Initiatives of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

B.M.S.BB.MM.SS. RATHOREATHORE, RITAITA KHANNAHANNA ANDAND KANCHANANCH PURI RTICLE A

EATURE F

Initiatives of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of the Government of India has undertaken several initiatives towards the goal of Education for Sustainable Development.

Today’s education, therefore, is a model syllabus. In the year 2004, the crucial to the ability of present and future Supreme Court issued further directions, leaders and citizens to create solutions that “the syllabus prepared by the HE United Nations General Assembly and fi nd new paths to a better future. NCERT for class First to Twelfth shall be Tin December 2002 dedicated a UN In the Indian context, the fi rst major adopted by every state in their schools”. Decade to Education for Sustainable step towards Education for Sustainable The National Curricular Framework 2005 Development, 2005-2014, to focus Development (ESD) was the establishment was another landmark initiative in which attention on the key role education can of the National Council of Environmental an integrated approach to environment play in fostering sustainable development. Planning and Coordination, after education was laid and habitat of One of the key thrusts of the decade was the historic conference on Human students and its relation with learning to integrate understanding of sustainable Environment held in Stockholm in 1972. was emphasized. development into education systems – The universalization of environment The Ministry of Environment, Forest at all levels and to reorient educational education was mandated by the Supreme and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of the programmes, policies and practices so Court Order on 22nd November 1991. Government of India has undertaken that education plays its part in building Once again, in its judgment of 18th several initiatives towards the goal of the capacities of all members of the society December 2003, the Supreme Court Education for Sustainable Development to work together for a sustainable future. directed that the NCERT shall prepare (ESD). ESD recognizes the fact that The need of the hour is Sustainable Development and education plays a pivotal role in sustainable development. National Green National Environment And how do we defi ne sustainable Corps Awareness Campaign development? According to the World Commission on Environment and EEAT Development (‘Brundtland Commission’, SCHEME 1987), “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the National Nature Seminar, Composia/ present without compromising the ability Camping Conference of future generations to meet their own needs.” PROGRAMMES UNDER EEAT SCHEME SCIENCE REPORTER, JUNE 2015 34 FEATURE ARTICLE

Young in Green Action Policy • Learning about the Economic Development environment Social • Learning for the environment • Learning through the environment Sustainable The unique partnership between the Development MoEFCC, the state government agencies alongwith dedicated NGOs working in the ﬁ eld of Environmental Education Education Technology has contributed to the success of the programme. Following are some of the activities that were taken up under this programme:

1.“Young in Green Action”: This is a compilation of inspiring stories from the National Green Corps Programme. over the lifetime the educational needs true about the ensemble of environmental National Green Corps, popular known of people change. The Environment issues. Being future citizens, inculcation as NGC is a landmark initiative in Education (EE) Division of the Ministry of environment friendly attitudes and the direction of sustainable future. has, therefore, designed several modules behavioural patterns amongst them NGC offers a unique opportunity for as part of its Environment Education can make a signiﬁ cant difference to the reorienting education from information Awareness and Training Scheme long term efforts for protection of the education to wisdom education, which programmes. These initiatives were taken environment. Children are triggers for a will take us near the goals of Sustainable as part of two programmes – National chain reaction, making a difference at the Development. NGC promotes actions Green Corps (NGC) and National Nature local and community level which in due that will lead to positive impacts. It Camping Programme (NNCP). course lead to awareness at the village, attempts to take the handprint, a tool that city, state, country and global level. measures ESD actions, forward through green actions by the student force. National Green Corps Programme MoEFCC, hence, embarked upon a major initiative for creating The impact that the programme has It is a well established and recognised environmental awareness among children created is remarkable and showcases fact that children can be catalysts in by formulating the National Green positive actions of the dedicated young promoting a mass movement. This is also Corps (NGC) in 2001-02. The green corps. The handprints left behind phenomenal response that NGC by the Eco-club students tell the successful received can be gauged from the journey of NGC in these 10 years. Green Stories: fact that the network has today Young in Green Action is a publication Stories from expanded to include more than in which 100 case studies have been NER 1,00,000 Eco-clubs across the compiled highlighting the impacts of country in 12 years, making it NGC actions, representing all States and one of the largest conservation Union Territories. These cases will inspire networks. readers to leave larger handprint on the face of the earth to make it livable and Journey from Young We also hope that in National lovable. Grey to Green Green in Green future we will be able Action There is at least one case from each Corps to progress towards State and UT and where there were overwhelming responses in the states. hands-on education Two cases studies have been presented. for sustainable In many cases, the required information Education for development and was extracted from several respondents Sustainable like Nodal agencies, Resource agencies, Development children will pave Principals and Teachers, at times NGOs the way for a better who guided some of the Eco-club activities to present their case study in the INITIATIVES UNDER NGC PROGRAMME world shape that it is. 35 SCIENCE REPORTER, JUNE 2015 FEATURE ARTICLE Srija, a 10-year-old girl in 2005 from the Holy Mary • Water quality School in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India gave her • Waste Management handprint for participating in a project, Taking Action for Sustainability. • Tree Cover • Various sources of energy

