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The Open Page |
22nd April 2017
Though human beings are the most intelligent creatures in this world, but with progress and industrial development they are losing humanity and are neglecting planet earth. Forest cover is receding, hundreds of organisms are extinct and many of verge of extinction. Humans are over-exploiting the earth resources by mining and polluting our water, air and earth ecologies, in turn - depleting our ozone layers. Profits motive is driving companies to push hazardous waste-products with little or no mitigation measures and prevent adverse effects on the environment.
In 1970 a United States politician Senator Gaylord Nelson thought that issue as serious as environment should be discussed in politics and in media. General public in US was informed to join the event to protect environment and earth for better future. The response was overwhelming.
Today as part of Global Campaign the Earth Day is celebrated annually in 193 countries.
Earth Day 2017 falls on Saturday 22 April. This year the theme of Earth Day is Environmental and Climate Literacy. The aim is to “create awareness and education among all citizens especially in schools so that by 2020 all children who pass out from school are completely literate on environmental issues”.
It is pertinent that each school in India make this campaign a part of their school’s three year curriculum till 2020.
The topics schools should cover may be as follows but not limited to the list given below:
- Raise awareness on environment issues
- Create self-consciousness among individuals and the role they play in day to day activities that affect their immediate environment
- Anti-War and Pro-Peace campaign – protest march / protest rally
- Plant trees and protest if someone is cutting forests and trees
- Bring to the notice of authorities about polluting industries and factories
- Protest against companies for setting up industries in ecologically sensitive zones
- Campaign against using cars and motor vehicles; and promoting public transport, walking and cycling.
- Awareness of keep surrounding environment clean by segregating waste and properly disposing them rather than littering them
- Economic use of all resources, reduce wastes and consumptions;
- Develop a mind-set of re-cycling / reuse
- Save energy and electrical resources in day to day use
- Care for flora and fauna – trees, plants and animals
- Awareness on eating organic (not genetically modified foods) pluseating seasonal and local produce
- Saving water in every and all ways one uses it
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Those schools who are interested to organize events around Earth Day should make sure that it does not become a one day seminar, protest march, conference, rally, exhibition or competition event but year round activity programme that inculcates behaviour change which becomes part of student’s life style and student’s day to day activities that remain with their personality for a lifetime.
Most activities and programmes of 22 April are termed as part of Celebrating Earth Day, but the author of this article believes that the time of celebration, lectures, speeches and talk is over and every one of us has to work very seriously on a war footing every day till we are alive to save our Mother - Planet Earth.
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