In July 2007, naturalist Sunjoy Monga received a frantic call from a parent asking him to recommend a good coaching class teaching Environmental Studies (EVS) for his son.
An environmentalist takes the ecology course outside the classroom and into the students' good booksIn July 2007, naturalist Sunjoy Monga received a frantic call from a parent asking him to recommend a good coaching class teaching Environmental Studies (EVS) for his son.
Monga realised that EVS, made a compulsory subject in schools two years ago, was being viewed as a burden by students.
“The way EVS is taught in schools is putting children off the subject. It is a subject where field experience is needed. It cannot be taught within the confines of a classroom,” said Monga.
That is when Monga approached the schools in the city with the idea of Young Rangers — a training programme on the lines of Scouts and Guides. He brought out a special newsletter printed on recycled paper and distributed it to over one lakh students in schools.
He made presentations at schools to convince school authorities and parents over the need for such a programme.
“The programme was started in August 2007 to train students to be sensitive to the environment,” said Monga.
The students learnt to build a butterfly garden, a green patch, went on nature trails where clean-ups were organised and even spent time at a tribal village in Vikramgad where they experienced Warli-style living and farming.
The first phase of the training ended on Friday with Monga releasing a book for children titled Young Rangers. “It chronicles the work of the young rangers from various schools, deals with issues relating to soil, water, food, air, biodiversity and has fictionalised avatars of the environment-conscious people I have seen and worked with,” said Monga.
Over 800 schoolchildren from 90 schools participated in debates, skits and cultural programmes. “The sight of people littering and spitting on the roads irritates me. I try to pick up plastic bags and wrappers and throw them in the dustbin,” said Jeel Gandhi,14-year-old student of Gundecha Academy. Her classmate Ayushi Limbachiya added,
“We have tried to make our school eco-friendly by discouraging the use of plastic bags, giving chief guests at functions gifts like a tulsi plant and composting vegetable peels for our school garden.”
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}