Green warrior who gives kids environment lessons

  • | Saturday | 18th August, 2018

“Anyone who wants to work for the environment,” encourages Bhavisha. And she doesn’t take a single paisa for her workshops, instead doing tuitions in the evening to earn a living. She has also tutored government and NGO schoolchildren from Delhi, Gurugram, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan , Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat Among the learnings kids take away from her is how to convert kitchen waste into organic manure.Today, more and more children are studying about the environment, and recognising the need for sustainable living, a fact that pleases Bhavisha. Issues such as these can, sustainability educators argue, help develop critical thinking skills.

On a dusty patch of ground beneath a concrete overpass, around a hundred children, sons and daughters of rickshaw drivers and farm labourers, sit cross-legged on dirty mats, in bare feet or flip-flops, learning their letters and numbers—and the basics of environmental protection Bhavisha Buddhadeo, 41, is a social activist devoting her time and energy towards promoting ecological wellbeing. Through her weekly workshops, girls and boys learn about the importance of sustainability, and about how each can contribute towards ensuring the environment around them is cared for.“I have engaged children and women in plantation drives, kitchen garden activities and (a) solar energy initiative, to educate them regarding the utmost importance of conservation of nature,” Bhavisha told TOI. Among the learnings kids take away from her is how to convert kitchen waste into organic manure.Today, more and more children are studying about the environment, and recognising the need for sustainable living, a fact that pleases Bhavisha. “Schools are doing environmental education and (the) best have made sustainability a school-wide, hands-on project, rather than just another topic for children to write reports on,” she says.Her workshops feature environmental education programs incorporating inquiry-based lessons and hands-on activities, with a focus on aquatic ecology, watershed science, and water resources. And they’re open to adults as well as kids. “Anyone who wants to work for the environment,” encourages Bhavisha. “I go to parks and try to educate the masses on why we need to plant and work for the environment.”Whether nature is brought into the classroom or students taken outside to learn, or whether we find impromptu teachable moments on a nature walk with our families, learning about the environment, feels Bhavisha, carries many benefits for the youth, educators, schools and communities. “During the workshops, participants become familiar with environmental experiences and they investigate ways to explore, discover, and communicate,” she explains.Besides, her workshops also teach how best to adapt to a changing climate , and how to protect the environment while also reducing poverty. Issues such as these can, sustainability educators argue, help develop critical thinking skills. “My programs offer opportunities for experiential learning outside of the classroom, (and) enable students to make connections and apply their learning in the real world,” adds Bhavisha.An MBA in human resources, and an expert in organic farming and kitchen gardening, Bhavisha leads by example, having planted thousands of saplings and distributed many seasonal and herbal plants on various occasions. And she doesn’t take a single paisa for her workshops, instead doing tuitions in the evening to earn a living. Till date, over a span of some 20 years, this Sector 46 resident has taught over 100,000 students, from reputed schools such as Pathways, Shri Ram, Blue Bells, KIIT, Amity, Shalom, Heritage and American Embassy School . She has also tutored government and NGO schoolchildren from Delhi, Gurugram, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan , Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat

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