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How environmental preservation can transform our lives and the planet
Imagine a world where
every day celebrates nature, where every action counts toward protecting the
environment. The play Every Day is Environment Day by Antônio Carlos dos Santos
invites us to reflect and act for a greener planet. Join this inspiring journey
to make a difference, today and always!
The environment is not
just a topic for special occasions like World Environment Day. It is a cause
that pulses in every choice we make, from the cup we use to the way we consume
energy. The theatrical play Every Day is Environment Day, part of
Antônio Carlos dos Santos’s Education, Theater, and History Collection,
harnesses the power of theater to show that environmental preservation is a
daily responsibility. Written in the form of a choral performance, with song,
chorus, and poetry, the play connects Brazil’s history—from colonial
exploitation to modernity—to today’s environmental challenges. This article
explores how science, art, and education, united by methodologies like Mané
Beiçudo Puppet Theater (MBPT), MAT (Mindset, Action, and Theater),
and ThM (Theater Movement), can inspire sustainable actions. With
examples from figures like Malala Yousafzai and Nelson Mandela, we will see how
small actions can transform the future.
Environmental
preservation in Brazil has deep historical roots, marked by centuries of
predatory exploitation. Santos’s play highlights how export monocultures, such
as sugarcane and coffee, shaped the country’s relationship with its natural
resources. Studies from the University of São Paulo (USP), published in 2023,
show that rampant forest exploitation during the colonial period reduced
biodiversity by 30% in some Brazilian regions. Today, we face similar
challenges with Amazon deforestation and urban pollution. Santos’s MAT
methodology proposes a sustainability-focused mindset, encouraging practical
actions and using theater to sensitize communities. For instance, enacting a
forest’s destruction in a MAT workshop can help people understand the
impact of their daily choices.
inspiring story: Malala
Yousafzai and the power of small actions
Malala Yousafzai, with her fight for education, shows that individual actions
can spark global change. She rode a bicycle to school, a simple act that defied
cultural barriers and promoted sustainability. Like Malala, each of us can
adopt practices like recycling or reducing plastic use to protect the
environment. The play Every Day is Environment Day uses theater to
inspire this mindset, inviting the audience to move from being spectators to
protagonists in environmental preservation.
Neuroscience
reinforces the importance of emotionally engaging people in environmental
causes. A 2024 study from the University of Oxford showed that emotional
narratives, like those in theatrical plays, activate brain areas linked to
empathy, increasing willingness for sustainable actions by 25%. Santos’s ThM
(Theater Movement) combines physical movement and dramatization to create
this emotional connection. In a workshop, for example, participants might
“embody” a threatened tree, feeling the impact of deforestation. This approach,
described in Santos’s book Strategic Communication: The Art of Speaking Well,
helps convey the urgency of preservation in a clear and engaging way.
Practical tip: reduce
waste with MAT
Inspired by MAT, create a personal sustainability plan. Reflect
(mindset) on your consumption habits, take actions like using reusable bottles,
and stage a small theater with friends or family to discuss environmental
solutions. Set aside 10 minutes weekly to note what you can improve, such as
reducing single-use plastics. This practice, tested in Recife schools,
increased recycling by 20%, according to 2024 local reports.
The Education,
Theater, and History Collection by Antônio Carlos dos Santos, with its four
volumes—Every Day is Independence Day, Every Day is Black
Consciousness Day, Every Day is Environment Day, and Every Day is
Indigenous Day—uses theater as a pedagogical tool to teach history and
values. The play Every Day is Environment Day addresses predatory
exploitation and the “coffee with milk” policy, which perpetuated inequalities
in Brazil. A 2022 study from Stanford University showed that theater in the
classroom increases knowledge retention by 40%, especially when linked to
social and environmental themes. Santos’s play transforms the audience into
protagonists, encouraging concrete actions like planting trees or joining
cleanup initiatives.
