INDIA Schools in the Archdiocese of Bombay bring children to zero carbon

To help India meet the commitment made at the Glasgow conference to reduce carbon emissions, Catholic schools in the great metropolis are asking students to adopt lifestyles compatible with this objective. Father Magi Murzello notes that the zero was invented in India, and now the country must make another contribution.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) – Father Magi Murzello, Rector and Trustee of St Andrews Educational Foundation, is behind the Zero Carbon program in all Catholic educational institutions in the Archdiocese of Bombay.

On November 1, 2021, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) held in Glasgow, Scotland, India formally committed to reducing its carbon emissions.

In Mumbai, through the zero carbon initiative, “we have become the first school in India to start a decarbonization project,” Fr. Murzello said, speaking to AsiaNews.

The school’s efforts follow the magisterium of Pope Francis who, in the encyclicals Laudato si’ and Fratelli tuttiinsists on the need for the energy transition.

EduFocusthe journal of the Archdiocesan Board of Education, edited by Father Murzello, has published the first-ever encyclical from a pope on the environment.

To promote the zero carbon initiative, on the cover of the magazine, Father Murzello put a photo of Aryabhata, the father of Indian mathematics who is considered the inventor of zero.

“The invention of zero, India’s most exquisite crown jewel and greatest cultural product, revolutionized the world of science,” he explained. Hopefully India’s pledge will “give the world another diamond from its crown”.

“Our schools must be at the heart of this zero carbon transformation as schools spark and galvanize community change.” Additionally, “young people have been driving climate action around the world as they must safeguard their future.”

To help India achieve its goals, school staff and students signed a card personally committing to changing their lifestyle to reduce carbon emissions.

For Father Murzello, “children can choose to turn off the lights and fans [. . .], unplug electronic gadgets when not in use, recycle tetra-packs, glass and plastic, use cloth bags instead of plastic”. They can even use an app “to calculate their carbon footprint” and “educate family and friends on how to reduce their carbon footprint.”

The zero carbon initiative will continue throughout the year, and Fr. Murzello expects “very soon this will be adopted by other schools in the city and across the country, touching the lives of every Indian”.