The "If You Take Care of the Planet, You Fight Poverty" campaign calls for listening to the cries of the poor and the earth.

On the occasion of International Mother Earth Day, which is celebrated every April 22, we want to share with you the Green Decalogue From the "If you take care of the planet, you fight poverty" campaign. This mandate, which summarizes the ten principles of the Green Decalogue developed over two years, aims to be "a pedagogy that serves to address the suffering of the earth and that of the excluded."

The celebration of Earth Day, on April 22, marks the end of the intense journey that the Campaign has been promoting over the last two years. IF YOU TAKE CARE OF THE PLANET, YOU FIGHT POVERTY around the ten points of his proposed Green Decalogue.

To this end, at this culminating moment of the awareness-raising process regarding the care of Creation and the encyclical Laudato Si' by Pope Francis, the entities that promote the Campaign – Caritas, CEDIS, CONFER, Justice and Peace, Manos Unidas and REDES (Network of Entities for Solidarity Development) – launch an invitation to “listen to the cry of the poor and of the earth.”

This mandate, which summarizes the ten principles of the Green Decalogue, far from seeking to lighten the demanding and detailed content of each of the ten principles, seeks to offer a path and a pedagogy that, in the words of its promoters, "will lead us to reach the core of the Decalogue, to attend to the suffering of the earth and of the excluded."

By exploring the ten principles, the Campaign has sought to respond to the cry of the earth and the poor, which has been present since the first mandate of the Decalogue, which asks us to "Support the cause of the poor" as a starting point on the path to be taken.

This is an itinerary that, since June 2016, has offered constant reflection and questioning about our way of life and our priorities, about our consumption habits, to assess whether they go beyond our needs, spending more goods than necessary at the expense of people who lack the essentials, and whether our lifestyle is contributing to the global crisis that is already proving unsustainable, both economically and environmentally.

This final call to “listen to the cry of the poor and of the earth” is an invitation to share the journey proposed in the Decalogue and to express our commitment to the impoverished. It is a goal in which, as Laudato Si' points out, “concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and inner peace are inseparable.”

WHAT CAN YOU DO (OR STOP DOING)?

In addition to recalling the various testimonies collected over the past two years in the "Voices Crying Out" section of the materials published—from Brazilian bishops Hélder Cámara and Pedro Casaldáliga; indigenous leaders Leonardo Tello, Carmen Nango, Armindo Goes, César Tánguila, Hilda Saavedra, and Yanua Atamain; and theologians Mercedes Loring, Dolores Aleixandre, and Chiara Lubich, among others—the Campaign has also put forward numerous concrete proposals for action that could bring about a change in personal and, ultimately, social attitudes that will contribute to building a more just society.

Under the heading "What can you do (or not do)?", the sponsoring organizations have urged people to read the encyclical Laudato Si', to reflect on the wonderful diversity of our world, to draw closer to nature, which is often more within our reach than we think; and to contemplate the incredible beauty of creation.

The invitation was also extended to reflect on the causes and consequences of environmental degradation and poverty, and to educate ourselves in order to become aware of the magnitude of the problem facing humanity.

QUESTIONING OUR ATTITUDES

The campaign has emphasized the urgency of rethinking our way of life, whether we need so many material things, whether we really need to live consuming so much energy, so many resources, or so much water. Furthermore, is our attachment to technology fundamental to our lives? Without dismissing its usefulness, could we live a little more independently of it?

The alternative is a more sober lifestyle, free from the shackles of consumerism. Sobriety, simplicity, is a way of life, a path, and like utopia, we must begin to follow it at some point. Therefore, returning to a simpler lifestyle is a solution: for people and for the planet.

When considering a more conscious and austere way of life, there are options such as:

• Consume less, in a fairer and more balanced way, while being aware of the power we have as consumers.
• Take a step toward the alternatives offered by the Social and Solidarity Economy in our daily consumption habits.
• Consume foods from organic farming and livestock in our area that preserve local varieties and enrich diversity.
• Visit Social Markets, where we find cooperative production, ethical finance, and fair trade. Skip the logic of International Markets and consume Fair Trade products.

Once the two-year awareness-raising cycle is complete, the Campaign's sponsoring entities will define new objectives and strategies in the coming months within the framework of networking as Church institutions, to continue advancing personal awareness and paths to social transformation based on caring for Creation.

We provide you with the website where you will find all the details and more information about the campaign. www.enlazateporlajusticia.org

Also web links for the principle of conclusion for adults https://www.enlazateporlajusticia.org/clamor and the principle of childish conclusion https://www.enlazateporlajusticia.org/escucha-a-la-tierra