Online chat on 18 th July 2005 on "Environment Education”

Susan: Welcome to IWC chat on "Environment Education"

Susan: Are you in education by any chance?

Chait: yes, wild life is my hobby

Susan: what do you teach?

Chait: i organise camps

Chait: so I teach priliminary things on birds,snakes, wild animals, forests etc.

Susan: How do you find the participants interest in environment?

Chait: 95% r very much interested

Susan: Are your participants children?

Chait: and youths,too

Chait: can i know about you,too?

Susan: I spend most of my time for IWC and I make documentaries .

Chait: so u must have ben to most of our jungles, must be lucky gal...

Geeta: Hi Chait, Susan

Susan: Yes, many of them like Ranthambore, Corbett

Geeta: and I have been to Tadoba , Bandhavgarh, Corbett, Thekkady

Chait: cool

Susan: What about you Chait?

Chait: ever been to gir?

Susan: No

Geeta: Not me either

Chait: its like heaven

Geeta: What all did you see there?

Susan: Do you take the campers to Gir?

Chait: i have been to sariska, ranthambhor,tadoba,and all other of gujarat

Chait: yes, i do

Susan: So you believe the best way to teach willife is to be actually there.

Chait: yes

Shweta: hi susan

Chait: hey, y some of messages r not reaching there?

Susan: Hi Shewta

Chait: if u r in jungle, u can convey your thoughts very clearly

Chait: hi shweta !

Shweta: i am based in lucknow

Chait: I am from Gujarat

Susan: I am in Gurgaon

Shweta: i am very much concerned with environment education

Geeta: What do you think is the best way to sensitise people to environment, esply children

Shweta: i m working with children these days to sensitize them for the cause of conservation

Chait: every summer i pass thru ur city,susan

Planter: hi everyone

Chait: hi planter

Susan: Hi Planter

Planter: Hi Susan and Chait

Chait: every summer i take a group of my members to himalaya

Shweta: hi

Geeta: What do you do planter?

Planter: Susan I am Ankur, Wrote about the man-elephant conflict

Planter: I am a Tea Planter

Chait: i think geeta is very calm girl

Chait: she is just listening

Susan: Ankur, did you get any responses to your query on Blog?

Planter: Thanks for introducing me to this site

Planter: No none yet

Chait: ankur, i m a new member

Shweta: susan what do u feel about the state of environment and the role of kids

Geeta: chait, which part of Himalyas did you go to?

Chait: can u explain it to me?

Planter: Thanks for the help anyway

Chait: i have been on mount kamet in an expedition

Geeta: uttaranchal, Kashmir?

Chait: but i take kids near manali

Shweta: i ve also taken students to nature camp this summer to Ranikhet

Geeta: Where is Mount Kamet?

Chait: ohh, i have been to hp, uttaranchal

Chait: last year, i was there for one night

Planter: Sorry to interupt you ladies but I wanted to draw your attention to the extensive use of pesticides in Tea Plantations

Susan: Shweta, I think kids are curious and able to absorb a lot-They can influence their parents

Chait: i was on the way back from trek to gulfu glacier

Shweta: we actually celebrated world environment day there

Chait: u r right susan

Chait: june 5th?

Planter: The worst part is that no one seems to be bothered about the ir-repairable loss that is being done

Chait: u r right

Shweta: susan i am working hard for making them realize the conditionof mother earth but some how here i lack cooperation from people

Chait: would you like some activities in gujarat?

Geeta: Pesticides are entering our food chain. What is its impact on the local environment

Planter: Can anything be done susan

Planter: There has been no study

Geeta: Planter, what is the attitude of top mgmt towards the use of pesticides? and its impact on environ

Planter: I am sure it is considerable

Susan: I think there is need for education there

Chait: it needs an extensive mass movement

Shweta: my kids r really active

Chait: because the production growth is required by every farmer

Susan: Use our website to create awareness-write blogs, write articles

Planter: Well I work for a company which claims to be commited to environment protection but spend Rs 2000 per Hectare on Chemical pest Control

Planter: Who do I educate

Planter: People who would read the blog are not the people who make decisions

Geeta: Any use of natural pest control measures also?

Chait: but is that convincing the farmers planter?

Chait: i think farmers are not adopting that pesticides

Planter: first of all the people who matter need to decide to look 4 alternatives

Susan: If you do astudy of your area and suggest alternatives to chemicals we can publish it in the ezine

Chait: because they r after fast growth and more crop

Planter: Chait majority of Tea is not grown by farmers but by large plantations owned by big companies chait if they use organic fert. they can get enough crop chait if they use organic fert. they can get enough crop

Chait: if they use organic fert. they can get enough crop

Shweta: but it will soon reduce the fetility of soil

Chait: but they r not easy to spend time and efforts after it

Planter: I cant susan. I would lose my job. I hope you understand

Geeta: We need to keep trying and it could make an impact on some decision makers

Chait: yes, but they dont think about far future

Geeta: Is your company that closed to new ideas?

Planter: That is the issue chait

Shweta: that the biggest problm 2day

Chait: i m trying to educate kids and youth about toxic effects of fertilizers

Chait: but they r not the users

Planter: do you know that the majority of tea sold in the Tea Auctions is not even tested for MRLs of Pesticides

Chait: but if they r after all tah things, they 'll lose the market

Geeta: Are there house magazines of your company where youcan givesuggestions?

