Educating the youth about ecology

Environmental protection has played an important role at Swarovski, since it was founded. This has been expressed in a number of different ways, by crafting animal figurines dedicated to endangered species.

These pieces have been created by Elisabeth Adaner to help the Swarovski Crystal Society. The proceeds of the same go to the Swarovski Water School (SWS).  The initiative by Swarovski was first started in the National Park Hohe Tauern in Austria in 1999.

The philosophy of the school was to teach young children the importance of conserving water. “Trained National Park rangers visited local schools and offered a five-day course in water conservation.  From 2000 to 2007, close to 40,200 children were trained. The programme was extremely successful and popular with teachers, students and parents. The success motivated us to internationalise the initiative,” said Ann-Sophie Mayr, international head, Swarovski Crystal Society.

After the success in Austria, SWS widened its base. It has been working in China and Uganda and now India has been added to the list by Swarovski in collaboration with Indian chapter of the World Wildlife Fund. They plan to take this project to 30 remote villages around catchment areas of the Ganga River — specifically the Keoladeo National Park. “Our activities in India are not recent and they date back to the year 2000,” said Mayr.

She added, “Initially we started work with WWF India to help conserve the biodiversity of Keoladeo National Park. Back then, we realised the importance of a water school too. While the emphasis is on long term conservation of Keoladeo National Park, we convey the message of prudent usage and sustainable management of water resources.”

The education programme allows children to explore their relationship with the environment. “Through games and activities children are taught about conservation and conflict management,” said Aditi Raina, coordinator of the WWF India.

In the last one year, the water school has engaged over 900 children from nearby villages. The programme runs for five days a week and focuses on participatory learning and practical training. Children understand local water issues.

Additionally, they follow up on the knowledge with action, through a shramdaan (voluntary community action).

Small event like rallies, plays and skits are organised in the village to spread the message of conservation. “Children are taken on field visits. They are encouraged to get a feel of nature not merely as a generic part of their lives, but as key contributors to their existence and survival. Our aim is to ensure that the children have both knowledge and tools to take the message forward,” added Raina.

The overwhelming response to the programme has motivated SWS and WWF teams to start a ‘Young Environment Leaders programme’ that aims at supporting children who show an exceptional interest in conservation and enhancing their knowledge and skills to take their efforts ahead.

But water problems are confined to rural areas, cities like Mumbai face acute shortage. Raina hopes that people will rein in their consumption patterns. “For Mumbai, rain water harvesting is an extremely feasible option,” said Raina.