RANCHI: With Christmas round the corner, Johan Dang, the moderator of the now 173-year-old Gossner Evangelical Lutheran (GEL) Church, the oldest church in the region, has called on the faithful for "green" celebrations."Celebrate Christmas in a proper way. Christmas comes at the most beautiful time of the year - winter. Unfortunately this festive season comes at a high price in environment terms - rise in temperatures, flash floods, droughts, lesser and lesser rainfall each year and vanishing winter among others. We, thus, need to ponder on what really matters. We need to focus on deepening our care for God's creation which is the core Christian teaching. I have begun to tell the faithful to Go Green beginning this Christmas month," Dang told TOI.Explaining his Go Green call, Dang said in the current year, he has already planted some 2,000 mango trees at the various GEL church-owned land. "We told our followers to plant more trees. I am stressing that people should plant mango trees of various varieties, so that when the mango crop comes, they can earn handsomely," he said.GEL followers are also asked to avoid using of plastic bags altogether. Plastics should be banned. As plastics do not decompose, animals are dying after consuming them from garbage dumps. GEL church run organisations have already begun distribution of cotton and jute bags instead of plastic folders at all conferences and workshops organised by them, he said.The GEL moderator further said going green, extends beyond mere planting trees and avoiding use of plastic bags.

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