Global
Environment Youth Convention (GEYC)
Aiban, Rohit, Aditi and Shibani
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The making of
the Global Environment Youth Convention – GEYC – was indeed
practising virtual learning in its true sense. Banking on the
wonders of IT the International Institute for Industrial and
Environmental Economics embarked on the ambitious project of
disseminating a course on environment with the focus on
Preventive Environment Management Strategies (PEMS) to
youngsters across the globe. The distance education course was
delivered through the internet. The internet not only provided a
medium for sending the lessons but also helped students give
their feedback and interact with other participants. Starting
with the basic principles of ecology and environment, the course
steered the students to think about various social aspects of
environment, biodiversity and corporate responsibility. The
section on PEMS laid emphasis on students appreciating its needs
viz. the common notion of end-of the pipe treatment. And
finally, the students had to work on a six week long project on
a topic, which was locally relevant to them, for presentation at
the GEYC. The eight month long course culminated in the five day
GEYC, which took place in Lund, Sweden.
Development Alternatives was fortunate to receive an invitation
to join this programme. The course was very appropriate for the
student members of the CLEAN-India programme. It would have been
ideal if all our members participated in the course. However,
since each team had to be limited to four students, we had no
choice but to select four students who were committed to
environment, were creative enough and had the drive to make a
difference. The essay that follows shares the experiences of the
four students who were selected and for whom participating in
the GEYC turned into a reality. |
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As
we sat in the lobby of the IGI airport, New Delhi, eagerly awaiting our flight
to Copenhagen, we were anxious to experience the dream
that we had been nurturing for so long. Our dream, began 10 months back when the
CLEAN-India organizers from Development Alternatives called our schools for the
selection of three students and a teacher to represent India at the GEYC in
Sweden.
The GEYC was organized by the International Institute for Industrial and
Environment Economics (IIIEE) from the 15th to 19th of June 2000. About 15
schools, represented by two students each, came for the selection. After a
mind-boggling written test which tested our knowledge on environment, computers
and our country, ten students were selected for an interview. The interview
tested the communication skills and the students’ views on various issues
concerning environment and society. Finally we, Aditi from Delhi Public School-RK
Puram, Rohit - Army Public School, and Shibani - DPS Noida and Ms. Urmil, a
teacher from Central School, Masjid Moth were selected. Aibanrihun, the fourth
delegate from our team, was selected through a similar gruelling process in
Shillong. The selection process was followed by an eight month long Young
Masters distance learning course, which covered fundamental environmental topics
ranging from Eco-systems, PEMS (Preventive Environmental Strategies),
bio-diversity and socio-cultural aspects. Through the Internet, we received the
course material and submitted our assignments after lively and informative
discussions. As soon as we received our first unit, we knew that we were in for
a lot of learning and hard work. Through all the course material that followed,
we learnt about things that were so apparent yet we never really noticed their
impact on our environment and us. The unit on bio-diversity made us realize that
the invaluable wealth that our country possesses and how we are gradually
destroying it. Assignments like designing a new and more eco-friendly packaging
of a McDonald burger and tracing the ecological footprint of a product gave us
practical knowledge and experience. The Internet also proved to be an excellent
media to interact with student delegates representing various countries and know
their views on different issues.
The last part of the course consisted of a project work that was to be presented
in Lund during the Convention. After much deliberation, we thought that the
issue of waste management in a domestic perspective was appropriate as it was
posing a huge crisis in our country and had solutions which could be easily
implemented. To base our project on a first hand experience, we did a lot of
field work which consisted of visits to landfill sites, kabadi wallahs,
composting sites and talking to people involved at various levels of waste
management. We even recycled paper and started composting of the kitchen waste.
After a lot of research and discussion, our project was prepared as a computer
presentation titled "Why Waste the Waste". Though the entire course
(ending just before the convention) was tough and demanding, it was very
informative and a lot of fun.
On reaching Lund, the scene in the lobby of the Star Hotel was overwhelming. It
was crowded and chaotic, and yet there was this
excitement
in the air, each face different yet bearing that similar gleam of enthusiasm and
anticipation. Each one was busy trying to meet and talk to people from other
parts of the globe. One look at he scenario and we knew that the past many
months of hard work were all worth it and the next five days were going to be an
experience of a life time. The convention took off on a hearty note on the 15th
of June with a lavish breakfast, a common ‘phenomenon’ (if we call it that)
on all the five days of the convention. On the University campus, the mayor of
Lund welcomed all of us. Students of Lund schools performed a lively welcoming
orchestra as we all entered the exhibition hall and then the team of organizers
introduced themselves. We then signed up for the workshops we wanted to attend
on the 15th and the 16th of June. These two days were set aside for workshops
and presentations by different delegations. Delegates of India 1 (our official
designation!) attended workshops on negotiation skills, marketing strategies,
Earth Charter, Eco bills etc. Aibanrihun, one of the delegates of our team, was
selected to be trained as an environmental journalist by the Reuters group. She
is one of the 12 students who will cover the IUCN regional conference in Amman,
Jordan in October. The workshops were conducted by well-known personalities and
we found ourselves deeply involved in very interesting sessions followed by
discussions. Throughout the two days, we were able hear different opinions of
people on issues and realised that there were so many perspectives a problem
which we had never even thought about.
