Environment Week activities 8 to 12 July 2019

The environment and economy are two sides of the same coin. If we cannot sustain the environment, we cannot sustain ourselves. Wangari Maathai

The Indian School eco-warriors pledged to safeguard Mother Earth from further destruction with a well-thought-out and organised plan for Environment Week.

The week-long celebrations aimed at sensitising students, teaching fraternity, administrative and cleaning staff on the value of resources; the need to adopt sustainable practices and make them a part of everyday routine.

Towards this end, a cornucopia of activities kept the students active and involved-special assemblies, nature walks, workshops, Ted talks, nukkad nataks, songs and self composed poems, panel discussions, library activities, art initiatives and Citizenship classes.

The children of class 1 were at the forefront of things during Environment Week. Day One has them understanding the complexities of waste management- recyclable and non recyclable and waste segregation in blue and green bins. On Day Two, the tiny warriors made a pollutant catcher wherein they were educated on reducing pollution. Day Three was devoted to watching videos on environment and singing environment enthused songs. Day Four followed with the kids writing catchy slogans on saving the environment. The week concluded with a clean up drive of the school playground.

On the other hand, excited students of class II and III sprang into action by cleaning their classrooms and pigeon holes. Best out of waste products included beautiful book holders, bird feeders and cloth bags using old T-shirts. Other activities included reading Recycling Fun with Peppa Pig, watching videos on environment and talking about the 3Rs Recycle, Reuse and Reduce.

The innovative Trashion Show by class II-B showcased dresses made of recyclable material underlying the message that recycling could be fun. Equally enjoyable was the mango eating competition which saw four teams eagerly eat as many of the six mangoes as they could in just-a-minute. Additional criteria for winning was observation and understanding skills, cleanliness and waste management. Team 4 was declared the winner.

An awareness drill on cleanliness was conducted on the School campus. Inspired by the videos shown on keeping the environment clean, students embarked on a cleanliness drive by cleaning their classrooms, School canteen, basketball court, etc.

The creative students of class V conducted a special assembly on hamara paryavaran . A short skit highlighted the repercussions of land, water and air pollution. The effects of pollution were also depicted through posters and slogans which the students displayed during the assembly.

Students of class VIII attended a workshop on making seed balls conducted by Hara Jeevan, an NGO. This workshop aimed at educating children on the value of rejuvenating and giving back to nature.

The special assembly by Mr Shankar, art teacher, depicted the vibrant hues of nature through painting and music. The on-the-spot painting activity provided the budding artists of class VIII an opportunity to exhibit their talent. A short edifying panel discussion on lets together beat the plastic pollution enlivened the assembly. The informative discussion was moderated by Aryan Singh of class-XI-B while Mannan of VIII-B, Manya of VIII-D and Hardik Gogia of IX C were impressive as the panelists.

The special assembly conducted by students of class X lay emphasis on sustainable water management with a presentation on ways of conserving water in everyday life, for instance, having a bucket bath instead of a shower, checking for tap leakage at home and School, using leftover water in drinking water bottles for watering plants etc. N Risha of class X-E sang a self composed song on water conservation. Jiya Jawa of X-E presented a talk on reasons for the rise in the underground water table in New Moti Bagh, South Delhi.

Students were informed about the various green initiatives taken up by the School like rainwater harvesting, harnessing solar energy, compost making, plantation drive, saving energy by not using air conditioners every Monday, paper recycling, etc .

The Library welcomed Environment Week with much flourish and kept engaged the students of classes IV-XII. The librarian conducted a series of storytelling sessions for class IV. To name a few, The Cherry Tree by Ruskin Bond, Under the Banyan Tree by R.K.Narayan, Boond and The Terrace on the House, etcetera. Hindi stories-Hawa Rani Ko Chaiye Badlav, Chote Paudhe, Bade Paudhe were narrated as well to different sections of class V.

Students of class VI wrote a promise to Save Earth. Class VII read excerpts from the book An Island of Trees by Ruskin Bond. Several educative videos on Climate Change, Global Warming, and Water Crises were shown to class VIII students.

Arnav Sharma, Jai, Maitri, Vridhi, Nandini, Samagya, Ekampreet of class IX turned storytellers and narrated stories to the juniors. The Tree with a Travelling Heart by Paro Anand and Pani Ki Khoj Me by Dalip M.Salwi were enacted by them. Senior students read magazines like Down to Earth, Science Reporter etc during their library period.

Art activities included miniature sculptures made using stones of various sizes by classes II and III. The versatile artists of classes IV and V created colourful images on stones. The students from classes VIII to X contented themselves with edifying posters on environment.

The School has a vibrant Citizenship Programme in place, which is the voice of its social conscience. In an effort to discourage the use of plastic bags, children collected 500 cloth bags from nearby shops and decorated them with colourful slogans and paintings. These were then returned to the concerned shops where groceries were packed in them and given to the customers.

Students of classes VIII and IX performed a nukkad natak on cleanliness outside the School main gate during dispersal time. The script highlighted the importance of cleanliness in our surroundings. This effort was applauded by all the parents and passers-by. There were requests to make such performances a regular event.

Children attended a workshop on how to make seed balls - a very simple technique using mud, clay and seeds. Seeds of the plum and neem tree were used in creating these earth balls to regenerate greenery and nurture the future.

The citizenship team met with the NGO- womenforpower, with a proposal to conduct year round activities related to cleanliness, recycling and plantation drives. It is planned to start these activities by July end. Children were asked to make six seed balls each which can be gifted to guests and used in plantation drives.

A collection drive resulted in a veritable heap of stationery items- colourful chart papers, glass jars, shoe boxes, paints, crayons, colour pencils, sketch pens, etc- to light up creativity in the underprivileged children at Palna. It is hoped they will make judicious use of these to create attractive handicrafts and practice skill development.

For us at The Indian School, Environment Week is not an annual event but a way of life. For we truly espouse the words of Margaret Thatcher No generation has a freehold on this earth. All we have is a life tenancy with a full repairing lease.