Pathfinders and the environment

For a Pathfinder, caring for the environment isn't a one-off topic on the calendar: it's part of who they are. The club brings hands in the soil, the study of creation, and faith together in a single gesture. When a seedling is planted, a beach is cleaned, or a can ends up in the recycling bin, there's a simple, deep conviction behind it: nature, like the body and mind, is a gift we receive from God to keep and watch over.

🌳Planting trees: giving life back to the land

Tree planting is one of the most visible marks of Pathfinders' environmental care. In June 2015, in Joanópolis (São Paulo state), a club helped plant more than six thousand seedlings of native riparian forest species, in an effort tied to the restoration of the Cantareira water system, which supplies the São Paulo capital. Thirty-five Pathfinders took part, alongside the state's Secretariat of the Environment and two local NGOs that donated the seedlings.

Riparian forest is precisely the vegetation that protects riverbanks and springs. Planting these trees isn't just about making the landscape prettier: it holds the soil in place, protects the water, and gives shelter back to wildlife. That's why many clubs choose native species and endangered trees, such as the brazilwood tree, planted in a solemn ceremony in Santa Helena (Paraná state) in 2015, in partnership with the SOS Pau Brasil Jussara institute.

♻️Cleaning and recycling: hands-on work in the community

If there's a place where a Pathfinder likes to serve, it's wherever the work is hardest. Cleanup drives on beaches, rivers, streets, and public squares are common on clubs' calendars, often during Environment Week in June. Pathfinders collect litter improperly dumped on the sand, along riverbanks, and in public spaces, and in some places they even 'adopt' a square, taking on its revitalization and ongoing upkeep.

Recycling follows the same logic. Sorting trash, giving plastic, glass, and paper the right destination, and reusing materials teach, in practice, that everyone is responsible for what they throw away. More than just picking up litter, these cleanup drives change behavior: a child who cleaned a beach is unlikely to litter on it afterward.

📚Learning about nature: study that becomes respect

Behind every hands-on action lies a lesson. The Pathfinders' Nature Study Manual covers flowers, insects, fungi, trees, seaweed, mammals, beekeeping, geology, and agriculture, among many other topics. Getting to know up close how an ecosystem works is the first step toward wanting to protect it.

This study goes deeper through honors. There are honors specifically tied to the subject, such as Ecology and Environmental Conservation, as well as areas like geology and the study of reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, shrubs, and seaweed. Each badge earned is also an invitation to observe, with care and admiration, what many people walk past without ever seeing.

"A Pathfinder is also a guardian of nature. We know that nature, like our body and mind, is a gift from God."Pastor Moisés Mora, during a tree-planting ceremony in Santa Helena, Paraná state

🌱Environmental education: from the backyard to life

Care for the environment also happens in gardens, mini-farms, and green spaces tied to Adventist clubs and schools. In Adventist Education projects, children have grown organic vegetable gardens, planted herbs and greens, and taken outdoor science classes, observing insects and microorganisms right in their own space. Learning by planting makes the lesson far more vivid.

This direct contact with the land teaches patience, responsibility, and gratitude. A child who watches a seed become food understands, without needing a lecture, that nature is generous and deserves care. It's environmental education that doesn't stay on the page: it becomes a habit and, over time, becomes character.

🤝Caring together: partnerships that widen the reach

Clubs rarely act alone in these efforts. Official reports record partnerships with city halls, state environmental agencies, environmental NGOs, fire departments, and police, among others. These alliances extend the reach of the work and show the community that Pathfinders are a reliable partner in the environmental cause.

At events like Environment Week, Pathfinders and Adventurers take part in ecological walks, workshops, exhibits, and parades, joining a broader citywide program. The message is clear: caring for the planet is everyone's job, and the club wants to stand side by side with those already working toward it.

🙏Caring for creation: the spiritual root

For a Pathfinder, there's a bigger reason behind every tree planted and every beach cleaned. Adventist faith understands nature as God's creation, entrusted to people's care. Caring for it is, at the same time, a service to others and an act of worship to the Creator.

That's why nature study has always held a prominent place in Christian formation: it draws a child closer to God through what He has made. Planting, cleaning, recycling, and learning stop being separate tasks and become part of one and the same response to a calling. Caring for creation means living out, in practice, gratitude for what we've received.