On the morning of 16th June, the King of Sweden officially inaugurated the
convention. The event was also marked by the Uniting Waters Ceremony, in which
students brought water from the water bodies in their respective countries and
poured it from their country’s traditional bowl into a large glass bowl. Aditi
from our group, poured the Ganga water collected from Uttarkashi from an earthen
pot. Then, one of the delegates gave some of the water in a small bowl to the
King. This ceremony symbolized the shared concern of each country towards the
water resources. It also symbolized the coming together of different cultures,
transcending all barriers as delegates proudly stood together holding their
national flags, acknowledging the important role they had to play in changing
their society and the world that we all shared. After lunch on the 16th, we gave
a presentation of our project work. The presentation was received well. People
showed interest in the different ways of waste disposal that we had suggested.
The presentations were followed by a ‘knowledge café’ in which different
groups, each having delegates from different countries, discussed matters
concerning society and implementation of PEMS. The conclusion that each group
drew was that education (formal and informal) was the single most important
requirement to implement PEMS or any kind of change in society though the ways
suggested by each group in which this could be achieved were different. In the
evening while the teachers went for their workshops, the students went to a
nearby disco. Here again, meeting people from completely different backgrounds,
on a very informal and fun-filled platform, was an amazing experience.
Exploring links between biodiversity and
cultural diversity
The essay that got Aibanrihun selected as one
of the 12 lucky students to be trained by Reuters as young
environmental journalists, who will be reporting the IUCN
Regional meet at Amman in October 2000. . .
There
it was, staring me in the face and I could not see it, as I
rambled through the "Sacred Grove" to find the link.
Yes the sacred grove was the link. We Khasi people of Meghalaya
have sacred groves or "Lawkyntang". We believe that if
anyone cuts a tree or does anything to spoil the sacred grove,
the person would be physically handicapped for the rest of his
life. And in this way, by protecting the groves, we help to
preserve the bio-diversity of our area and at the same time
protect our proud cultural heritage. In other parts of India,
people grow, nurture and honour the "tulsi" plant in
their individual gardens. The tulsi plant is sacred. Its scent
kills germs present in the air; its leaves, when put into water,
kills the germs present in the water. And again, we see a
pleasant "two-in-one": a happy marriage between
preserving the environment and culture, a culture that is quite
different from the Khasis. Far away from us, in the stark
Kalahari Desert live the bushmen. These people are experts at
finding water in the desert. |
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On the 17th of June, everyone
went to the Hoor municipality where we were taken to the Skanes Djurpark which
housed many animals belonging to temperate climate. Chief Oren Lyons, a native
Indian chief, gave us a speech in which he stressed the relationship between man
and his environment. He also asked the delegates to be happy and to enjoy life
but at the same time to be responsible. Aibanrihun had the opportunity to
interview him later as a part of her training programme. The evening was spent
near Vaxsjon lake where some delegates ventured into the water for a swim, while
others enjoyed and appreciated the picturesque view. The fourth day was spent at
the Viking Museum where we had a glimpse into the lifestyle of ancient Sweden
during the times of the Vikings. We were also taken to a recycling unit and
shown how the segregation of waste was carried out in Sweden. Since our project
work was also based on the lines of waste disposal, it was interesting to note
how efficiently segregation could be carried out. After lunch, an expert took us
on a nature walk along the Baltic Sea and explained the thriving eco-system of
that area. The evening was a colourful and entertaining affair as delegations
presented their cultural items. All four delegations from India gave a common
presentation which started with a solo classical dance performance followed by a
patriotic song, folk song, film song and ended with the Hindi and English
version of ‘We Shall Overcome’. The performance was appreciated by many. We
also put ‘Mehendi’ on the hands of eager and excited students and teachers.
The final day began with all the delegates participating in one of the sessions
in the conference on Eco-efficiency at the Scania Convention Center. This was
followed by a trip to the Oresund Bridge that connects Copenhagan to Malmo,
which was due to open on the 1st of July. We also had a look at the Oresund
Exhibition Center near the bridge. In the afternoon, we were taken to the Eco
Augustenborg and Ekostaden where we attended workshops on water harvesting,
transportation, skating, music, etc. We then returned to the hotel to prepare
for the Young Masters’ Graduation Ceremony. The ceremony was held in the main
hall of the Lund University where the students were handed out their Young
Master’s Graduation certificates. Getting our diploma certificates in our
hands was a feeling that none of us will ever forget and once again the last ten
months of fun and work flashed in front of our eyes. The grand finale was the
traditional Swedish Midsummer Night party, which was held in the Kulturen, a
cultural museum in Lund. There was also a dance session and an open-air rock
concert by one of the local bands. Delegates and teachers were seen running
around trying to get everyone’s contact numbers and each one clicking
photographs to keep the memories of the five days that they were never ever
going to forget in their lifetime. In the end, as all the delegates held hands
and sang "We are the World" in unison, one could see in their eyes,
the sadness of leaving the friends they had made over the past few days, but
with that there was the look of determination on their faces that said that
"We make a difference because we want to make a difference". q