Earth Day 2026: Marist Institute, Marist Communities and FMSI renew their commitment to climate justice and children’s rights
Every year on 22 April, more than one billion people across over 190 countries celebrate Earth Day, one of the largest civic observances in the world. Established in 1970, Earth Day has become a global platform to promote environmental protection, climate action,and sustainable development. According to official Earth Day sources and United Nations data, the climate crisis continues to disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, particularly children, who face increased risks linked to environmental degradation, extreme weather events, food insecurity, and displacement.
In recent years, international human rights bodies – including the UN Human Rights Council – have increasingly recognized a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a human right. Climate justice is now understood not only as an environmental issue, but as a matter of equity, dignity, and intergenerational responsibility.
Within this global framework, the Marist Brothers Institute and the Marist International Solidarity Foundation (FMSI) have consistently integrated environmental protection into their educational, pastoral, and advocacy mission. Inspired by the principles of Laudato Si’ and grounded in a child-rights-based approach, Marist communities worldwide promote ecological awareness, sustainable practices, and youth participation in environmental action. Through schools, community programs, advocacy at the United Nations – including contributions to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – and grassroots initiatives, FMSI works to ensure that children and young people are not only protected from environmental harm but empowered as protagonists of change.
Against this backdrop, the Marist network will celebrate Earth Day 2026 with a global online event, bringing together voices from different continents to reflect on education, inclusion, and climate justice. The first session, in English, will take place at 9:00 AM Rome time, and the second session, in Spanish (with translations in Portuguese and English), at 4:00 PM Rome time. Both sessions will take place on Zoom and will be moderated by Br. Niño Mayor Pizarro, Assistant Director of the Secretariat of Education and Evangelization.
The event will gather eight speakers from various Marist provinces and projects worldwide, each offering concrete examples of how environmental responsibility and child protection intersect in their local contexts.
Br. Peter Carroll will open the session by reflecting on the role of education, inclusion, and community action in protecting our planet. His intervention will frame environmental responsibility as a core educational mission and a shared commitment within the Marist charism.
Ms. Maryury Morales will present the experience of Marist projects in Colombia, highlighting how caring for children also means caring for the Earth, especially in fragile and vulnerable environments. The project demonstrates how environmental awareness and child protection are deeply interconnected.
Mr. Sam King will share the development of a Provincial Laudato Si’ Action Plan, including contributions from students themselves. This participatory approach reflects a model where young people are not passive recipients of environmental education but active contributors to ecological transformation.
Mr. Sothun Nop will present the experience of Marist projects in Cambodia, focusing on the participation of children and young people with disabilities in education and climate action initiatives. The project underlines that environmental justice must also be inclusive justice.
Br. Diego Zawadzky, Director of the Secretariat of Solidarity – CMI (Spanish session), and Br. Nnodu Chukwubueze Onwutalu, Assistant Director of the Secretariat of Solidarity – CMI (English session), will address climate justice as a human right, presenting key contributions from the UPR reports of Fiji and Kiribati. These advocacy efforts demonstrate how environmental concerns are raised at the international level, linking grassroots realities to global human rights mechanisms.
Br. Camille Ramarosandratana will illustrate how environmental education in Madagascar is fostering empowerment and a new vision for future generations, strengthening resilience and responsibility among children and youth.
Br. Junel Pierre will describe how Marist communities in Haiti and Mexico are moving from awareness to action, with children taking leadership in promoting a more sustainable planet through school and community initiatives.
Mr. Luciano Landivar will present the Eco-Hábitos initiative in Bolivia, which empowers communities and students to adopt sustainable daily practices and protect their environment through concrete behavioral change.
The event will conclude with final reflections and greetings by Mr. Andrea Rossi – FMSI General Director – reinforcing the shared responsibility of the Marist family in advancing environmental stewardship and children’s rights.
This Earth Day event reflects a broader and long-standing Marist commitment: integrating ecological responsibility into education, safeguarding, inclusion, and advocacy. From local school gardens and eco-habit campaigns to international human rights reporting, Marist communities and FMSI demonstrate that environmental protection is inseparable from the promotion of human dignity.
As the global climate crisis intensifies, the voices of children and young people – especially those in vulnerable contexts – must be heard. Earth Day 2026 offers not only a moment of reflection, but a renewed call to action: to educate for sustainability, to advocate for climate justice, and to empower the next generation to lead the way toward a more just and sustainable world.
