Notes in CFE 5B – CICM Mission in Action: Environment Protection and Management

Chapter 3
ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT

The fifth chapter of Laudato Si’ is entitled “Lines of Approach and Action”. The goal
of Chapter 5 is stated in #163 –
“So far I have attempted to take stock of our present situation, pointing to the
cracks in the planet that we inhabit as well as to the profoundly human causes
of environmental degradation. Although the contemplation of this reality has
already shown the need for a change of direction and other courses of action,
now we shall try to outline the major paths of dialogue which can help us
escape the spiral of self-destruction which currently engulfs us.”
The message of Chapter 5 is found in #164 –
“Interdependence obliges us to think of one world with a common plan. Yet
the same ingenuity which has brought about enormous technological progress
has so far proved incapable of finding effective ways of dealing with grave
environmental and social problems worldwide. A global consensus is essential
for confronting the deeper problems, which cannot be resolved by unilateral
actions on the part of individual countries.”
Chapter 5 of Laudato Si’ includes the following topics:
- Dialogue on the environment in the international community – We have a new
worldview: one planet, one people. A worldwide collaboration , and a world political
authority is needed to solve deeper problems.;
- Dialogue for new national and local policies – Long-term plans are needed to promote
the common good and “people pressure” is needed to obtain the protection of the
environment.;
- Dialogue and transparency in decision-making – Attention to consequences on the
environment and people should be present from the start. Adequate and exhaustive
information about risks and possibilities are needed.;
- Politics and economy in dialogue for human fulfillment – Politics and economy must
be at the service of life, especially human life. Politics and economy are to collaborate
to promote the common good.; and
- Religions in dialogue with science – Empirical sciences have limits and religious
classics have enduring power. An integral ecology is solidly founded on a dialogue
among religions, among the sciences and among various ecological movements.
This chapter will tackle what CFE 5B is all about – Environment Protection and
Management. It would include lessons on ecological solid waste management, disaster risk
reduction and management and other initiatives on environment protection.

Lesson 1
ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

CONTEXT
Wastes or garbage can either be biodegradable or non-biodegradable. Biodegradable
wastes are those that can be broken down or decomposed while non-biodegradable wastes
are those that cannot be broken down or decomposed.
Food scraps and yard wastes are for composting – the production of organic material
that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Paper and bottles are for recycling – the usage
of materials to produce new products. Materials produced by industrial, mining and
agricultural operations are residual waste - non-hazardous waste material that cannot be
reused or recycled and needs to be sent to energy recovery or disposal.
Improper waste disposal and the increasing amount of trash/garbage produced are
two of the major problems faced by people not only in our communities but also in the whole
world. Problems on improper waste disposal have caused other problems such as clogged
drainage or waterways, flooding and diseases. Hence, there is a need for people to find ways
on how to address these problems because it is our responsibility to protect our environment.

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Notes in CFE 5B – CICM Mission in Action: Environment Protection and Management
INSPIRED WORD OF GOD: Feeding of the Five Thousand (John 6:1-14)
1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea

of Tiberias.
2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was

doing for the sick.

3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.
5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to

Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?"

6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for

each of them to get a little."

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,
9 "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are

they among so many people?"

10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass

in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.

11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed

them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.
12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left

over, so that nothing may be lost."

13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves,

left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.

14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is

indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."

It may be out of date to say that the Bible addresses environmental issues because
there were none during the ancient times. Nevertheless, the apostle and evangelist John gives
an insight about recycling in this passage.
In the account of the feeding of the five thousand, we see Jesus instruct His disciples
to gather the leftover food so that none of it was wasted (John 6:12). Some twelve baskets of
surplus bread were gathered and more than likely distributed to the poor in the surrounding
areas (John 6:13). In this act, we see our Lord’s distaste for waste. We might wonder why any
man who can miraculously feed more than five thousand people would worry about
leftovers, but Jesus was an exemplary man; and therefore is showing us that God’s bounty is
not to be wasted.