being used for activities/ Resource Development (MHRD), GOI. activities undertaken by the Eco-clubs. actions NGC network includes the Master The outcome can be seen at three levels: • Awareness of surroundings Trainers and Teachers who are key at the level of individual students, the partners in the NGC programme’s school and in the neighbourhood. The • Learning resources on successful implementation. Training of assessment is to be carried out by the Eco- environment the Master Trainer and Eco-club teachers club students. The role of the teachers is, therefore, an important ongoing will be to act as facilitator, assisting the In this compilation, several case component of NGC. The objective is Eco-club students to see how far they studies on various themes have been to ensure that there is considerable have gone on the journey from “grey to prepared such as Conserving Our Water uniformity and high quality in the training green”. Resources; Protecting Biodiversity; process across the country, which can be The activities listed in the manual Sourcing Energy; Greening The Land; addressed by providing suitable training focus on ﬁ ve thematic areas – biodiversity, Managing Waste; Tradition, Culture and support material. This compilation waste management, sanitation, energy and Conservation; Propagating Health is for NGC master trainers to support and water conservation. There are three and Sanitation; Towards Sustainable them in training Eco-club teachers, and exercises in the manual namely: Aaoo Agriculture; Climate Concerns and provides basic understanding of EE and apne Hastchap/Hast Chinh Ko pahchane aur Actions for diverse issues. ESD and an orientation to a range of bada karein (let’s increase our handprints), training techniques, along with year-long Journey from Grey to Green and Greening activity as well as action project, planning 2. Educating for Sustainable the Neighbourhood. and evaluation tools. Development – A Resource Handbook for National Green Corps: This 4. “Green Stories: Stories from NGC- publication is an important contribution 3. “Journey from Grey to Green”: This NEAC Programmes in North East to the resources for the DESD India is a self-assessment manual for NGC Schools”: This publication includes Programme, supported by the Indian Eco-clubs which focuses on guiding 100 case studies from North East National Commission for Cooperation and helping teachers in assisting the Indian schools about their hand print with UNESCO, Ministry of Human Eco-club students to assess outcome of activities carried out under the National

Thematic Area Individual Level activities to Thematic Area School level activities to rate the assess your handprint colour for school. Enhanced Greenery/ 1. Recognised the local species and planted it in Enhanced Greenery/ 1. Special instructions to school gardener to plant Biodiversity home garden/or in pot at rooftop, etc. Biodiversity different species of plants in school garden. 2. Placed water bowl on roof top for birds, 2. Shady trees on the path sides of school campus. squirrels, etc. Waste Management 1. Provisions of dustbins outside every classroom. Waste Management 1. Carry your own shopping bag. 2. Made a magazine holder from waste cloths and 2. Ban on plastic bags inside school premises. plastic sheets. Water Conservation 1. Sprinklers for watering trees and plants in Water Conservation 1. Reported about leaky pipes to garden. school staff/house owner/parents. 2. Provisions for utilising waste water of common 2. Collected the water used at home for rinsing the drinking facility for planting trees. fruit and vegetables and used it to water house plants. Energy Conservation 1. Replaced incandescent lamps with CFL. 2. Maximum use of natural daylight especially in Energy Conservation 1. Turn off lights when not in use. the classrooms having windows in the outer 2. Turn off entertainment devices when not in use. walls.

