Our environment is deteriorating day-by-day, thanks to our selfish approach towards it. The seas are turning into plastic dump yards and cities into a concrete jungle, leaving the future in a bad shape. Hence, preparing the coming generation for this nightmare is the need of the hour.
We spoke to some citizens to know what they do to make their kids environment conscious.
“Kids are the future and it is important that they become a responsible citizen unlike us who have constructed towers by cutting our tree cover with non-biodegradable waste flowing all over, leaving hardly any trees that can replenish the pollution,” says Mehak Singh, a home tutor.
Frequent visits to open spaces | DIY projects using waste materials | Using buckets or mugs instead of taps | Use environmentally-friendly means of transport | Inculcating less is more, buy what you need | Sharing things that are not in use
“I think, we have to take them back to those times when we were surrounded by trees and spent most of the times swinging on the makeshift swings. Moreover, we should frequent them to nearby parks and open spaces to make them realise why trees are important.
“The idea, ‘less is more’ should be professed so that they use and buy stuff only when they need it the most. In a consumerist society, we tend to buy a lot of things that we do not need, hence increasing the production which leads to exploitation of resources,” she adds. Teaching your kids on how to construct and build their own projects can help them for the future and they may find a career in this area, as they get older they may want to do bigger and better things, this is where safety needs to become more strict, e.g. welding hand protection for any bigger projects.
Dr. Nileema Desai, Founder, Navkshitij, a non-government organisation for special children in this city, says that they learn from what they see. “We keep telling them about the dos and don’ts like switching off lights and fans, using less water etc. Even the colleagues keep it in mind that they shouldn’t be throwing things around. After our regular meals for the day, we always keep in mind that the wet and dry waste is segregated in two different bins and these special kids follow it with ease.
When every we go for our monthly or yearly treks, we collect all our stuff with us (waste) and take it back to the NGO. We do not throw even a piece of paper outside.
“The kids are so trained that right from a toffee rapper to bottles, paper etc they collect them and bring to Navkshitij where it is dumped. We have been doing such small initiatives since 2007. Now we are making natural colours by collecting flowers from the temples and using them. It took some time, but now they do it themselves and teach other too.”
Buy things only when in need, make them take ‘NO’ for an answer.
Involving in community projects.
Using dustbins and buying less packaged food.
Loving animals.
Growing food at home.
Switching off lights when not in use.
Harjeet Singh, a marine engineer and father of two, quotes that simple things can make a huge difference in bringing an environmentally-conscious child. “I am out in the water for nearly half of the year, but when I am with my kids, I make sure to inculcate some basic habits in them. We always grow herbs or fruits in our balcony to let them know from where the food comes.
“Making DIY projects, toys or objects from reusable waste to be used at home like brush holders or calendars etc keep them engaged too. Also, we go to a nearby welfare home for kids to donate some stuff that we no longer need. This makes them learn the worth of what they have and be grateful,” he adds.
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#All views are those of the respondents and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them.
Reach her at loveleen@pune365.com or tweet @KaurKaur18
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