CHURCH TEACHING
In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis highlights the need for waste management and recycling.
He writes in #180: “Political activity on the local level could also be directed to modifying
consumption, developing an economy of waste disposal and recycling, protecting certain
species and planning a diversified agriculture and the rotation of crops.”
In its pastoral letter, An Urgent Call for Ecological Conversion, Hope in the Face of Climate
Emergency (2019), the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines recommended the
faithful to start living simply and to refrain from using single-use plastic which greatly
contributes to the pollution of the ocean and waterways. It writes: “Live simply, minimize
consumption and actively practice ecological awareness and action through integral waste
segregation and by minimizing the use of plastic and paper, by eliminating single-use
plastics, polystyrene and the like, from our homes and institutions.”
“Everything must go somewhere” is one of the seven environmental principles. When
a piece of paper is thrown away, it disappears from sight but it does not cease to exist. It ends
up elsewhere. Gases released in smokestacks may disperse but it will end up a component of
the atmosphere or brought down by rains. What a particular type of waste does to the earth’s
repository should be of concern to us. It may be a pollutant or a resource depending on certain
factors.
Since wastes are not lost to oblivion, and even goes back to one’s own backyard in
some other forms, it is important that one becomes aware of the different types of wastes –
whether they are biodegradable or non-biodegradable, whether they are hazardous or not.

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Notes in CFE 5B – CICM Mission in Action: Environment Protection and Management
Classification of wastes facilitates their proper disposal and minimizes, if not prevents, the
entry of toxic wastes in vital ecosystems and ensures reconversion into useful forms.
The principles open up one’s eyes to the need to turn back from attitudes inherent in
a “throw-away” society. Methods of waste management must be studied for possible
adoption. The need for environmental impact assessment for any project is obvious.
Republic Act 9003 is The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. This
existing mandate institutes measures to promote a more acceptable system which
corresponds to the vision of sustainable development. It aims to merge environmental
protection with economic pursuits, recognizing the re-orientation of the community’s view
on solid waste, thereby providing schemes for waste minimization, volume reduction,
resource recovery utilization and disposal.
Comprehensive Solid Waste Management, according to RA 9003, entails:
1. Reduction of wastes being generated;
2. Reduction of wastes to be disposed, via recycling or composting undertaken through
materials recovery facilities (MRF); and
3. Safe disposal of residual wastes (e.g. sanitary landfill or eco-center)
With the objective of “Zero Basura”, RA 9003 enjoins the
1. Mandatory segregation at source (Section 21);
2. Mandatory segregated collection (Section 1, Rule X, IRR);
3. Establishment of materials recovery facilities (Section 32); and
4. Closure/conversion of open dumps to controlled dump facilities (Section 37).
Thus, Comprehensive Solid Waste Management involves avoidance, reduction, reuse,
recycling, treatment and residuals management.

MISSIONARY RESPONSE
Ponder/reflect on the prior discussion and inputs. How do we contribute to the
generation of wastes on a daily basis especially since we live in a culture of consumerism vis-
à-vis the system of capitalism? What are some CONCRETE, DOABLE, PRACTICAL and
REALISTIC ways to lessen or eradicate our wastes in the household?

References:
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. (2019, July 16). An Urgent Call for Ecological
Conversion, Hope in the Face of Climate Emergency https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/an-
urgent-call-for-ecological-conversion-hope-in-the-face-of-climate-emergency/
Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines. (2018). JEEPGY Manual. Catholic
Educational Association of the Philippines.
Department of Education. (n.d.). Proper Waste Management at Home
https://www.deped.gov.ph/als-
est/PDF/Proper%20Waste%20Management%20at%20Home.pdf
Department of Environment and Natural Resources. (n.d.). Republic Act No. 9003: Ecological
Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
http://faspselib.denr.gov.ph/sites/default/files//Publication%20Files/national%2
0policy.pdf
Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. Republic Act No. 9003. (2000).
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2001/01/26/republic-act-no-9003-s-2001/
Francis. (2015, May 24). Laudato ’Si: Encyclical Letter on the Care for our Common Home.
vatican.va.
http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-
francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

Prepared by:
MICHAEL ANGELO F. EMPIZO
Saint Louis College, City of San Fernando, La Union
Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 21, 2021

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