Sanitation 1. Regularly clean hands before eating. Sanitation 1. Clean toilets. 2. Report about dirty toilet to my school staff/ 2. Routinely check the nails and cleanliness of teachers/parents. students.

SCIENCE REPORTER, JUNE 2015 36 FEATURE ARTICLE • Nurturing biodiversity It is widely • Wise use of natural recognized that a resources Read fi rst-hand experience • Protecting health, of Nature has an promoting sanitation Science • Energy effi ciency and educational impact climate resilience that is strong, Reporter • Waste not waste irreplaceable, and for a truly • Diverse action for lifelong. protection Scientifi c Green Corps (NGC) and National and our response as a whole to issues of Environment Awareness Campaign environment and development. Young (NEAC) programmes. This compilation is people also learn values of team working, Experience a collective effort of MoEFCC and Centre confi dence building, facing challenging for Environment Education (CEE) with goals in unfamiliar surroundings, and so Topical articles support from the State Nodal Agencies on. (SNA) of NGC and Regional Resource Partnership and resource sharing of current scientific Agencies (RRA) of NEAC programmes in will take these programmes to the next the North East. level. Both the programmes lay the interest The purpose of this compilation foundation on which one can build a Latest science news is to give ideas to schools, which will cadre of young leaders, many of whom motivate them to act for protecting the will prove to be environmental stewards from the world over environment. The effort was to fi nd out in the time to come. replicable unique efforts for sustainability We hope that all our initiatives will Cartoons, carried out by children that give glimpses transform education from ‘information Puzzles, quizzes of diverse actions in different geo-climatic education to wisdom education’. We and cultural backgrounds. also hope that in future we will be able and crosswords Stories with greater impacts from to progress towards hands-on education the sustainability point of view have been for sustainable development and children Amazing scientific prioritized. Stories that will be diffi cult to will pave the way for a better world replicate elsewhere have been avoided. upholding the famous lines of Gandhiji: facts “Be the change you want to see in the Inventions and National Nature Camping world.” Programme discoveries This is an initiative of the Ministry which (Acknowledgement: We thank the State Nodal Science fiction is aimed at creating greater awareness, Agencies of NGC and organisations approved under understanding and empathy of children NNCP for conducting these programmes. Also we would like to thank Centre for Environment Education Science projects with and for the environment. Through for providing support in developing the publications.) this initiative it is hoped that every child Biographies of who goes through middle school (classes VI to VIII) will get at least one opportunity scientists Mr B.M.S. Rathore (IFS) is Joint Secretary, for a 2-3 day camping experience during Environment Education Division, Ministry of Answers to these years. The ‘nature experience’ to Environment, Forest and Climate Change, children and teachers has huge potential Jorbagh, Agni Wing, II Floor, New Delhi-110003 perplexing scientific to trigger sensitivity towards nature Ms. Rita Khanna is Scientist ‘E’, Environment appreciation and conservation, leading questions Education Division, Ministry of Environment, Forest to positive environmental actions at and Climate Change, Jorbagh, Agni Wing, II Floor, Debates different levels. New Delhi-110003. Values picked up in early school Ms. Kanchan Puri is Programme Coordinator, Science Fiction & years through camping and similar Environment Education Division, Ministry of experiences become a positive infl uence in Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Cartoon competitions shaping our attitudes and practices with Jorbagh, Agni Wing, II Floor, New Delhi-110003. regard to nature, use of natural resources, Email: [email protected] 37 SCIENCE REPORTER, JUNE 2015