Today is the day when images of Earth in two cupped hands will dot every school, media and office: The World Environment Day. This entire week has been and will continue to be an aggressive one for discussions and slogans about saving environment. But how do we really ensure that we are able to make a difference to the environment, a positive and meaningful one?
A majority of the generation of adults has grown up to expect others to do things for them: To provide them with livelihoods, opportunities, to keep their neighborhoods clean and to keep their environment harm free. The generation that is now learning about the world they live in would in all probability inherit a very harmed version of the Earth. But, would they be in a position to prevent things from getting worse. They could perhaps, if we could inculcate a sense of responsibility among them, towards the resources that they have, towards the very source of these resources: the Blue Planet.
How ? That is the question.
Prof Shakil Romshu, Vice Chancellor University of Kashmir and a researcher feels our community leaves ‘way too much on the Government’. “We feel it is the responsibility of the Government to protect the environment. But we never think, it is we that make the Government,” he said. He says that people must demand policy and action from Government about environment issue. “Sustainability needs to be in every policy and development work. We need to seek it, compel the Government to b active about environment. We need to get active about it.”
Prof Romshu said that environment needs to be part of religious sermons as well. “We need to talk about environment in our social and religious gatherings. We need to have action points,” he said.
Starting Early
Children learn from an age when we do not even imagine they could understand things. The learning about environment must therefore start early. As families, we need to set examples by doing. One cannot expect children to act very differently from their parents. Therefore, the concept of being conscious about environment must be part of every activity.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
In a consumerism-driven world, reducing the consumption is the biggest challenge in front of the parents. Strive to teach children how reducing the consumption of goods: toys, clothes, processed foods, vehicles and everything else could help in lesser impact on the environment.
The worst pollutant for our water bodies, aquatic fauna, our forests, glaciers, the agricultural land, the air and everything else is the polycarbon waste. It is omnipresent in many forms: wrappers, bottles, toys, fumes from vehicles, gadgets, the humungous load of polythenes. We could help our children understand how these damage the environment and help them take one step at a time to reduce, reuse and recycle.
School
At schools, taking measures to undo the damage to environment could be made a part of curriculum. The plantation drives have been very successful and have added much to the urban cover. The schools need to find ways to minimize waste generation and work on finding sustainable solutions to solid and liquid waste management. Good waste disposal practices could go a long way in helping making of a healthier earth.
Environmental Sciences have been introduced in our schools and have been successful to a great degree in translating the complexity and dependence on environment. In addition it has also helped in spelling out the effects of damaging it.
Teachers and the entire school systems could have a year round program for environment friendly activities. Thinking, talking and caring for the environment needs to be a 365 day focus, not just a June 05 thing.