Green lessons can start from school itself

KOCHI: Involving tomorrow’s citizens in today’s revolution is the easiest way to ensure a green future for the city. Maya Mohan, Principal, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vaduthala, explains how the vision of a ‘Green Kochi’ can better be achieved by involving schoolchildren in the initiative. Nowadays almost all schools have eco-clubs, where students learn what it is to be eco-friendly. If these clubs expand their activities to more than just tree planting, the kids will be exposed to a larger meaning of environmental protection. Moreover, schools should also start projects to encourage kids to create a green belt around the school. Something else which the kids can be asked to do is to discuss these practices in their residential areas or flats by forming a separate committee which also includes adults. They should plan a viable and customised green belt around their living spaces. Children are a treasury of brilliant ideas. These ideas should be tapped and implemented. The kids should be given the duty of protecting the plants and trees thus planted. This will not only ensure that the trees are safe but will also teach the kids to be more responsible towards their environment. By starting small, these ideas can be expanded to cover more areas. Since Kochi has a lot of small islands, a school or a group of schools can even adopt the greening of one such island at a time. When parents see their children doing something so important, they too will pitch in. Thus, involving schoolchildren in a movement like Green Kochi will help involve a larger mass of the city.