TALK ON ENVIRONMENT CUM GOTONG ROYONG AT HTC TAWAU.

Tawau : The Environment Committee of HTC organized a talk on safeguarding  the environment on Sunday, 20 June 2010, followed by a gotong royong to clean up the Church, involving some 70 parishioners mostly the youth and some elders.

All members of the Sabah Environmental Protection Association (SEPA) wore green for the occasion highlighting the theme “Unite for A greener Sabah”.  

In his speech, Msgr. Nicholas Ong the rector told the participants that our planet earth with all its living things and environment were created by God, and as such, it is everyone’s responsibility to protect and care for it.


“The human race has become selfish.” he said.

“We are concerned with what we want without considering the effects on the global environment like pollution, green house effects, carbon emission and rain forest depletion. Therefore we hope this gotong royong campaign will help us to drive home the importance of cleaning the environment as well as reducing consumption of all goods that destroy nature. 

That is why  we have placed a life size statute of St Francis of Assisi in front of the church to remind us the importance of ecology.”

St Francis was proclaimed patron saint of the ecology by Pope John Paul in 1979. 

In addition, an official from SEPA Mr. Garry also gave a talk alerting the audience that a few places in Sabah have already been “endangered”, naming the diminishing bakau trees and the proposed coal project as examples. 

After the 45 minute talk starting at 1.30pm, everybody continued with the gotong royong and thereafter to a refreshment in the Canteen.

Julita