The Church of South India on Tuesday was honored with the International Environment Conservation Award for its ecological intervention as a faith based community.

The award by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) was recognition of the Church’s “Long term Commitment to protect the Living Planet”.

The Church’s committal was officially recognized at a function held in Windsor Castle, England, on Nov. 3, 2009. A certificate from Ban Ki-moon, general secretary of the United Nations, was presented to Dr Philip John, on behalf of the CSI Synod Ecological Concerns Committee. UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to “help people build a better life”.

The network supports initiatives that protect biodiversity, reduce pollution, reverse land degradation and works on meeting the challenges of climate change.

CSI, which represents some 3.8 million members in India and around the world, last year, became a partner of ARC in a bid to progress in its green activism, and develop a long-term ecological plan.

In a 2008 statement, CSI’s Madhya Kerala Diocese, wrote: “Our aim is to keep this beautiful world beautiful, and not to turn it into a wasteland.”

“Our actions and attitudes toward the earth need to proceed from the centre of our faith, and be rooted in the fullness of God’s revelation in Christ and the Scriptures. We seek carefully to learn all that the Bible tells us about the Creator, creation, and the human task. In our life and words we declare that full good news for all creation is still waiting with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.”

The statement went on to recommend some very practical actions that can help combat the over-exploitation of resources causing imbalances in nature.

(Courtesy : Christian Today)