Environment Education Cell, Pondicherry

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BY

V.RamalingamIn-ChargeEnvironment Education CellState Training CentreDirectorate of School EducationPuducherry - 605005

Environment Education and Climate Change

Gurgaon (Haryana)

13th – 15th November ,2008

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THE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

IN THE SCHOOLS OF PUDUCHERRY

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INTRODUCTION:

The importance of Environmental Education is widely recognized all over the world, it is yet to get its rightful place in education.

For more than three decades many attempts have been made to impart Environment Education, still there is no proper solution.

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The goal of Environmental Education is to make the

world population aware of and concerned about the

environment and its associated problems and develop

knowledge, skills and attitude, motivation and

commitment to work individually and collectively towards

solutions of current problems and the prevention of new

ones

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Objectives of Environmental Education:

Knowledge:

To gain a variety of experience and acquire a basic understanding of the environment and its associated problems.

Awareness:

To acquire an awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and its allied problems.

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Attitude:

To acquire a set of values and feelings of concern for the environment and the motivation for activity participating in environmental improvement and protection.

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Participation:

To provide opportunities to be actively involved in all levels in working towards resolution of environmental problems

Skills:

To acquire skills for identifying and solving environmental problems.

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To achieve these objectives and

goals many organizations are

involved in environmental

education activities in India

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In the Union Territory of Puducherry Environmental Education cell (EEC) functioning in the State Training Centre (STC), Directorate of School Education is involved in E E activities for the past two decades.

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ACTIVITIES OF THE Env.Edn.Cell

Awareness based programmes

Action based programmes

In-Service Teacher Training programmes

Exhibitions

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Organising functions at schools during Environment related Days

World Environment DayOzone DayWild Life weekNational Environment MonthWorld Forest DayEarth Day etc

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AWARENESS RAISING

In Collaboration with CPR Env. Edn Centre, Chennai the Eco Van travels to schools and villages to discuss local environmental problems and screen videos about environmental protection and sustainable development

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TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR TEACHERS ON

ENVORONMENTAL EDUCATION

A wide cross-section of people are trained in conservation technologies, management of natural resources and the environment.

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AIDS AWARENESS PROGRAMMEFOR TEACHERS

ATRED RIBBEN EXPRESS

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMMES FOR CHILDREN

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PROGRAMMES INVOLVING CHILDREN

Environmental orientation to school educationVideo-on-wheelsNational Green CorpsOn line Quiz programmeBio RegisterSurveysTree plantingCleaning Campaigns etc

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Awareness raising programmes

RalliesCampaignsField VisitsExhibitions

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Painting, Essay & Quiz

CompetitionsWere conducted

World Environment DayOzone DayEnergy Conservation DayWild-Life Week

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Groups of children are taken for green walks to get exposed to different types of local ecosystems

like

sacred groves zoo

Organising Field Visits to the nature spots

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Neighbourhood areaPonds

Agricultural Field

Factory

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Activity based programmes

Tree plantationsVermi compostingKitchen gardenHerbal GardenWealth from waste

Adopt -a- tree programme

Adopting public places

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Nursary Raising

EEC of Puducherry prepares nursery Saplings every year and distribute them freely in collaboration with Esha Foundation

This year one lakh saplings prepared andDistributed to needy schools and farmers

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METHODOLOGIES

Slide showFilm showField visitEco-games

Hands-on-activities

Craft from waste Tree plantingWater testing

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HERBAL GARDEN IN SCHOOLS

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THE CLEANING PROGRAMME

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36GREENING THE SCHOOL CAMPUS

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POPULARISATION OF GIS AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL

38MAPPING

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WILD-LIFE TOUR

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FOREST TRECKING

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Information books and pamphlets

for teachers & children prepared and distributed by EEC on following topics

* ARIKAMEDU* Mangroves* Water resources* Disaster management * Colourful and informative posters etc

Generation of resource materials

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In-service Training programmes for teachers:

In co-ordination with PKKVK, Puducherry, CPREEC Chennai, DRDA, Forest Department, Puducherry, and SSA Puducherry EEC is organizing many in-service training programmes for various categories of teachers on different topics of Environmental Education.

