International Day of Peace celebration Sept. 22

The annual International Day of Peace will be celebrated locally from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, at the Nazareth Motherhouse auditorium, 1300 Washington, in Concordia.

The non-denominational event will feature fellowship, conversations, prayer, thought-provoking discussions and international refreshments. It is free and open to the public. Please park in the parking lot on the east side of the Motherhouse.

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations. It is traditionally celebrated on September 21.

This year’s theme is “Climate Action for Peace.” The theme focuses on the use of combatting climate change as a way to protect and promote peace worldwide.

Earlier this week, the City of Concordia proclaimed Sept. 21 as the International Day of Peace. Sister Christina Brodie and Pastor Bob Frasier, First Presbyterian Church, were on hand during the City Council meeting for the proclamation.

“The purpose of these events is to support the UN global initiatives on living a more sustainable life. We thought this year we would focus on how each one of us in Concordia can make a difference in how we live to minimize conspicuous waste,” Sister Christina said. “For example, in the world of horrific excess plastic waste, we as individuals can make a difference by using a refillable cup instead of purchasing plastic bottles, particularly for individual consumption. For example, in Canada, many of our sisters’ residences do not purchase plastic bottles nor allow them in their residences. We all as individuals can do our part to make this a better world for future generations.”

“I’ve been thinking about what happens to all the things we recycle, especially plastics. Some of the answers I’ve found so far are shocking and quite unbelievable,” Sister Judy Stephens said.  “There is so much plastic floating in our oceans that it is called ‘The Great Pacific Garbage Patch!’”

Sister Judy said that while researching the issue, she found statistics that show that currently more than 300 million tons of new plastic is produced annually, and less than 10 percent is recycled.

The United Nations calls upon all individuals to take action to tackle climate change — from turning off the lights to taking public transport, to organizing an awareness raising campaign in your community.