It’s great to see so many different organisations preaching the eco message. The latest voice to join in is taking that preaching in a very literal way: Pope Benedict held a youth rally over the weekend designed in an entirely eco-friendly way.

The two-day rally in Italy, organised by the Vatican, told the 300,000 attendees to listen to ‘the voice of the earth’ or risk destruction.

Everything at the event itself was either biodegradable or recyclable, as ENN notes:

A participants’ kit included backpacks made of recyclable material, a flashlight operated by a crank instead of batteries, and color-coded trash bags so their personal garbage could be easily recycled. Meals were served on biodegradable plates.

Tens of thousands of prayerbooks for Sunday’s mass were printed on recycled paper and an adequate number of trees would be planted to compensate for the carbon produced at the event, many in areas of southern Italy devastated by recent brushfires.

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