Week Long Environment Day Celebrations in Shimla City — Schools Mobilized

Keekli Reporter, 31st May, 2017, Shimla

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5th June every year. It is the United Nation’s principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues. The State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Himachal Pradesh celebrates ‘World Environment Day’ every year on 5th June.

This year it has been planned to observe ‘Environment-Week’ from 29th May to 5th June 2017. During this week various activities are being organized for school and college students in order to make them aware about the environment, its abundance and limitation, emerging problems like global warming, pollution, sustainable consumption and their role towards its protection and conservation. 

In order to sensitize the students in all these burning issues concerning environment, SCSTE would organize series of activities as under:

1. Painting competition on “Environmental Issues” in two categories i.e. I for Students of 6th^h to 8th Standard – Junior Category and II for Students of 9th to 12th Standard – Senior Category.
2. Clean and Green School Competition (Govt. & Private School categories) Cleanliness campaign in schools has commenced since 7th May 2017 and shall be an ongoing activity. Along with other cleanliness parameters like clean class rooms, corridors and washrooms, this year emphasis has been laid on green, clean and beautiful campus. The team of judges will evaluate the cleanliness of the Shimla Schools on any day from 17th May 2017 onwards. The most clean and green both government and private schools of Shimla, will be awarded on 5th June, 2017.
3. Clean and Green M.C. Wards of Shimla Town: Sanitary conditions of Shimla Town is becoming bad to worse day by day. Managing waste is a huge challenge. In order to initiate the cleanliness campaigns in the Shimla Town through public participation, leading citizens would do the evaluation of wards; two best clean and green wards will qualify for the award. Award would also be given to the best safai-karmchari of the M.C. Ward on 5th June 2017.
4. Cleanliness Campaign: All the participating schools has organized Massive Cleanliness Campaign on 29-5-2017 in and around their respective school by involving students, teachers and the people of the nearby community or School Management Committee. During the cleanliness campaign the student’s taught the community about cleanliness habits and motivated them not to throw garbage on the roads sides, streets, hill slopes etc. The M.C. Shimla also deputed one or more safai staff to each participating school during cleanliness campaign.
5. E-Waste inventory preparation: Another activity that has been initiated is to prepare the E-Waste inventory. All the students of participating schools would make an inventory of E-waste items lying in their school, home, shops etc. A comprehensive report based on the data would be developed by the Council.
6. Popular Science Lecture Series: Popular lectures of the eminent scientists and environment activists who would throw light on the latest happenings in the country and around in the world and the role of the citizen. Dr. Rajender Singh, famously called ‘Water Man of India’ would deliver a lecture on 1st June, 2017 at the Gaiety Theatre, The Mall, Shimla. He made the people of Rajasthan aware of traditional water conservation. He advocated the urgency to recharge ground water for maintaining underground aquifers. He won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community leadership in 2001 for his work based on water harvesting and water management.

In this series, the eminent environmental activist Dr. Vandana Shiva would deliver a lecture to students and teachers in the H.P.U. Auditorium on 3rd June. Dr. Vandana has won several prestigious awards like Sydney Peace Prize (2010), Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize (2012). This series of lecture will continue throughout the year till November in different colleges and schools of the State covering all the districts. Students and faculty would get the opportunity to listen and interact with prominent scientists of the country.

7. Nature Visit of Eco club members: G.S. Goraya, PCCF (Wild life) and Kunal Satyarthi, Joint Member Secretary, SCSTE flagged off the first contingent of 30-35 students and teachers of the GSSS Boileuganj, GHS Anadale, GSSS Tutikandi, GHS Phagli, GSSS Tutu, GHS Kaithu, Himalyan Public School, Kaithu, GHS Chakkar, GMS Mayfield, Rajeev Gandhi Degree College, Kotshera, GSSS Lal Pani and GHS Krishna Nagar going for the Nature visit. They were accompanied by Ravi Sharma and Dr. Dinesh Gupta of SCSTE. They would visit the Shimla Water Catchment area, a forest area where natural environment has not been disturbed for last more than hundred years for nature walk, Bird watching, Tree/plants identification; visit Solid Waste Management plant etc wastage/ person would be calculated. Similarly, every day about 30-35 students from local schools along with escort teachers would go for such Nature visit trips till 3rd June, 2017.
8. Best Developmental Block: The Himachal Pradesh State Biodiversity Board has initiated the process of constitution of Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in the State. During the year 2016-17, four districts, viz, Shimla, Sirmour, Chamba and Kullu were selected in the first phase for formation of BMCs and awareness workshop were organized in each of these districts. One award has been announced for Best Developmental Block which has managed to get hundred percent BMCs formed in its 31 Panchayats in the Block.
9. Distribution of bird boxes: All the schools participating in environmental rallies would be presented with bird boxes to be kept in the school premises for attracting birds. These wooden bird boxes have been made by jail inmates of the Dehra Doon Model Jail, Government of Uttrakhand. These boxes provide space for food and water for the birds and offer a safe and snug roosting and nesting place. The wooden boxes have good insulation properties making them cool in summers and warm in winters.

The Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh, would be the Chief Guest of the State Level World Environment Day 2017 function on 5th June 2017 from 10.45 A.M to 1.00 P.M at the Gaiety Theatre, Shimla. He would launch the new website of State Council for Science, Technology and Environment. He would give prizes to the children in different categories in poster painting competition and also a running trophy to the best Eco Clubs for maintaining green and clean school premises.