Presentation in Colombia of the Environmental Movement “Guardians for the Peace of Mother Earth”

The Environmental Movement “Guardians for the Peace of Mother Earth” of the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace (GEAP), was presented before different personalities in the governmental and environmental field in Colombia, in the Metropolitan Park El Lago or Los Novios Park in Bogota, with diverse environmental activities and exhibitions with national and international guests.

In the morning of a festive Monday in Colombia, a workday on tree adoptions started in the Los Novios Park, which was directed by the Botanical Garden of Bogota; after this, the public started gathering  ̶  especially younglings from all Colombia ̶  in front of the main stage, to listen to the special interventions of different personalities from Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.

Dr. William Soto Santiago, global promotor of the environmental movement Guardians for the Peace of Mother Earth, presented before the audience the integral program “Children of Mother Earth”, and highlighted his main purpose, which is the global recognition of the Mother Earth as a Living Being, and that human beings were created from her to love, guard and protect her: “This is our consignment, and we are working hard, especially with the younglings, in the promotion of actions to restore harmony and peace between Mother Earth and human beings”.

Dr. Soto manifested the importance of the active participation of the youths in this labor, and he invited them to be part of this environmental movement: “Latin America and the Caribbean is the continent of the future, and it is time for us to raise our voices for these rights, the restoration and the peace of our Mother Earth.”

Dr. Rosalía Arteaga Serrano, former president of Ecuador, called upon a reflection on acquiring new habits for the conservation of the environment, and pointed out the importance of working together for the peace and care of Mother Earth: “Youths, it’s in your hands, boys and girls, the capacity to unite, to care for peace and to care for the Earth. Only so will we be able to fulfill that mission which we came with: to be brothers, to get along, and to think that this great home, Mother Earth, in this symbolic park called Los Novios Park… and to be this, it means being a friend, to smile, to love, to give a hand, to kiss. All of this we can do with our Mother Earth.”

Mábel Quinto Salas, who belongs to the indigenous town Nasa, from the north of Cacua, participated by the National Indigenous Organization. In her intervention, she talked about the harmonic coexistence that our indigenous people have with Mother Earth because it is the sacred space that humans inhabit; and narrated about her ancestral and cultural practices to protect her. She highlighted that when a baby is born, their bellybutton is buried in Mother Earth, establishing the first contact with her and recognizing that we are her children, and because of this, we must care and protect her: “Always, we are always giving thanks for the sun, for the rain, for the nights we have, and we always say that we are not owners of Mother Earth, we are children; that’s why we must care, love and protect her always and in all the aspects of life.”

Dr. Ricardo Molano was present in representation of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, and Dr. Maritza Torres Carrasco, deputy director of Education and Participation of the Ministry. Dr. Molano did a reading of the words sent by Minister Gabriel Vallejo, which expressed happiness to see the interest for this environmental work: “This world needs more people like you, that with your good attitudes and love for your resources, will make our Earth’s life persevere for thousands of years to come…”

Dr. Molano, from his part, celebrated the development of these initiatives and movements that propitiate a deep reflection of the role that human beings have in relation with the Earth, for the construction of a sustainable environmental culture: “How interesting it is to have a group of youths today, in this platform, with environmental preoccupations, with preoccupations for the care and preservation of the natural resources, but in a social responsibility mark (I think that is fundamental). Today we have more a reflective and critical thinking youth, that have a space in the scenery of decision making.”

The last intervention was from Carmen Salzano, coordinator of the Integral Program of the GEAP “Children of Mother Earth”, who invited the people present to travel around the tents of the six brigades that conform the environmental movement Guardians for the Peace of Mother Earth: Atmosphere, Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Vegetal Biodiversity, Animal Biodiversity and Human Beings. Furthermore, she highlighted that the decorations and settings of the mentioned were made by the youths using recycled materials.

The visitors could appreciate the environmental formation and the creativity of the younglings while they displayed their works and reflections to work for the peace of the Mother Earth. Every one of them exposed with great emotion the importance of the systems of the planet, its main problems and the call for attention to protecting her.

A rainbow formed by more than 1,500 bottlecaps, a wind power mill, a tunnel to enter the center of Mother Earth, a dolphin made with metal cans, seaweeds made with plastic bottles, plays about awareness on the indiscriminate cutting of trees and urging people to “Adopt a plant”, representation of emblematic animals of Colombia made with recycled materials, like the Colombian condor, the hummingbird, the blue morpho butterfly, the pink dolphin, and examples of how human beings can live in a sustainable environment and in harmony with Mother Earth, were part of the things exposed in the tents of the Guardians for the Peace of Mother Earth.

Finally, kids represented the 5Rs (reject, reduce, reuse, recycle and re-educate), and representatives of the indigenous people in Colombia left words of motivation and calls of attention for the awareness of the urgent care that our Mother Earth needs, and the reconnection that we need with her to ensure the existence of humanity.