Environmentally aware
Who says the terms “green” and “teen” are mutually exclusive? Whether it is global warming, or the uproar over genetically modified foods, teens are taking to environmental causes like never before.The trend has shown up in a number of surveys, like a recent one in Canada, which established that 68 per cent of Canadian teens believed that environmental issues were important and required government attention even in the times of the recession. Another survey of American students found that 80 per cent of them were worried about the US’ contribution to air pollution. On a positive note, 78 per cent of them believed the damage to the environment could still be corrected.
The positivism has spilled over into a number of green initiatives that are increasingly being headed by teens. There’s RelightNY—an environmental awareness group initiated by 15-year-old Avery Hairston. Another popular movement is Green Teens, whose founders began by making their cafeteria environmentally-friendly, doing away with Styrofoam cups and plates and plastic cutlery, and starting a compost pit.Keeping up with their global counterparts are Indian teens. When photographer Mark Edwards showcased his Hard Rain project on climate change in Mumbai, a large part of the audience comprised young adults. Others are taking a more active course, like 17-year-old Shiv Parekh, creator of Ecopal, designed to complement the Environmental Science curriculum in schools. “I felt EVS was too theoretical, and did not spark students’ interest in environmental problems. So, I conceived a more practical and enjoyable awareness programme,” says Shiv, who has interned with Suzlon Energy to examine the potential of wind energy in India. The Ecopal programme, which includes essays, quizzes and research assignments, is aimed at students from classes 8 to 10, and is supported by the Indian chapter of Al Gore’s NGO The Climate Project.Collegian Pallavi Sinha too believes hands-on assignments are the key to generating more awareness among students, “I still remember our Class 10 EVS assignment—a guided tour of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and a report on the flora and fauna that we had seen. Two years later, I still remember what I learnt.”
Rohini Nair The Asian Age
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