Salesians in Kenya Set to Roll Out Comprehensive Integral Ecology Plan to End “piecemeal” Approach

He also disclosed that the worldwide SDB fraternity has launched a position paper on the direction of Don Bosco institutions in line with Pope Francis’s agenda for the environment.

The DBDON Executive Director explained that the launch of the five-year Integral Ecology Plan was scheduled for October 9 around about the October 4 Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment.

Fr. Selvam said the planned launch, which will guide the implementation of projects across the 14 Don Bosco institutions in Kenya, is anchored on some six pillars: energy, carbon, water and waste management, sustainable agriculture, and ecological conversion.

“The plan has six pillars, and each pillar has three sections. We talk about principles first; every pillar has certain principles that everybody should know; then processes second, processes that we have to embrace as individuals and as institutions; then projects, that Don Bosco will implement,” he said.

Asked about expectations following the launch, the Executive Director of DBDON under the auspices of SDB expressed hope that the plan would be adopted by other Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) and Dioceses across Kenya.

“The stakeholders consist of Church people who can learn from our plan and replicate it.  I have invited people who are in the mission network. Jesuits will be represented on that day; it’s open, because our plan can act as a model for other Religious Congregations and Dioceses,” he said.

“The second group of people will be partners. We want to do tree planting; it’s one of the activities. We want to tap into solar energy and alternative energy; we want to manage water; we want to recycle water,” he added, disclosing that some 60 participated are expected.

Fr. Selvam said suppliers have also been invited to the October 9 launch, noting that the event will provide an opportunity for like-minded stakeholders to engage in discussions around the six thematic areas.

“The whole idea behind the launch is just a change of mindset,” the Indian-born SDB member told ACI Africa, and added, “One of our goals is to go off-grid by 2028. All of those institutions will go off the grid; that is our aim. We want to recycle 60 percent of wastewater.”

According to the document plan that Fr. Selvam shared with ACI Africa, each of the six thematic pillars addresses a critical area of ecological engagement. It emphasizes that the pillars “are not isolated domains but interconnected pathways for institutional and personal transformation.”

The document indicates that the energy management pillar “promotes the shift to renewable energy, energy efficiency, and responsible consumption through infrastructure, education, and formation.”

Carbon management, he said, “focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through reforestation, agricultural transformation, and awareness-building around the carbon and methane cycles.”

The document indicates that the third pillar, which is water management, “addresses the conservation and equitable use of water resources, protection of wetlands, rainwater harvesting, and groundwater recharge.”

On waste management, the document says that it seeks to “minimize waste generation and maximize resource recovery by promoting the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), managing e-waste, and fostering a culture of environmental dignity.”

Sustainable agriculture, the document says, “promotes environmentally responsible farming practices that empower youth, restore degraded land, and ensure food security, through agroecology, training farms, youth-led cooperatives, and context-specific innovations.”

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Lastly, the document indicates that the pillar of Ecological Conversion “integrates ecological formation across academic, technical, pastoral, and spiritual programmes—especially in Salesian formation houses and youth ministry settings.”

According to the document, each of the six pillars is presented in three interrelated sections, three Ps: Principles, Processes, and Projects.

The principles articulate the scientific, moral, and theological foundations of each pillar. The sections draw from Church teaching – especially Laudato Si’ – as well as Salesian documents, national policy frameworks, and current environmental science.

“The sections are designed to inform and inspire reflection, especially within education and formation. This section provides the content for our information and formation,” the document indicates.

It also indicates that the processes translate principles into pathways of change, describing “the mindsets, institutional shifts, and daily practices that Don Bosco centres must adopt to live out integral ecology.”

“These sections pay particular attention to formation processes – both for young people and for Salesians in initial and ongoing formation. In a sense, this section contains the Integral Ecology Policy of Don Bosco Kenya,” the document indicates.

It further indicates that the projects propose time-bound, measurable, and locally adaptable initiatives aligned with each pillar.

“Each project includes a clear objective, timeline, and distribution of responsibilities among provincial offices and local communities. This section lists a preliminary scheme for seeking project funding to support the implementation of the Integral Ecology Plan,” the document says.