How Schools Can Raise Environmentally Responsible Kids
Our beloved planet is a gift from our ancestors that must be preserved for our future generations. Nature, when taken care of, provides us with everything that we need in abundance. However, it will also express its fury as and when it is abused.
Reversing the effects of our action is not possible, but what we can do is work towards repairing that damage and restoring the environment. These efforts require the support of people from all generations, especially the younger ones who are destined to inherit the planet.
Environmental preservation has become an important issue that must be taken seriously and be integrated into every child’s education, right from their foundational years. Reinforcing the importance of environmental preservation from a young age would help children become conscious individuals and drivers of change.
There are several CBSE schools in India that have recognized the importance of educating children and creating awareness about the need for environmental conservation, and here is how they are doing it:
- Environmental Clubs
Several schools now have environmental clubs that conduct activities around environmental preservation like setting up recycling systems, planting trees in the school’s vicinity, plastic collection drives, etc. The idea is to enable students to take charge and actively participate in sustainable activities.
- Cleanliness Drive
School students and staff often organise cleanliness drives in and around the campus to ensure that everything is kept clean and litter-free. Students are made responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of their surroundings, whether it is their classroom or the playground. They are also encouraged to organise or participate in cleanliness drives in their residential areas.
- Environmental Education
Educating young children about the environment and the need to preserve it is a key driving force in ensuring that they become more responsible and conscious citizens. Some of the top schools in India, like Essel Group’s Mount Litera Zee School (MLZS), teach Environmental Studies (EVS) as part of their curriculum. The subject aims to help students become more aware of the environment, its degradation, and what must be done for its preservation in the coming years.
- Environment-Friendly Policies
A lot of schools are now trying to incorporate eco-friendly policies that must be followed in the school. These policies include ideas like setting up a recycling system in the school cafeteria, installing solar panels, setting up small gardens in and around campus, etc. These policies help the students experience environmentally friendly practices that can easily be adopted into their everyday routine.
CBSE schools all across the country have been working towards making their students more environmentally conscious. This is another reason why parents put their trust in a CBSE school admission for their children. A child’s education would be incomplete without an environmental education.
Osheen Kharbanda