Lebanon 
Orthodox Day for the Environment celebrated
(Hala Homsy)

MT. LEBANON, LEBANON - In observance of the Orthodox Day of Prayer for the Environment, the SYNDESMOS Middle East region and the committee which coordinates efforts among the Orthodox youth movements in Lebanon invited the youth from the Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Syriac and Armenian Churches to attend a consultative session on the environment as a preliminary step to initiating a series of activities and to emphasize the important role young people play in environmental action.

Participants of the meeting at St Ephrem the Syrian orphanage

   About 44 young men and women attended the session at the Saint Ephrem the Syrian orphanage here.
    The gathering opened with the participants offering a prayer for a healthy and secure environment, after which Jean Touma, editor of the Arabic edition of SYNDESMOS News, welcomed them and stressed the necessity to focus on the environment issue in our churchly meetings. The sessions were presided over by Hala Homsy, and featured two lectures. Prof. Ra'eef Milki, a researcher at the American University of Beirut, discussed the environmental crisis in Lebanon and in many different countries and explained many aspects about the nature of pollution and its effects on humans. He also explained in detail the situation of the water in Lebanon, noting that in some cases laws designed to minimise and eliminate pollution were not applied. Prof. Milki also spoke of healthy food, the enormous number of poisoning cases each year, chemical pollution, the deforestation of Lebanon, and danger to the ozone layer. He expressed the joy he felt meeting so many young people interested in the enviroment and related issues.
    The second lecture was delivered by Dr. Nicholas Abou Mrad, who teaches theology at the Balamand University. He explained the theological discussion of nature and the environment. He stressed that nature is a gift from God that is entrusted to mankind, which must treasure and preserve it. Mankind must protect nature, honestly and consciously.
    During their discussions, the participants stressed the necessity of raising the level of awareness on the importance of protecting God's creation, especially among young people. They emphasised the important ethical issues involved in environmental concerns and the importance of co-operating with various environmental institutions and organisations. The participants stated the need to organise meetings, conferences and seminars on the environment and to conduct research about pollution. Finally, the participants were encouraged to participate in the reforestation campaign and in environmental and health events.

Greece
Mt. Athos: site of 6th SYNDESMOS ecology camp
(Kostas Giakoumis)

MT. ATHOS, GREECE - As part of its attempt to fulfill the targets set by the Environmental Workshop at the SYNDESMOS XVI General Assembly, SYNDESMOS once again organised a Spiritual Ecology Camp here this past summer.
    Some 30 participants from Finland, England, France, Poland, Russia, Yugoslavia, Romania, Greece and Lebanon took part in cultivating an Orthodox awareness of environmental issues by participating in the monastic life (which in a variety of ways is environmentally friendly), offering the host monastery a kind of "antidoron" for its hospitality, and encouraging the young pilgrims to experience aspects of the natural and ascetic life of the Athonite saints by walking along the same ancient paths they walked along rather than choosing what has become the latest rage on Mt. Athos: roads and taxis.
    The team assembled in Thessaloniki from 31 July to 2 August as guests of His Eminence, Metropolitan Dionysios of Neapolis and Stavroupolis. On 4 August, under a fierce North Aegean sun, the group set off for the Holy Mountain.
    After arriving on Mt. Athos, the group divided into two teams. The larger team went to the Monastery of Koutloumousiou, while the smaller group went to the Monastery of the Pantokrator. For the next two days, both groups laboured in their respective monasteries, cleaning and clearing footpaths and assisting with the harvest.
    The next three days were devoted to pilgrimage and learning the paths of Athos. The Koutloumousiou group visited the seaside houses of Iviron, Stavronikita and Pantokratoros, and both groups visited the Skete of the Holy Cross in a wooded area called Kapsala. Today, the sole occupant of this skete is Father Symeon, who was also the keynote speaker at the SYNDESMOS XVI Assembly.
    During the remainder of the week, the participants visited various other monasteries and worked in monastic fields and organic vegetable gardens.
    The programme was led by former SYNDESMOS President, Dr. Dimitri Oikonomou and Kostas Giakoumis. Toward the end of the programme, the participants presented Dr. Oikonomou with a prayer rope made by one of the group's members as a sign of gratitude and recognition for his personal initiatives, proposals, fundraising, and scheduling of the spiritual ecology camps held on Mt. Athos for the past six years and for making these programs among SYNDESMOS's most successful.