Malang, Indonesia, from the 4th to the 7th of August, the first Congress of Carmelite Colleges of the Asia and Oceania region took place. The title of the congress was "Carmelite Schools Go Green". Its object was to create awareness of the importance of a culture of responsibility in relation to the environment in our colleges and surrounding areas. There were some forty participants including friars, sisters and lay people who represented our education institutes in Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia.

In the first part of the congress Sr. Jane Remson, O.Carm, principal representative of the Carmelite NGO at the United Nations was the speaker along with Fr. Eduardo Agosta , O.Carm., professor of physics and climatology. The two speakers helped the group to reflect on the lifestyle in our societies and the impact it has on the environment. The talks also gave interesting insights into the relationship that exists between Carmelite spirituality and the integrity of God’s creation. In the second part of the congress the participants focused their attention and their work on the practical things that people can do, such as recycling of plastics and paper, the production of carbon from residuals, and the production of natural foods and medicines etc..

Fr. Albertus Herwanta, O.Carm., Councilor General for Asia and Oceania, and Fr. Desiré Unen Alimange, O.Carm., Councilor General for Africa attended the congress and Fr. Raúl Maraví, O.Carm., Councilor General for Colleges and Youth, spoke at the beginning and at the end of the congress, encouraging the participants to continue to promote integral education and the knowledge of Carmelite identity in our centers of education.
This first Congress of Carmelite Colleges in the region of Asia and Oceania was organised by "SMA Katolik Santo Albertus" (Dempo), one of the three colleges that our order has in Indonesia. This was part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of their foundation.