Shalom I UN-NGO Newsletter
Volume 26 Issue 3

December 2023

What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? Now!
By Sister Beatriz Martinez-Garcia, SSND UN-NGO Representative
On September 17, about 75,000 people participated in the March to End Fossil Fuels in New
York City. This was an intergenerational, interfaith, multicultural march in which voices united
to demand a ban on the use of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas which provide 80% of theworld's energy.
“What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? Now!” wasthe chant that young people chanted throughout the march. It stuck in
my mind.
On the way home, I tried to imagine a world without fossil fuels andusing clean energy. I also asked myself, what is going to happen to all
the workers and their families whose livelihood depends on the fossil
fuel industry? What would substitute for all the products made withfossil fuel derivatives? What are the alternatives?
At a press conference on June 15, António Guterres, United Nations
Secretary-General, in some way responded to my questions. He statedthat the problem was not only fossil fuel emissions, but also fossil fuels. He also said: “Thesolution is clear: The world must phase out fossil fuels in a just and equitable way – moving toleave oil, coal and gas in the ground.”What do you think about Mr. Guterres’ response? What do you want to propose?

On the journey of personal Ecological Conversion
Advocating for Mother Earth
By Sister Jean Greenwald, SSND, Central Pacific Province
In a conference I attended many years ago, I heard the question, “Whenyou throw something away, where is away?” The question startled meand brought tears. I imagined our Earth choking and coughing while
saying, “I can’t breathe!” This disturbed me in another image I had ofour beautiful home: huge bouquets composed of varieties of lifeforms,
stemming from Earth, filling spaces across the planet … ALL GIFT
from our loving God. They are dying; the bouquets are shrinking! What
can I do about this?
Where is away? This question has guided me to be more proactive in
my purchasing, recycling, and trashing practices. My ministry at the Generalate in Rome isgeneral service. One of my responsibilities is to purchase products for personal and household
needs, as well as to dispose of items after they no longer serve their purpose. I try to avoid
buying plastic or limit the amount purchased. If it is necessary, I buy larger-sized products madefrom recycled materials, which can serve more than one purpose after they are used. They refill
smaller containers purchased earlier. Rome has a disposal system for many recyclable products.
I educate others and myself about what to do/not do when disposing of items so that we are as
successful as possible in placing small amounts of trash in the ‘container’ Earth.

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Mother Earth is our advocate in life. I must reciprocate in advocacy for her. As she dies, wedie, too. Laudato Sí’ is good for me. “There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation throughlittle daily actions […] when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love which expresses
our own dignity.” (LS 211) It resonates much in me!

Integral Ecology Project
Sr. Susana Tomatti, SSND and Diego Garcia, School Pastoral Ministry, Province of Latin
America and the Caribbean
Enlightened by the Laudato Si’ Encyclical fromPope Francis, Colégio Nossa Senhora da Glória,in Francisco Beltrão, Brazil, created an Integral
Ecology Project, which aims to develop teachingand learning processes grounded in the concept ofintegral education.
As a School Sister of Notre Dame School, which
has Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation
rooted in our charism and taking as reference thepillars of integral ecology in the Laudato
Si' Goals, we sought to deepen and understand the role of each individual in improving relations
between all creatures on the planet.
We engaged in the Laudato' Si Week by screening the film The Letter with the students. We
promoted dialogues and activities on the themes raised in the film. Culminating this activity
was a final assignment in which the 7th grade wrote a letter to Pope Francis expressing theirconcerns with the current climate crisis and giving recommendations to take better care of ourMother Earth.
Also noteworthy among the Integral Ecology Project’s
activities was the creation of a Peace Mantle, made frompatches painted by all the students, which became a symbol that
Peace is built together in the search for unity among ourdiversity. Connected with the Season of Creation theme: MayJustice and Peace Flow Like a Mighty River, the 72-m² mantle
was unveiled on the school’s façade for the entire community,celebrating the International Day of Peace on September 21.
Committed to the Shalom Network, we took on theresponsibility of caring for each other and our planet throughactions that mobilized students, educators, families, and societyin general.
See more at Gloria for a Culture of Peace (Choose to see thisvideo in your language. When you begin the video, click on the ‘gear,’ then click on subtitles,
and after that click on automatic translation; select your language.)

