The Educational Programme.

The Orthodox tradition does not reject the material world, but takes on material elements from the creation, and through the divine worship it offers them eucharistically to God. Through this practice, it cultivates a different ethos for humanity: the ethos of respect toward the creation, restraint of egoistic overconsumption, and awareness of personal responsibility, not only for the protection and preservation of the environment, but also for the "salvation of the whole world." This paper discusses "The Use of Plants in the Worship of the Orthodox Church," an experiential educational programme that starts with a focus on the symbolic import of plants used in the worship of the church, but goes far beyond to include the significant role of the flora in the ecosystem. This programme focuses on understanding the relationship of the church with the material world as well as the relationship of the human person with herbal ecosystems and the problems that arise due to human intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]