BINGKOR: Keningau Diocese’s Komisi Keharmonian Alam Sekitar (KACT) urged parishioners to lay fresh flowers, leaves and bamboo arrangements on graves instead of the familiar plastic bouquets and synthetic floral foam that litter cemetery grounds on All Souls Day on Nov 2.
“This isn’t an environmental slogan — it’s about our own soil,” KACT said in its statement.
“Many of our cemeteries are in village areas where rain washes waste straight into the very land our families farm and our children walk on. Plastic flowers don’t just sit there they break down into microplastics that stay in our ground for generations.”In Kampung Sandapak, the message is already taking root.
Geofred Daigo Mangkil, from the village JKKK and St Mary’s Church, said the campaign resonates deeply with rural life:“For us, the land and our ancestors are one. We bury our kin in soil that has fed our families for generations. Why would we honour them by poisoning that same soil?Fresh flowers wither — but they become part of the earth again. Plastic stays forever, and so does the harm it leaves behind.”“In our Sabah communities, we have always lived close to nature. Let’s keep that wisdom alive when we visit our departed loved ones,”KACT stressed.
Cemetery visits across Keningau Diocese — from Bingkor to Kampung Sandapak and beyond — will see volunteers sharing the message throughout the coming week:“Love the departed through prayer; love the earth through action.”“Clean graves are a sign of respect — but graves free of plastic pollution are a gift to our children,” Geofred said.
“When we visit our ancestors this week, let’s leave something beautiful that fades gently — not something that clogs our soil forever. That is true remembrance.”