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International Day of the Girl (IDG) – October 11
By Sister Beatriz Martinez-Garcia, SSND UN-NGO Representative
The Working Group on Girls invited girls from aroundthe world to express their thoughts through art on theIDG theme: Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadershipand Wellbeing.
Representatives from Canada, Peru, Türkiye, UNICEF,
and UN Women praised girls for their leadership andencouraged them to continue speaking up about theirhopes, challenges, and concerns.
The IDG Summit was a combination of in-person andvirtual participation. Our students from Notre Dame
High School in St. Louis, Missouri, USA attended the event online. Additionally, the UN-NGO
Office was one of the sponsors of the IDG Summit.
Although the IDG Summit has ended, the discussion is ongoing. You and your friends may
want to reflect on the following: How can the world prioritize girls’ rights? What steps arenecessary to guarantee the well-being and rights of girls?

78th Annual Sessionof the United Nations General Assembly
By Sister Beatriz Martinez-Garcia, SSND UN-NGO Representative
The General Assembly is the main forum for all
193 members of the United Nations to discussinternational issues in conformity with the UN
Charter. This year’s theme is “Rebuilding TrustandReinvigorating
GlobalSolidarity:
Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its
Sustainable Development Goals for peace,prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.”This theme is a plea to all Member States to renew
their commitment to leave no one behind. It calls
for stronger global multilateralism and for innovative strategies to bring the Sustainable
Development Goals back on track.
Member States endorsed declarations to address the needs of vulnerable people: a) Fight against
Tuberculosis, b) Universal Health Coverage, c) Coordination to prevent, prepare for and respondto pandemics, and d) SDG Summit Declaration, which reaffirms the commitment to accelerate
the achievement of the 17 goals, of which only 15 percent are currently met.
Despite the world's experiencing of a multifaceted global crisis, I ponder: How do these goals
inspire and invigorate communities? How do the SDGs offer hope to the impoverished and theplanet? The UN Secretary-General stated, “The SDGs aren’t just a list of goals. They carry thehopes, dreams, rights, and expectations of people everywhere.”

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Sustainable Actions in São José Hospital
By Sister Isolene Lofi, SSND, Province of Latin America and the Caribbean
São José Hospital in Criciúma, Brazil, has been
concerned with the integral care of the environment
and is committed to involving collaborators in the vital
care of people and the environment in our journey tobuild a culture of integral sustainability. We share thebelief of Pope Francis that “Humanity still has theability to work together in building our common
home.” (LS 13)
We offer ongoing training for awareness and evaluation, monitoring, and audits to verify theeffectiveness of our actions toward sustainability. Our Health Service Waste Management
Program Committee monitors waste from its generation until its final disposal to mitigate
environmental impact. Non-contaminated items such as paper, glass, cardboard, plastic,electronics, LED lamps, and iron are recycled. We collect usedcooking oil in partnership with Bio Ole. We use sustainable green
internet and electrical cabling, which is fully recyclable and madeof resin from sugar cane, reducing CO² emissions. It is also flameretardant and halogen-free. We consume hydrocarbon gas, which
promotes clean burning, avoids greenhouse gas emissions, andsupplies steam to the laundry, heating water for showers andcooking. Our electricity is from renewable sources and purchased
directly from local production.
We have witnessed that when a person becomes aware of how
interconnected she is to all creation and feels loved, respected, andcared for, she is likely to transfer all these into her relationships tocaring for our common home. There is a painful cry from all creation, echoing in every cornerof the universe. We know that continuing to take responsible actions in the present will make adifference for a sustainable future for the next generations.

December 10, 2023
“I hope the UDHR75 [75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights]
initiative… will allow us to rekindle the spirit, the impulse, the energy and the vitality that led
to the Declaration 75 years ago. The language and the spirit of the Human Rights Declaration
have the potential to overcome divisions and polarizations. It can make peace with nature, ourplanet, with each other and point the way to sustainable development for future generations.
The light of the Declaration can shine in the daily lives of individuals and communities all over
the world, in their neighborhoods, in schools, offices and on the streets. But this requires ourgeneration, including young people, to give the Declaration new life, to take ownership of it
and to repurpose it to meet the needs of our times and the challenges of our future. In 2023, I
invite everyone all over the world to take up the torch of human rights and use these rights toforge a common future of dignity, freedom and justice for all.”Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (video)
Shalom/UN-NGO Newsletter is a publication of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
via della Stazione Aurelia 95, 00165 Roma · tel. +39.06.6652.01 fax: +39.06.6652.0234.

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