New Delhi, Delhi, India
"The Ecotourism programme would lead to transformation of young minds into well-informed citizens having capabilities to rationalize the importance of natural and renewable resources creating an Environment Conscious Informed National Network" - Dr RK Pachauri, Director General, TERI.
Indian society is waking up to the call of 'environmentalists and organisations' such as Dr RK Pachauri and TERI, urging citizens to take a more proactive approach for protection of nature and natural resources. Civilizations are intricately linked to the availability and quality of the life support systems available, and history has seen periodic washouts in the absence of a controlled and accountable lifestyles. For a sustainable and healthy way of living people need to be aware about the pros and cons of each of their actions on the environment. This awareness in turn needs to be created and built up amongst all levels of the society, to see a meaningful change in our surroundings.
What better target group, than the young minds of our future citizenry? Children are the caretakers of the planet Earth and investing in them today ensures a more habitable planet. This is the vision in mind, with which The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) invests its time and resources on regular school environment education programs. These programs weave around issues related to water, air, climate change, energy, etc; reaching out to school and college students and, indirectly, to parents, teachers, and the society at large.
TERI DeraGreen, TERI's Himalayan Centre at Latey Bunga near Mukhteshwar, located about 50km from Nainital, at 2300 metres above sea level is a place which TERI has set up a development resource centre called TRISHA (TERI's Research Initiative at Supi for Himalayan Advancement). Spread over 7.5 hectares of land at a mean alleviation of 7100 feet the centre is a replete with treasures of scenic beauty, flora and fauna, with vast potential to harness the abundant natural resources, affording an ideal environment for uninterrupted academic inquiry.
It is here where TERI has initiated a programme on Natural Resources Awareness for School Children, an Ecotourism initiative for children so that children connect closely to Mother Nature, instilling a sense for persevering nature's bounties for the future.
An academic camp/holiday in nature, the objective of the TERI DeraGreen Ecotourism is to enhance understanding among students about the immense value of biological diversity of our country and to tell students the importance of locally available bioresources, their sustainable use and conservation. TERI aims equip students with relevant skills for bioresources conservation, familiarize students with scientific and technological issues related to biotechnology and renewable resources, provide them with experimental learning opportunity and create opportunities for hands on experiences in the field at the school level. A fun and adventure trip to the nearby nature surroundings and interaction with leading experts is the highlight of the programme.
The Exposure Visits include trips to biodiversity hotspots like TERIs Bio-Farm in Supi, Reserve Forest Area, rock-climbing, trekking and hiking and nature based visits such as nature walk, rappelling, Bird watching and renewable resource interactive sessions.
"Besides this there are also various types of Competitions such as Essay writing, Debate, Quiz, Painting etc. for every visiting school aiming to make TERI DeraGreen an unforgettable learning experience, where students inculcate leadership, personality development, team-spirit and a know-how to care for mother nature." says Amit Kumar, Project Incharge of TERI's Ecotourism programme.
"This model has the capability of replication in other geographical areas and TERI through its other regional centres in Bangalore, Goa, Mukteshwar and Mumbai further intends to initiate this eco-tourism and bio-technology popularisation programme nationwide, with a hope to further the cause of environemtal protection, preservation and sustainable development" says Tanmay Sharma, Project Associate at Mukhteshwar.
TERI's School Ecotourism project has a huge potential of acceptance as it is a direct investment made towards development of an education foundation through environment friendly approaches. This project is now making a place for itself in the academic calendars of many schools. So far CSKM School, New Delhi has already visited the locale and Schools such as Cambridge International group of schools, Bharti Vidya group of schools are in pipeline.
TERI plans to go a few notches ahead by creating through this project a "Corporate Ecotourism Programme" to bring in awareness about environment issues at the corporate and MNC level.
Source: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) (Business Wire India)
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