| ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION | | | | - To create an environment among people on |
| “ Community Participation In Environment | | | | environmental protection |
| Awareness and Conservation” | | | | - To develop the capability of decision making |
| | | | | Contributions of communities towards |
| | | | | environmental issues |
| | | | | In India, the population level is |
| Introduction | | | | increasing rapidly, among these 70% of the |
| | | | | people are living in the village areas. Each village |
| Environment is defined as surrounding or | | | | has certain community of people. They can |
| conditions influencing development or growth. It | | | | contribute their participation towards the |
| can be understood as a system which includes all | | | | environmental protection and preservation |
| living and non-living things, i.e. air, water, soil, | | | | programmes. Here the educated people can lead |
| vegetation, flora and fauna. Environmental | | | | the awareness camps, preservation programmes. |
| education is a process of providing learning | | | | For examples, Rainwater savings, Recycling the |
| experience to obtain knowledge about natural and | | | | usage water, Mass environment programmes |
| man made surroundings. Environment is a global | | | | etc., On the other hand the wealth community |
| concept today and first in environmental education | | | | people like Rotary club, Lions club, Cosmopolitan |
| is environmental awareness. Environmental | | | | club, Junior champers ,etc., They are conducting |
| awareness is an approach to learning. This paper | | | | various awareness programmes frequently, |
| explains the awareness creation among the | | | | conservation programme. They will create interest |
| learners through environment education. Also | | | | among public to preserve to conserve the |
| environmental conservation concern every | | | | environment. Above this awareness programme |
| individual needs to save and protect the | | | | are possible when the people have adequate |
| environment. Conservation is the science and arts | | | | education. Hence we inculcate the child’s |
| of managing the system and resources on which | | | | environment education. We will initiate the |
| they depend. | | | | environment awareness from primary to higher |
| Environmental awareness | | | | education to the public. |
| | | | | Role of media creating environmental awareness |
| Environmental education must | | | | We have seen that mass |
| be encouraged where at first student become | | | | media , specially Radio in its different formats can |
| aware of environment. Then, they recognize or | | | | prove to be almost the panacea for spreading |
| review the relationship between humans and | | | | awareness about environment to the concerns to |
| nature. The students get knowledge and skills | | | | the optimum level. A very significant recent |
| from the teachers to solve the environmental | | | | development, in the Indian Radio has been the |
| problems. The teachers motivate to develop the | | | | shift towards utilizing the huge scope of |
| students attitudes to participated various | | | | Community Radio (CR). This concept is about |
| environmental protection programs in favor of | | | | doing something for its own benefit by the |
| environment. The teacher and parents try to | | | | community. The aim and objective of the CR |
| inculcate the knowledge about environment and | | | | Channels include –preservation of their culture |
| develop positive and healthy attitude towards | | | | and languages, launch publicity or awareness |
| environment from the beginning of life. There is | | | | creating campaign for the benefit of the |
| essential need to organize and conduct educational | | | | community about the environment. These |
| programmes focus on environmental issues, | | | | services are also done by the AIR, MIB, PSB, |
| problems, attitude, towards preservation and | | | | Prasarbharathy and Regional F.M.Radios. |
| conservation of environment. | | | | |
| Environmental Conservation | | | | Knowledge and Educational needs in rural |
| Conservation has been | | | | community |
| misunderstood by many as a moratorium on | | | | The main aim of the |
| progress. This is in fact not true. Only sustainable | | | | environmental education is to make people in the |
| development is permanent remedy to droughts, | | | | society to be aware , knowledgeable and in |
| famines and the dwindling bio – diversity on | | | | inculcate positive attitudes towards protection of |
| this earth. Conservation implies an attitude and | | | | environment and make them skilled to solve |
| understanding that involve active management of | | | | environmental problems so as to enable them to |
| the things(s) to be conserved. Four decades back, | | | | participate in the activities undertaken for the |