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NATIONAL GREEN CORPS

Yanam - 26 Schools

Mahe - 15 Schools

Karaikal - 100 Schools

Puducherry -- 409 Schools

Establishing eco clubs in schools

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DNA clubs:

Department of Biotechnology, Government of India has proposed establishment of DBTs Natural Resource Awareness clubs for school children , from this year. The main objective is to make children scientifically aware and participate in conserving our rich Biodiversity.

5 model schools have been selected in Pondicherry & Karaikal regions to establish DNA clubs

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National Environmental Awareness Campaign (NEAC):

NEAC is being organized every year by the Ministry of Forest and Environment through the Nodal Agency CPREEC Chennai. In this scheme, schools in Puducherry actively taking part in the awareness and action campaign based on the theme announced by Union Ministry of Forest and Environment. Great number of teacher, students and public are given exposure on Environmental Education.

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Additional suggested Activities:

To achieve the goals and objectives of

Environmental Education the following

activities may be carried out in the

schools

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Knowing about Ecological Foot Printing:

The techniques used to calculate how our life style impacts the environment and affects the planet is called Ecological foot printing. It is used to estimate the capacity of the land and water in food production, materials, energy utilization and find the amount of waste absorbed.

The knowledge about the ecological foot print has to be given through the Environment education to shape our life style in valuing the environment.

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EA comprises of a systematic and objective evaluation of how well the organization performs and suggests ways to safeguard the environment. It helps to protect and sustain the Environment and minimize the risks to human health.

While conducting EA in schools all sorts of projects and environmental activities have to be analysed including the utilisation of resources, energy etc. For example How much water is consumed in school?How much electricity is used in the school?How the waste water and solid wastes are disposed?How much green cover is maintained in the school?Has rain water harvesting device is interacted in the school? May any impact in ground water research have done?Based on the EA best Eco-clubs in school have to be selected annually and accordingly awarded.

Environmental Auditing in school

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Maintenance of green file:

The teacher in-charge of Eco clubs

should maintain a file consisting of all the

clippings related to the environment

which appear in newspapers and

magazines.

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EE - Problem-Solving GAMES

To provide opportunities to the students to have a thorough knowledge about the particular issue or problem and acquire problem solving skills

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Development of a green library corner:

A separate almirah or shelf may be

allotted for keeping Environment

related books for reference and study

by the teachers and students.

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This may be done using school wall space in a prominent place various Environmental posters, charts could be displayed from time to time for the benefits of children.

Activities, competition results, poems, drawing may be displayed. They become effective communication media for eco-based messages.

Installing green bulletin Board:

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Participating in science Exhibition:

Students should be encouraged to prepare environment related exhibit based on the theme and displaying them in various Science Exhibitions.Construction and maintenance of various

structures or device: Children can be advised to develop herbal, kitchen gardens in the school premises. They can also setup vermi-compost pits, rainwater harvesting structures etc.

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Setting Green Lab Tables inside Science labs:

To do eco-based investigations these tables can be utilized by the students. Simple soil test, Herbarium preparation etc. can be done in this table inside the lab.

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A) School with space: Students should be encouraged to collect seeds of local trees and nursery can be raised. The prepared tree saplings can be used for greening campus. Excess of sapling can be shared to needy school or even raise funds by selling them to forest departmentB) Schools without enough space: They can maintain tuboponic Environmental Education s by using big bamboo tubes or plastic tubes. They also maintain potted plants. Hanging, terrous garden etc.

School Green activities

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Tree adoption:

Children can adopt a tree sapling and maintain during the period of study in the school. Successful students can be given green certificate.

Maintainance of public place :

Group of children may be asked to maintain and care the plants in public place parks or gardens

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During the vacation time Eco-tours can be organized by the teacher. They can visits wildlife parks, zoos, sanctuaries, museum, sand dunes, coastal vegetation, mangrove forests, sacred groves etc and gather information.

