Today, 5 June, we celebrate World Environment Day, the best known day in the field of environmental action around the world.

To offset part of the environmental footprint generated by all the activities involving the organization of World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023, the WYD Lisbon 2023 Foundation supports and promotes various initiatives to raise awareness among everyone, always keeping in mind that "the environment is a collective good, the heritage of all humanity and the responsibility of all" (LS 95).

WYD Lisbon 2023 launched the challenge of planting trees worldwide, which has already resulted in several plantations by groups and dioceses around the world. You can now see all the locations and data regarding the World Tree Planting on the interactive map available here.

In addition, the Rise Up Preparatory Meetings challenge young people to discuss the major themes launched by Pope Francis' pontificate, such as Integral Ecology, which reflects on the Encyclical Laudato Si'. Learn more here.

As António Salcedo, responsible for the Laudato Si' Movement in Portugal, explains, "the Encyclical Laudato Si', is an invitation from Pope Francis to all people of good will to care for our Common Home, and has been one of the great pillars for the development of the sustainability area at WYD".

In this sense, WYD Lisbon 2023 also seeks to train its collaborators and volunteers in raising awareness about caring for the "common home", in addition to collaborating with various institutions to raise awareness among young people around the world.

WYD Lisbon 2023 has embraced sustainability as one of the main focuses of its action, meeting the concerns of the youth. For this reason, it has three objectives and focuses within the theme of sustainability: financial sustainability, with the appropriate use of materials and resources; social sustainability, working towards universal brotherhood; and environmental sustainability, by caring for and reducing the impact that this meeting will have on the environment.

Learn more about the area of sustainability in WYD Lisbon 2023 here.