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“I am only a child yet I know if all money spent on war was spent on finding environmental answers, ending poverty, and binding treaties, what a wonderful place this Earth would be.” … A young girl in a UN meeting.
I don’t know the name of this girl nor any details are available of her yet the power in the innocence behind her words can move any mind (sane mind, I mean) that’s the reason I used her quote to start my sharing which is about World Environment Day (once again). When I received call from Symbiosis about guiding the 12th Std students on the start of their new academic year which fortunately happened to be on World Environment day, I was happy for two things, one after nearly three years I could have live dialogue to students (thanks to lockdown era) & second, Symbi’s new kiwale campus I have seen right from when it was barren land & the way its been developed now, it's always a pleasure to visit such places as they make your mind positive especially when buzzing with young minds. Problem is Environment is a complex subject & 12th Std age group students get bored very fast & when it's the first day of the college the more chance as nearly after gap of two years the kids are coming together in reality. Rather for this particular batch it would be their first day of college life itself as entire 11th std year was online & I needed to be very careful about the topic & its presentation as this genre gets bored very fast & real challenge is to keep them in by mind in the subject, a difficult task that saving environment!
But that’s what teaching is all about, your intention must be teaching yet the pupil should feel it as a sharing, that’s what a good teacher does, right? And I am fortunate to have a few good teachers in my life to make me able to understand this simple law of teaching, though I am not sure about its adoption, that's a different part! I started with a note about my memories about their institute i.e., Symbi & here is a narration of my sharing…
Actually, my genre is lucky (those who are in the 45 plus age bracket) as we never have so many “Days” to celebrate & follow the protocols they all come along! All we had in our college days to celebrate was, Traditional Day, Rose Day & Valentine’s Day, (though later two were just to watch other lucy boys celebrating) & thankfully we didn’t require to attend lectures for Environment Day or plantation programs of Earth Day neither we have to send cards on Mother’s Day or Sister’s Day & many such! But speaking about World Environment Day (will use WED as its short form here after), it was our generation's good luck which we didn’t use properly & that only has made your present genre unlucky as you have to celebrate WED! And that’s why I congratulate Symbi management for starting the academic year with such sharing as then there is some hope because if this genre also remains as ignorant as we were about Environment then sure, there won’t be a day which will remain for the generations here after!
Let’s begin with the subject & trust me, environment is not something you can put in figures & formulas or dates, though WED has been established way back in 1974 when none of you guys were ever born not many of your parents also yet by every passing year the need of WED is increasing that’s the sad fact! Every WED has a theme along with which entire year long the awareness drives are run & this year, WED’s theme is “One Earth”! Now, many of you (even grownups) will ask what “One Earth” means, as are we not “single earth” in reality? Well, “One Earth” means every living object on this earth is connected with each other’s & our acts however individualistic they may be yet they affect somewhere other living objects & the nature which is in the form of air, water, earth, forests & many such, so we actually are one single specie unitedly, that’s what “One Earth” means! And as a most evolved intelligent species it’s our duty (human’s) to take lead & save the earth, this is what the theme One Earth of WED 22 tells us! You guys remember the movie Avatar, which won some ten plus Oscars, in that movie on a fictional planet there has been shown a tree of life, which is the source of energy for the planet & that tree connects all the living species on that planet, that’s what One Earth means as we have to respond needs of other species which are connected to us with an unseen bond, its this bond we have to feel & strengthen!
Now let’s understand what it was before we started feeling the need to celebrate WED, well not many years back our rivers & lakes used to have clean water, our air was pure & full of oxygen, our sound levels were not above 60 decibels (audible noise for human ears), our ocean were full of fish & our forest cover was much larger than today making space for thousand of the species other than humans. But slowly all these started degrading because of our ever-increasing population as well our lifestyle & our greed for more! Not long ago we used to see butterflies & wild flowers along the roads we travelled & many birds chirping around us. All of that has gone & now all we see is polluted water in the rivers, heaps of garbage around & concrete roads. Now instead of butterflies we see cockroaches' & wild flowers space has been taken by birthday hoardings of ugly faces which we call local leaders. The sky is full of smoke & our surroundings are filled by blowing horns of vehicles as well loudspeakers blasting DJ music! This is what we have done where not just wild animals but many humans also have to run around for a glass of fresh water & this is what we have to “Un-Do”!
Now you will ask (as a student of 12th) these are my important years & I have to get good marks to get a good college so I can get a good job ahead, I have to make some money along with gaining knowledge & set my career, how I can think about environment & let me tell you, you are right in asking this question! At your age, I even didn’t know the spelling of environment leave apart saving it but that’s why your genre is unlucky as you have to gain knowledge, earn money & save the environment along, that’s your curse but that’s what you have to make it as an opportunity! As every decade has been dominated by some faculty or branch or industry & this not just decade but entire century will be dominated by an environment of which you can (or will have to) make maximum use for your career which in the end will conserve the environment & that’s what I call as sustainability! As nobody can save the environment with an empty stomach rather too many empty human stomachs are the biggest enemy of the environment!
The best way (and easiest) way to save environment has been shown to us by Thanos of Avengers End Game (well, it’s a marvel studio’s movie), i.e., with snap of fingers you wipe out half of the present population, thus saving the environment but that’s out of question for most of us, right? So, another way is making use of the knowledge of your respective field or faculty & apply it to the environment, and that's a sustainable way. For e.g., if you are an arts student then use nature as the backbone of your creatives may it be paintings, performance or write-ups or a movie, so you will make some money as well you can make people aware about environment via your creatives & your client also gets a respectable branding! If you are a science student, then technology related to environment conservation is the key as today the richest man in the world is, Elon Musk, maker of green energy operated cars, what better example than his can be there of balancing career & environment conservation! Focus your knowledge to make this world a better place by inventing technologies which will be environment friendly & the world is yours! If you are an IT (Information Tech) guy then let me remind you, the weakest link of environment conservation is, Data & loads of it is required so the engineers can design their products according to exact needs as it’s the right data which defines the right needs which are a must for any sustainable product! And lastly, if you are an accounting gal, then you may ask what an accountant can do for the environment, well, you have the control over the funds, right? Invest your money in the right environment friendly product as well in R & D as that’s what the environment conservation lacks most i.e., funding!
Guys, your genre as I mentioned might have been born unluckier than ours on the environment front but if you decide to remain unlucky then for that, you only will be at blame by the next genre, mind it! All best wishes for your career ahead & adios with this note!
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Sanjay Deshpande
Sanjeevani Dev.
Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at You Tube link below..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s
Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying!
https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/09/choosing-right-home.html
http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2021/09/blog-post_21.html
Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345
For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below
www.punecorporation.org
Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..
Think Green, Think Life
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