Yesterday I went to the B.V.S. School to talk to the 8th Std students about making their own choice when it comes to environment. Around 180 students were present for the discussion .
I started off by giving them a few (around 12 ) choices and asked them to raise their hand for whichever they wanted to be. There were around 4 who wanted to be travellers !! 
.With some more questions and answers about achieving them , I got them in agreement with the idea that one has to be physically and mentally fit in order to achieve their multiple desires. Then ,I brought the environment into focus with some statistics and how there has been an increase in ailments including Cancer .
Please watch this video on Chennai’s Garbage Dumpyards to experience the gravity of the situation.The scenario is similar in other cities in India too.
Some resolutions :
It is true that the statistics are grave .In fact , it used to stress me out in the past , when I was still in school. When I actually started to work with people to bring about awareness along with some activity , I realised one thing .I have to take it easy .Activity obtained from a human is not directly proportional to the pressure applied on him. Neither is there any inverse law. So ,yesterday I was grave when I presented some of the facts .However I told them that they can definitely change at least their own lifestyle. The changes that I asked them to take with their agreement are:
1)To plant at least 1 sapling /yr and take care of it.
2)Avoid getting plastic bags from the shopkeepers. Remember to take their own bags while going to shop.
3)Manage their degradable waste by either feeding animals (like cows , dogs ,crows ) or composting them.I think this one would be difficult to get sanction from the parents .All those who have a garden in their homes can easily do. Otherwise , composting can be done in pots .
Motive behind the visit:
I wanted the students to understand and know about Chennai’s pollution and take their own stand for it. If they understood and therefore stuck to their promises then that would be great .Many people look at this as something that cannot be done in their routine lives. I beg to differ.It would be wonderful if they gave some changes a try.
I have created a group on Facebook for the students and teachers of B.V.S. .It is called Green B.V.S., Korattur.Students are joining in.However , it is open to all who want to discuss and bring about greener changes in the environment.
You gave them some amazing rules to live by! You should be proud of yourself! I especially like that you encouraged them to compost! It’s important that children learn how to do this because there’s a good chance that at least 1/4 of them will continue doing it when they’re older, and that alone can make a great difference!