Chait: its like a vicious circle dear planter

Shweta: we need another sunita narayan here

Susan: We can all be Sunita Narains if we wish to

Chait: its a matirialistic atmosphere

Planter: Dear Gita why mine all Tea companies are closed to new ideas

Planter: Thaere are some estates in the area who have gone organic and are still surviving

Chait: let ppl have acid rains

Chait: perhaps they can understand what they are causing to mother earth!

Shweta: chait we cant wait for it

Chait: yes,susan

Planter: I disagree with this chait. We are not here to display pessimism

Chait: u r right

Chait: we are trying to aware ppl

Shweta: we know the response of US to globle warming in this G 8

Planter: Let me share my predicament with you

Chait: but what if they r upto being dumb?

Susan: Lack of Awareness among youth and adult of today is responsible for many excesses

Chait: yes,

Susan: We can make case studies of the organic farms and distribute

Planter: I am a Senior Assistant Manager in a big company

Chait: so u can just start to use organics planter

Planter: I am personally responsible for deploying and ensuring Pest Control

Chait: have u ever used germicides made from neem?

Planter: I do not have the freedom to decide on alternatives as they might result in crop loss

Chait: neem is the best germicide

Shweta: susan we are young and energetic why cant we do this

Chait: but u can test it on some plants

Shweta: why cant we use media for awareness

Susan: That is the spirit Shweta

Shweta: media can play important role

Geeta: Planter, can you carry out an expt in a small area and assess the yield? from use of bothnalternatives?

Chait: we were fighting against plastic since last three years in my city

Chait: thru eco clubs of schools

Planter: My personal experience with most of the commercially available neem products has been very poor

Chait: now, after 3 years, polythin bags below 20 microns are banned

Chait: but u can try to make it at your own

Shweta: chait i agree with you that its today child who can really bring change

Planter: It cannot be tried at a large scale

Geeta: There is lot of pioneering work being done by Vandana Shiva why not check on the net

Chait: u have to stick on it

Chait: and the ridiculous thing, i would like to tell is....

Shweta: susan why cant we run a mass movement for environment education

Chait: wow

Chait: right my name first

Shweta: since supreme court also made it compulsory

Susan: Shweta can you be more specific

Shweta: then also its been a year now

Chait: I m going to 6 schools regularly and run eco clubs there

Geeta: Planter are you still there?

Chait: i dont make them masters in environment just

Lalit: Hi to all

Susan: Lalit having come late, shoot your qns fast

Chait: just creating love in there hearts for mother earth

Chait: Hi lalit

Shweta: if you go and find the no of school colleges really following it ,u will be surprized

Chait: they r working on it

Chait: the change in their mentality is tremendous

Chait: i m satisfied, i have got results

Susan: Environment Education is finally an attitude change, so Chait is doing something great

Shweta: but here the condition is not good

Chait: thnks susan

Chait: but i m juast repaying .0000001% to mother earth

Chait: I m trying to convey my message to all the ppl

Planter: hi lalit

Susan: Shweta do you teach Env.Edn as a subject? You can may be take Chaits help in getting the hands on exp

Lalit: Well I am a Travel Agent & Specialised in School Grouping, Love to encourage the Young students to preserve the Wildlife & the Nature.Suggest me behalf of ur side. What kind of support can I hope from all of You

Chait: know its not easy,but we have to stick on it..

Chait: friends, I m working in state secretariat

Shweta: chait a ques 4 u ?do u have a team with u or u r doing it all alone

Chait: where r u frm lalit?

Planter: Where Chait?

Chait: i have some youths,

Chait: i have a good support from media ppl

Chait: i m in gujarat lalit

Shweta: susan i am doing my masters in eco tourism with specialization in wild life tourism but i am quite concerned with the kids

Chait: I m chairman of youth hostels association...

Shweta: and here i find myself all alone

Chait: can we help you susan by any mean?

Chait: shweta,where are you?

Chait: in lucknow na?

Shweta: here i cant see anyone to help me for this cause

Chait: i know some ppl there.

Shweta: yes

Planter: Bye eveyone.

Chait: may be they can help you

Geeta: shweta what is the attitude of your course mates to environment issues

Chait: if u wanna visit here,u r wel come

Planter: Plaese read my blog and get back to me.

Shweta: i am doing it through distance mode

Planter: Bye

Chait: and susan, if you wanna se my activities, we can meet when I m in delhi

Chait: i m there in chanakyapuri in every summer

Shweta: susan can you plz tell me how to go about it here

Chait: always with a group of 45 kids with me heading to the camp in himalayas

Susan: Bye Planter, Yes Chait we can meet be in touch thro mail

Chait: shweta, i m ready to help you,too

Chait: ofcourse yes...

Chait: mostly whole the day, i m online

Chait: and my e mail address is..chaitanya9099@yahoo.com

Shweta: but how?

Chait: we can share our thoughts

Susan: Shweta, you can meet people with similar interests in IWC.com Be more active in Blogs, Chats Yahoo group

Susan: My email is susan_sharma@hotmail.com

Chait: we can make it better together

Susan: On that note, shall we call it a day?

Chait: you are the host susan..its up to you

Susan: Ay suggestion for next months chat?

Shweta: mine is tigershweta@gmail.com

Chait: can we continue on the same?

Shweta: thanks a lot

Chait: ok

Chait: hope the friendship of earthlovers will bring some new light

Susan: Ok, Bye and thanks to everyone.

Chait: bye susan,shweta,geeta,lalit !!