross
Society and the IFRC have launched the Sustainable Environment Restoration Programme
(SERP), together with the Kenyan Ministry of Environment, water and natural resources,
with the aim to plant and care 2.5 billion trees by 2018, restore river basins, conduct
environmental education in all schools and manage solid waste to tackle environmental
degradation and climate change consequences.
As the development worker, I will introduce sustainable energy fuel programmes such as
biogas so as to reduce the use of firewood as an energy contributing to deforestation. The
programme will educate the community on how to design biogas digesters using waste
materials like garbage. According to IFRS (2020) the distribution of fuel efficient stoves by
Red Cross volunteers in Uganda and Guatemala has minimized the use of firewood and
contributed to reducing deforestation. The use of improved stoves has also delivered health
and socio-economic benefits to poor communities. Besides reducing respiratory infections,
the use of these stoves have also reduced risk of uncontrolled fires and burns. In addition, it
gives people the time to participate in other revenue generating activities instead of collecting
firewood.
In conclusion it is of great importance for a community officer to establish different
educational programmes so as to uphold the effective use of natural resources within the
environment. Programmes of sustainable utilisation, educational workshops aids the
conservations of resources within the environment. Hence as a community development
officer it is important to note the effectiveness of environmental practices.
REFERENCE
Bonfiglio V (2010) The Oxford handbook of religion and ecology. "The Greening of
Buddhism." Stephanie Kaza. Oxford University Press,

Cummings C (1991) Eco-Spirituality-Toward a reverent life. Paulist Press, Mahwah, N.J.

USA.

Mataire R.T (2013) The treasure of njelele, Patriot Press, Harare

Taylor S.M (2009), “Green Sisters: Spiritual Ecology” Harvard University Press, USA

Van Schalkwyk A (2011) "Sacredness and Sustainability: Searching For A Practical

Eco-Spirituality." Religion & Theology 18.1/2 (2011): 77–92. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 26 Oct. 2015.)

Zimmerman, M.E (2008) Ken Wilber's Critique of Ecological Spirituality, Integral World,
published August.