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Takingthemessageofenvironmentto classrooms

Teachers will help sensitise students on the issue

climatechangeRajkumari Tankha

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PEOPLEARE slowlyrising tothe environmental crisis. Notjust this, they are now actual-ly getting down to doingsome-thing about it.

This Earth Day (April 22),The Climate Project India(TCPI) launched the Envir-onment Sustainability Lead-ership Programme for teach-ers.

The programme aimed toequip teachers with inspiringand comprehensive tools forteaching environmental sub-jects, especially in relation toclimatechange,began with theteachers of Delhi's SanskritiSchool.

"We give teachers a solidunderstanding of the scienceand impacts of climate changeand empower them to take thismessage effectively into theclassrooms," says GauravGupta, TCPI Director.

"We have created severaltools, including an animatedand interactive presentation,created with the Centre forEnvironmental Research andEducation. This presentationhelps explain a complex topicin a simple and fun way toteachers. In fact 150teachershave already been trained," headds. .

Soon the TCPI volunteerswould be spanning over otherschools of Delhi and NCR tosensitise teachers, and throughthem the students.

"The idea is te reach out toas many people as possible,especially the young minds.Children have an open mind,

The launch of the environment sustainability programme.

~ Children have an.. open mind,whichallows them to recognisethe impacts and alter theirbehaviour.The child'squestioning mind can alsosensitise adults to theirown dallyactions thatcause irreparable ..harm to the planet. ~-AMOKHIPARIKHdeputy director, TCPI

whichallowsthem to recognisethe impacts and, alter theirbehaviour. The child's ques-tioning mind can alsosensitiseadults totheir owndailyactionsthat cause irreparable harm tothe planet," adds TCPI deputydirector Anokhi Parikh.

Through inspired teachersthey hope to create studentleadership in tackling envi-ronmental issues, she adds.

"Peoplemust bemade aware

~ This is just a.. beginning. We willsoon initiate many moreprojects that willdeepenour studentsunderstanding about theirenvironment and sensitisethem to some of theserious thre;itsfacing it.- RITAKAULprincipal, MillenniumSchool

of the threat they are causingto the enyironmentbyrampantmisuse of natural resources.The United Nations Frame-work Convention on ClimateChange has categorically stat-ed that the Himalayan glacierswill dry up by 2035.This willposea challengeto over sixmil-lion people living in the Indo-Gangetic plain," says KamalMeattle, TCPI Trustee.

Meanwhile, schools, both

FACTFILE. Schools,bothprivate andgovernment,are alsosetting upecoclubstoeducate children about theimportance of maintainingthe ecological balance asalso to make them awareabout the dangers of globalwarming.. The eco clubs take updifferent projects toincrease the knowledgebase of students,like wastesegregation and audit.

. The latest to join the listis Millennium School,Naida.

private and gOvernment, arealso setting up ecoclubs to edu-cate the children about theimportance of maiIitaining theecological balance as also tomake them aware about thedangers of global warming.The latest to join the list isNoida's Millennium School.

The eco clubs take up dif-ferent projects to increase theknowledge base of students,like waste segregation andwaste audit.

First, the waste is segregat-Efdinto biodegradableand non-biodegradable and then eachkind of waste is studied fur-ther soas to reduce its quanti-ty.

"This isjust a beginning..Wewill soon initiate many moreprojects that will deepen ourstUdentsunderstanding abouttheir environment and sensi-tise them to some of the seri-ous threats facing it," saysPrincipal Rit!l,Kaul of Mille-nnium School.

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