Towards Greener Pastures
Deepak Rikhye

Many of us are, as PG Wodehouse lamented, “chained to the city”. For children to understand the importance of environmental studies, a few visits to natural environs would help

The reasons for pix: The ones with trees form the fundamentals for a safe environment. Firstly, kids must know trees are the sources for oxygen. Trees also form food for birds and certain animals. They are homes for birds and some animals too. The Himalayan Panda is highly endangered because they spend most of the time in trees . Their forests are being destroyed even at 10,000ft. Global warming has begun because of felling of trees so more carbon dioxide and less oxygen.

Implementing a policy to transform a subject into what a child will respond to with enthusiasm, is within the realms of possibility. If children are unable to connect with the environment, the result is unfortunate. A disconnect implies that decision makers of the future would be unable to enforce recommendations for the benefit of the environment. The "clear stream of reason," defined by Tagore, is only possible with knowledge. Can we implement that eclectic approach? If schools abroad can, so can India. Schools in the US apply for "green certifications" and avail tax benefits. Children berate their parents for idling cars when they should be switched off. They pay a fine if a lunch box has tissue paper, instead of a cloth napkin. They practice organic farming within the school campus. At least one wing of a school has solar power. A green culture is prevalent. This is not an oblique reference to deliberate shortcomings in our schools. It is our responsibility to ensure that children are well prepared for the monumental task of caring for the environment in later years.

Environmental studies is a compulsory subject for Board examinations; does this subject disappear into the "wilderness," after school? Kamini Mustafi who has been involved with education for the past 30 years rationalised the matter. The subject has two dimensions for our scrutiny. The teacher must be qualified with a Degree in Environmental Science. That will enable her to foster a level of interest. Do we advise children in schools about the value this subject has as a career option? Mustafi’s advice is to consider both aspects. Here are a few options students could pursue, after completing their graduation, PG or a Ph.D in environmental science. The subject qualifies them to be microbiologists. If working in a laboratory does not appeal to them they could be environmental engineers, who are an integration of scientific and engineering principles to improve the natural environment. Wildlife scientists synchronise studies on wildlife, in conjunction with the environment. After college or university, students can find another exciting option to study wildlife science; they may pursue wildlife photography. Scientists cannot only depend on factual knowledge; A wildlife photographer is integral to research on wild life. Dr Asad R . Rahmani, a scientist and Director of BNHS, is often faraway in the most desolate regions and combines his efforts with wildlife photographers. A recent research took them to a desert for days. The true meaning of working with nature; that spirit of adventure with people of calibre. To ensure correct decisions we desperately need people who are educated on the environment. Demographics and global perspectives compete for our attention. How do we make school children interested in the subject?

The pix with the deer indicates a healthy ecology. Deer are fussy eaters

Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, sang, "Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start". The "beginning" for EVS is to connect students to the land. That would entail children being away from their class rooms. A weekend to the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary will permit them to view migratory birds that descend on this famous location from Siberia or China. Students with a handbook by Salim Ali. A notebook and binoculars will identify birds ; the white-eyed buzzard, sarus crane, painted stork, and the black bittern are just a few of our winter visitors; these birds will enable students to study the ecology each bird thrives in. At night seated around a bonfire listening to the hooting of a scops owl and noises of other creatures, will give them the most divine experience of all; living within nature. The same locale will allow them to study a variety of plants.

The sun provides solar power and to view this source of power, a weekend visit to a village in Rajasthan can be planned to see how solar power is used to operate tube wells. Farmers will explain how farming is carried out; the meaning of crop rotation; its advantages; essentials of organic farming. Back at school, students prepare a project report with written and photographic presentations. EVS is a happy subject for every child and they will one day be inspired to create a greener, safer planet.

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