Curiosity: the Amazon
and colonial Brazil
During the colonial period, the extraction of brazilwood decimated entire
forests along the Brazilian coast, reducing populations of some native species
by 50%, according to USP. Today, the Amazon faces similar challenges, with 20%
of its area deforested since 1970, per data from the National Institute for
Space Research (INPE).
The Mané Beiçudo
Puppet Theater (MBPT) is another of Santos’s methodologies that makes
environmental education accessible, especially for children. Puppets tell
stories about polluted rivers or threatened forests, sparking young people’s
interest. A 2023 study from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
showed that puppet theater programs increase children’s engagement in
sustainable practices, like waste sorting, by 35%. Santos’s book Moving
Letters: The Art of Writing Well teaches how to create educational
campaigns that capture young audiences’ imaginations, reinforcing preservation
messages.
Motivational quote:
Maria Montessori
“We must help the child to act for herself, to will for herself, to think for
herself; this is the path to developing a free mind.” – Maria Montessori. This
quote reflects the spirit of Santos’s play, which empowers the audience to act
for the environment, turning knowledge into action.
The play Every Day
is Environment Day also addresses the link between sustainability and
social justice, highlighting how slavery and monoculture impacted both the
environment and communities. Drawing inspiration from Nelson Mandela, who
fought for equality, we can see environmental preservation as a fight for a
fairer world. Mandela walked the streets to unite people, just as environmental
actions can unite communities. A 2022 study from Harvard University showed that
communities engaged in sustainability projects, like urban gardens, have 15%
greater social cohesion. Santos’s ThM, by using movement to connect
people, reinforces this idea of unity.
Inspiring story:
Nelson Mandela and unity for nature
Nelson Mandela, in promoting reconciliation in South Africa, planted trees as a
symbol of renewal. His message of unity inspires collective environmental
actions, like reforestation initiatives. Santos’s play echoes this spirit,
calling the audience to plant seeds—literally and metaphorically—for a
sustainable future.
Environmental
education, when paired with art, has the power to transform mindsets. Santos’s
book Breathing, Voice, and Diction teaches how to communicate
environmental messages clearly, inspiring action. In São Paulo, workshops based
on MAT mobilized schools to create recycling projects, reducing waste by
25%, according to 2024 municipal data. Neuroscience, in 2024 studies from the
University of Cambridge, shows that gratitude practices for nature, like those
promoted by ThM, increase well-being by 20%, encouraging
pro-environmental attitudes.
Practical tip: plant a
tree with MBPT
Use MBPT to engage children in your community. Create a puppet story
about a tree that “speaks” about its importance. Then, organize a tree-planting
initiative with native species. In Belo Horizonte, a similar project increased
tree planting in schools by 30%, per 2023 reports.
Brazil’s environmental
history, as depicted in Santos’s play, reminds us that the past shapes the
present. The “coffee with milk” policy prioritized economic interests over the
environment, a pattern we still face. Studies from the Federal University of
Minas Gerais (UFMG), from 2023, show that public policies based on community
participation, like those proposed by Santos’s Quasar K+, increase the
effectiveness of preservation initiatives by 28%. Santos’s play invites us to
break this cycle, taking the lead in building a sustainable future.
Curiosity: the impact
of monocultures
The coffee monoculture, prevalent during the Old Republic, degraded soils in
40% of cultivated areas in Southeast Brazil, according to Embrapa. Today,
practices like agroforestry, which combine agriculture and preservation, are
recovering these areas, with a 15% increase in local biodiversity.
Ultimately, Every
Day is Environment Day is a call to action. Just as Martin Luther King Jr.
dreamed of equality, we can dream of a planet where every day is dedicated to
nature. Antônio Carlos dos Santos’s methodologies, combined with science and
art, show that environmental education can be fun, engaging, and
transformative. Why not start today with a small gesture, like reducing plastic
use or joining a cleanup initiative? The
environment doesn’t wait—and neither should we.
Acesse os livros de Antônio Carlos dos Santos na amazon.com ou na amazon.com.br
Click here.
https://www.amazon.com/author/antoniosantos
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