International Mother Earth Day
Every April 22nd, International Mother Earth Day is commemorated, an important date that highlights the need to preserve our planet and raise awareness of the impact our actions have on the natural environment.
In this regard, Raffaella Ansaloni, vice-rector of research at the University of Azuay, mentions that in a global context where environmental challenges are increasingly evident, universities and higher education centers have a crucial role that goes far beyond academic training.
Environmental education must be transversal and rigorous, producing not only competent professionals but also responsible and conscientious citizens. To achieve this, it is essential to educate well, train committed teachers from the early stages of school, promote quality research that generates useful and relevant data, and, above all, disseminate this knowledge in a clear and accessible way. This dissemination must reach those with decision-making power: from political leaders to large corporations capable of transforming production and consumption models toward sustainable practices, Ansaloni points out.
At the University of Azuay, multiple projects are being developed that reflect this commitment. Among them, Ansaloni highlights a sustainable water management project, carried out in collaboration with Belgian universities and other international stakeholders, focused on the preservation of watersheds and the measured use of this vital resource.
Sustainable mobility initiatives are also being implemented, aimed at reducing the use of fossil fuels, as well as ecological conservation and restoration projects, which seek not only to preserve existing biodiversity but also to restore degraded ecosystems.
Another important focus of university work is the commitment to clean energy production, especially through the use of photovoltaic energy, in line with this year's focus for Earth Day: renewable energy.
Ansaloni also quoted Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si, where he mentions that "One of the truly serious problems that has caused this ecological imbalance is consumption and accumulation. We have lost sight of what is truly important: not owning things, but respecting what surrounds us, respecting Mother Nature."
This International Earth Day is an opportunity to ask ourselves how we can, through our daily actions, contribute to and protect the planet we inhabit.