| the words such as conservation and environment | | | | protection of environment the rural people have |
| were little know. But to day one can find | | | | to learn about the environmental concern so that |
| conservation messages in every newspapers, out | | | | they are enable to protect the environment |
| side cutboard and books. | | | | because we not been gifted the environment |
| Sustainable Development | | | | our ancestors and also we have not borrowed it |
| Environment belongs to each | | | | from our off spring . Instead we have to |
| one of us and all of we have a responsibility to | | | | handover the environment to the posterity both |
| contribute towards its conservation and | | | | in terms quality and quantity. |
| protection. When we take development, we | | | | Role of NGO’s in environmental activities |
| should keep in mind two basic characteristic of | | | | The environmental NGO’s |
| development: (i) It should be sustained the | | | | have played a major role in environmental |
| benefits that were getting now from it should be | | | | protection and development by linking the local |
| assured to future generation.(ii) It should ethical. | | | | with the global. The collaborative work of these |
| What ever the benefit a person or species should | | | | NGO’s lead to fulfillment of local needs. Some |
| not harm other individuals or species. | | | | of the NGO’s are working for environmental |
| The objective of development | | | | awareness while some are working in research |
| should not only be to raise the economic standard | | | | field . The complementary work of the |
| but also raise the social, economic, ethical and | | | | NGO’s deals more specifically with how the |
| spiritual level of the people. Today, sustainable | | | | NGO community impacts issues of the |
| development has become a buzzword two key | | | | environment |
| aspects for sustainable development are inter | | | | Conclusion |
| – generation equity and emphasizes that we | | | | “If you plan for one year, |
| hand over a life healthy and resources fil | | | | plan rice, if you plan for ten years plant trees , |
| environment to our future generations. | | | | and if you plan for hundred years educate |
| Measures for Developmentv Emphasis on | | | | people”. So if we want to save our mother |
| “Decentralized Industries”v | | | | earth we have to make our man king flourish, |
| Encouragement for “Tree | | | | there is a strong need to conserve our natural |
| forming”v Declaration of water as the | | | | recourses and make judicious use of them. We |
| main product of forestsv Preservation and | | | | must think earth as a habitat, not of today but of |
| management of forestsv Conservation of | | | | distant tomorrow where there will be place and |
| ‘mono-culture stands into mixed | | | | means for every being alive. The preservation |
| forests”v “Designing with | | | | and conservation of environmental heritage is our |
| nature” by using appropriate | | | | sacred duty. All of us living on this planet, whether |
| technologyv By using “3R’s | | | | rich or poor, industrialist or workman, farmers or |
| approach viz, Reduce, Reuse, | | | | labourers, office goers or house wife, VIP or |
| Recycle”v Prompting “Environment | | | | common men, as individuals or groups, are |
| Education and awareness” v | | | | responsible for the present dismal state of our |
| Resource utilization as per “carrying | | | | environment and each one of us has to contribute |
| capacity”v Making environmental | | | | towards its rehabilitation, preservation and |
| Education value basedv Developing a life | | | | conservation. |
| style in “Harmony with nature” | | | | |
| Community participation | | | | |
| The education institutes | | | | |
| conduct the various programmes to making | | | | |
| awareness of environment protection among all | | | | |
| people in the society. They can arrange social | | | | |
| service camps and community service camps for | | | | Reference |
| environment preservation that will be led by | | | | University News Volume: 42 No.29 July 19-25 |
| the teachers and students for the benefit of | | | | 2004 |
| society. For example. Clean village, Clean city, | | | | University News Special issue Volume: 42 No.46 |
| Dustless city, Awareness camps and Healthcare | | | | November 15-21 2004 |
| camps etc., Especially the students are coming | | | | University News Volume: 41 No.42 October 20-26 |
| from NSS,JRC,NCC, to take responsibility for | | | | 2003 |
| creating awareness and conservation of the | | | | University News Volume: 44 No.12 March 20-26 |
| environment among the public. | | | | 2006 |
| Goals of Environment Education | | | | Environmental education by Bharati Kumar |
| - To improve the quality of environment | | | | published by, Dominant publisher, Chennai. |