taking the message of Environment to Classrooms

1. I
Taking message f
the o
environment classrooms
to
Teachers will help sensitise students on the issue
climatechange FACT
FILE
Rajkumari Tankha . Schools, private
both and
government,are also
PEOPLEARE slowlyrising to setting up eco clubsto
the environmental crisis. Not educate children about the
just this, they are now actual- importance of maintaining
ly getting down to doing some- the ecological balance as
thing about it. also to make them aware
This Earth Day (April 22), about the dangers of global
The Climate Project India warming.
(TCPI) launched the Envir- . The eco clubs take up
onment Sustainability Lead- different projects to
ership Programme for teach- increase the knowledge
ers.
base of students,like waste
The programme aimed to segregation and audit.
equip teachers with inspiring
. The latest to join the list
and comprehensive tools for
is Millennium School,
teaching environmental sub- Naida.
jects, especially in relation to The launch of the environment sustainability programme.
climatechange,began with the
teachers of Delhi's Sanskriti
School.
"We give teachers a solid
understanding of the science
and impacts of climate change
..
~ Children have an
open mind,which
allows them to recognise
the impacts and alter their
..
~ This is just a
beginning. We will
soon initiate many more
projects that willdeepen
private and gOvernment, are
also setting up ecoclubs to edu-
cate the children about the
importance of maiIitaining the
ecological balance as also to
and empower them to take this behaviour. The child's our students make them aware about the
message effectively into the questioning mind can also understanding about their dangers of global warming.
classrooms," says Gaurav
..
sensitise adults to their environment and sensitise The latest to join the list is
Gupta, TCPI Director. Noida's Millennium School.
"We have created several own dally actions that them to some of the The eco clubs take up dif-
tools, including an animated cause irreparable serious thre;its ferent projects to increase the
and interactive presentation, harm to the planet. ~ facing it. knowledge base of students,
created with the Centre for
Environmental Research and
- AMOKHIPARIKH
deputy director, TCPI
- RITAKAUL like waste segregation and
waste audit.
principal, MillenniumSchool
Education. This presentation First, the waste is segregat-
helps explain a complex topic Efd biodegradableand non-
into
- in a simple and fun way to
teachers. In fact 150teachers
have already been trained," he
adds. .
which allowsthem to recognise
the impacts and, alter their
behaviour. The child's ques-
tioning mind can alsosensitise
of the threat they are causing
to the enyironment by rampant
misuse of natural resources.
The United Nations Frame-
biodegradable and then each
kind of waste is studied fur-
ther so as to reduce its quanti-
ty.
Soon the TCPI volunteers adults totheir owndailyactions work Convention on Climate "This isjust a beginning..We
would be spanning over other that cause irreparable harm to Change has categorically stat- will soon initiate many more
schools of Delhi and NCR to the planet," adds TCPI deputy ed that the Himalayan glaciers projects that will deepen our
sensitise teachers, and through director Anokhi Parikh. will dry up by 2035.This will stUdentsunderstanding about
them the students. Through inspired teachers posea challengeto over sixmil- their environment and sensi-
"The idea is te reach out to they hope to create student lion people living in the Indo- tise them to some of the seri-
as many people as possible, leadership in tackling envi- Gangetic plain," says Kamal ous threats facing it," says
especially the young minds. ronmental issues, she adds. Meattle, TCPI Trustee. Principal Rit!l,Kaul of Mille-
Children have an open mind, "Peoplemust be made aware Meanwhile, schools, both nnium School.
~