Organising visits to environmentally important sites:

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Maintanance of Local Biodiversity Register: Local bio diversity may enumerated and all biodiversity of their locality may be entered in the register.

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Organising energy saving or water saving campaigns

Best eco club award:

Best Green Student Award

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CONCLUSION:

The suggested environmental activities will surely help to achieve the goals and objectives of Environment Education to the students and public, provided the attitude of inspecting officials / Head of Institutions and Teachers should change so as to create a lot of opportunities for children in schools to think and analyse the problems and issues.

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THANK YOU

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House

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Bioproductive segments

Bioproductive Segments

CPREEC AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION – 2004

Shri. V. RamalingamTeacher, Jeevanandam Government Higher Secondary School

Karamanikuppam, Pondicherry.

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Metabolism like a cow

Shri. V. Ramalingam is a dedicated environmentalist and has been instrumental in bringing awareness to the citizens of Pondicherry about their environment. As the Teacher in-charge of the Environment Education Cell, State Training Centre, Government of Pondicherry and Coordinator, National Green Corps (NGC), he has motivated and trained several teachers and students to establish herbal gardens in schools.  He has organized environmental awareness workshops for students, teachers and voluntary workers in the Union Territory of Pondicherry since 1989. He has played a pivotal role in documenting the ecological and archaeological heritage of the Union Territory. Shri. Ramalingam has paved the way for many school based environmental activities and eco clubs. He has led many environmental movements and mentored many.

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Personal planetoid

The organization want the students to come up with new ideas and not just generic stuff, which is why the topics they gave them also were quite different. According V. Ramalingam, teacher in charge, Environment Education Cell, Education Department, many schools have already vermin pit.

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One hectare

Showcasing products made from waste Deepa H Ramakrishnan

Exhibition to create environment awareness

PONDICHERRY: Discarded egg shells, onion peel, dry flowers, old leaves and broken coconut shells were all part of an exhibition at the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) in Pondicherry on Tuesday. The exhibition, showcasing over 100 exhibits, was part of an annual National Environment Awareness campaign organised by DIET and funded by the Central Government. Schoolchildren got a chance to look at the models and learn how solid waste could be reused. "We have been conducting various programmes, including drawing, slogan writing and essay writing competitions, for the students of 22 private teacher training institutions in Pondicherry. "The competitions were based on the topic solid waste management: so was the exhibition," said DIET Principal M. Ayyachamy. All the 200 students of DIET were involved in setting up the exhibition. There were lots of interesting displays from solid waste generated in homes. Interesting display They had made dolls of eggplant and birds from eggshells, shaped a Ganesha from dry leaves, extended the life of an old tubelight using two capacitors and cut X-ray sheets to shape a flower vase. In the science section, there were model charts of the human body, heart and kidney made from materials such as cotton and bangles. Using cotton and a tube the students had shaped a heart, which would swell up when air is blown into the tube. This model helped to show how the heart beats. They had also fashioned a kidney from broken glass bangles, and whistle from an old film roll container. Using paper mache the girl students made a model of the root system. There were different kinds of houses made from materials such as straw, fibre, mica and sheets and a temple from broomsticks. Since the students were learning to be teachers, most of the exhibits were also fashioned as teaching-learning materials. The students enthusiastically explained the project concepts to the visitors. They seem to have learnt a lot of different uses for things normally discarded as rubbish. "Resource persons from the field of solid waste management, including V. Ramalingam, state coordinator, Environment Education Cell, and also people from the Pollution Control Board and PASIC addressed the students during the week-long programme. We will also have a second part to these programmes next week," said E. Swamiraj Dharmakkan, lecturer, in-service branch

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People vs. nature

Shri V. RamalingamGovernment High

School,Thordamanatham P. O.,

Via Valudavur,Pondicherry

1986 CCRT-Teachers' Award

Centre for Cultural Resources and Training

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Entertainment Published on Fridays

Entertainment Award for eco education THE CPR Environmental Education Centre will present this year's Environment Education Award to V. Ramalingam, teacher, Jeevanandam Government Higher Secondary School, Pondicherry. M. S. Swaminathan, will present the award to him at the C. P. Ramaswamy Aiyar Foundation, Alwarpet, on June 5, at 6 p.m.

