L. Ron Hubbard’s The Way to Happiness, which promotes care for the environment, inspired Scientologists from the Church of Scientology Mission of Naples Italy to take action.
This weekend, as they have each weekend since the summer, volunteers put their backs into reclaiming waste at Camaldoli Park in Naples and the Via Giordano Bruni Plaza in Marano.
The community joins the initiative
Volunteers removed dry weeds with a brush cutter. A neighbor presented them with the tool as a gift. He wanted to contribute to the initiative. New volunteers also joined the initiative this weekend. They dedicated some of their free time to care for the environment.
It doesn’t take long to make a difference
Volunteers dedicate just two hours each weekend. And they have improved the appearance of the two greenspaces considerably.
How it began
The smell of burning rubbish awakened Pascal L. one night last summer. In fact, the smoke filled his entire home. He realized that if this could happen here, he had to take action. He decided to create an initiative to fight environmental degradation.
L. Ron Hubbard’s The Way to Happiness inspired the initiative
L. Ron Hubbard’s book, The Way to Happiness includes a precept that inspired Pascal’s initiative. Precept 12 is “Safeguard and Improve Your Environment.” It states:
“There are many things one can do to help take care of the planet. They begin with the idea that one should. They progress with suggesting to others they should.
“Man has gotten up to the potential of destroying the planet. He must be pushed on up to the capability and actions of saving it.
“It is, after all, what we’re standing on.”
Pascal realized he needed to raise awareness of the people of Naples that we all need to care for the planet.
The bigger picture
The United Nations states that every three seconds the world loses enough forests to cover a football field. The fact is that in 2020 alone we destroyed 4.2 million hectares (10,378,426 acres) of primary forests. We need these forests to protect biodiversity. And forests also stem climate change. In the last century, we have destroyed half of the wetlands of the planet. We have caused 50 percent of coral reefs to disappear. And, by 2050, we could lose 90 percent of these vital ecosystems.
What is a carbon sink and why are they so important
What’s more, we deprive the world of vital carbon sinks by destroying ecosystems such as forests and peatlands. Carbon sinks are natural or manmade reservoirs that accumulate and store carbon-containing chemical compounds. The reason this is vital is that carbon sinks lower the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
How we affect the people of the world by irresponsible practices
We have degraded enough ecosystems to harm the wellbeing of at least 3.2 billion people. That means 40 percent of the world’s population.
World Wildlife Fund states “we are using 25 percent more natural resources than the planet can sustain.” This level of “reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease, and where fresh water is in irregular or short supply.”
L. Ron Hubbard’s The Way to Happiness inspires other green campaigns, supported by Scientology Churches and Missions
Pascal and his volunteers are sponsored by the Church of Scientology Mission of Naples, Italy. And they intend to create a movement by raising awareness of this urgent situation through their cleanup activities. Scientology Churches and Missions around the world sponsored chapters of The Way to Happiness Foundation. Many of them hold cleanups to help keep their communities clean and raise awareness of the importance of caring for the environment.
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