SAIIER 2020:Environmental Education in Auroville bioregion
Environmental Education in Auroville bioregion
a project of Entity::Auroville Botanical Gardens
Environmental education programs are vital in moving values and changing behavior in the direction of sustainability and environmental conservation. There is a need for the problems to be adequately defined and solved at local levels to find a solution for the present environmental crisis.
The main objective of the project is to educate the student community and the general public on the indigenous vegetation and to shift their anti-environmental practices into eco-friendly actions.
Description of project:
Our educational content for students emphasizes on conservation of Tropical Dry Evergreen Forests, wildlife protection and a waste-free lifestyle. Though school visits hold the major stake in our education programs, teacher training and Self-Help Group members were also given considerable attention. Our main focus was to make students understand the local ecosystem and their interrelationship, to develop ability, identify and analyze information relating to Environmental problems. The content of training programs to teachers was designed in a way to impart environmental education to students during academics. The Self Help Group members were trained on waste segregation and traditional medicine values. The program duration ranges from a single day visit to several-day camps. This year our participants were:
- School students – 82 schools, 3050 students
- Self-Help Groups – 20 groups, 400 participants
- Teachers – 7 groups, 200 teachers
- Awareness camps – 6 camps, 220 participants
Outcomes:
The education programs have motivated students towards an understanding of the environmental problems and involved them in efforts for environmental preservation. A team of the Auroville Botanical Gardens later visited the schools to monitor change in the attitude and students' behavior regarding environmental issues. In most of the cases, we noticed that the exposure visits had a positive impact on them, and have noticed students taking initiatives like planting local flora in their villages, organizing cleaning camps of public places, etc.
The education programs for the Self-Help Group members have made them more environmentally conscious, both individually and at the community level. Many self-help groups have started composting units and have set up home gardens. They have started using their household wastes as manure to the gardens, and we have witnessed many self-help group members having good waste segregation units in their house.
The basic requirement of achieving our goal is motivating Teachers for environmental education as a central focus and equipping them with all sorts of skills and knowledge. The content of training programs to teachers was to show how to impart environmental education to students during regular classes. Many teachers on their own initiative have organized tree planting programs and have formed herbal gardens in their respective schools.
Reflections:
Caring for the environment will not require us all to become environmental activists; even as an individual there is something that you can do, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem is what we have learnt and what we are teaching to the participants through our education programs. Arousing awareness in people will help them to contribute significantly towards a healthy environment. Hence it is a pre-requisite to provide environmental education for all sections of the people. Education programs should be run in a way so that the participants involve themselves.
There are many challenges for environmental educators in India. The challenge of reaching out to large numbers cost effectively is one of the main challenges we face. We want to extend our education programs beyond the Auroville bio-region. We get regular calls from schools of various districts requesting to be part of the education programs. But financial constraints hinder the extension of eco-education programs to the other regions. We are planning to bring in more students from various schools, virtually a school per day and increase the number of visitors to the gardens in the coming years.
Conclusion:
A clean and healthy environment is quintessential for the very survival of the human kind. Appreciation and concern for the environment are values that are to be followed by society. Environmental concerns and awareness can be spread only through a mass environmental education program. India, a land of diversity, ecological, bio-geographical, cultural, social requires efforts which are rooted in the local context, so that students or the general public can relate themselves and provide solutions and eventually become a part of it. Hence the Auroville Botanical Gardens over the years has shown a tireless commitment in creating awareness and will continue to do so in the future.