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We want them to come up with new ideas and not just generic stuff, says

expert

Painting a green and clean picture of

Pondicherry Deepa H Ramakrishnan

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ALL ATTENTION: Children of various government schools learn about solid waste management at a programme organised by INTACH and the National Green Corps in Pondicherry. — Photo: by special arrangement

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PONDICHERRY: Many of us nurture dreams from our childhood for future. It is our dreams that make us go on. When children dream of the present they make things happen. For instance when they join up to keep their school clean they maintain it

that way. The Pondicherry nodal office of the National Green Corps and INTACH recently organised a painting competition for children of government schools on "keeping

Pondicherry clean". The children were asked to draw about the prevailing scenario of solid waste management; the importance of source segregation and how they would like their town to be. The children let their imagination run and the results

were really beautiful. Some compared Pondicherry with Paris while others painted the town green and clean.

"The competition is actually a follow up to a training programme that we had given to school teachers on solid waste management. We wanted to find out how much they had actually passed on to the children. We will be using the good paintings in

posters that will be used to educate school children on the topic," said Brahmanand Mohanty, energy and resource management specialist. "We want them to come up with new ideas and not just generic stuff, which is why the topics we gave them also

were quite different," said Mr. Mohanty. "Already many schools have vermi compost pits. We are trying to educate children

on the need to keep their homes, schools and surroundings clean," said V. Ramalingam, teacher in charge, Environment Education Cell, Education

Department.

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PONDICHERRY: Discarded egg shells, onion peel, dry flowers, old leaves and broken coconut shells were all part of an exhibition at the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) in Pondicherry on Tuesday.

The exhibition, showcasing over 100 exhibits, was part of an annual National Environment Awareness campaign organised by DIET and funded by the Central Government. Schoolchildren got a chance to look at the models and learn how solid waste could be reused. "We have been conducting various programmes, including drawing, slogan writing and essay writing competitions, for the students of 22 private teacher training institutions in Pondicherry. "The competitions were based on the topic solid waste management: so was the exhibition," said DIET Principal M. Ayyachamy. All the 200 students of DIET were involved in setting up the exhibition. There were lots of interesting displays from solid waste generated in homes. Interesting display They had made dolls of eggplant and birds from eggshells, shaped a Ganesha from dry leaves, extended the life of an old tubelight using two capacitors and cut X-ray sheets to shape a flower vase. In the science section, there were model charts of the human body, heart and kidney made from materials such as cotton and bangles. Using cotton and a tube the students had shaped a heart, which would swell up when air is blown into the tube. This model helped to show how the heart beats. They had also fashioned a kidney from broken glass bangles, and whistle from an old film roll container. Using paper mache the girl students made a model of the root system. There were different kinds of houses made from materials such as straw, fibre, mica and sheets and a temple from broomsticks.

Exhibition to create environment awareness

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Since the students were learning to be teachers, most of the exhibits were also

fashioned as teaching-learning materials. The students enthusiastically explained the project concepts to the visitors.

They seem to have learnt a lot of different uses for things normally discarded as rubbish.

"Resource persons from the field of solid waste management, including V. Ramalingam, state coordinator, Environment Education Cell, and also

people from the Pollution Control Board and PASIC addressed the students during the week-long programme.

We will also have a second part to these programmes next week," said E. Swamiraj Dharmakkan, lecturer, in-service branch.

© Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu

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Award for eco education THE CPR Environmental Education Centre will present this year's Environment Education Award to V. Ramalingam, teacher, Jeevanandam Government Higher Secondary School, Pondicherry. M. S. Swaminathan, will present the award to him at the C. P. Ramaswamy Aiyar Foundation, Alwarpet, on June 5, at 6 p.m. © Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu

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