Empowering generations and not just awareness is the need of the hour. TREE Craze foundation is trying to do its bit by not just making the forthcoming generations aware of the crisis but also teaching them how to manage the environment via small lifestyle changes. The STEER (Sensitisation & Thinking Enhancement for Environment & Rivers) program is a scientifically designed, actionable model-based workshop program that aims to connect with children to inculcate within them an attitudinal connect with their environment. These workshops are designed in a way so as to align them with the SEWA (Social Empowerment through Work & Action) curriculum of NCERT, an integral part of 9th to 12th standard. The objective of the program are:
Objectives of STEER
To bridge the gap between education to attitude building
Re-establish our lost connect with nature
Generates Awareness and Ownership for environment
A successful pilot for the same has been carried out in five schools (4 Govt. and 1 private) in Delhi/NCR, on the following themes:
Composting
India’s landfills are bursting at the seams and overflowing with items that shouldn’t be thrown in the trash. More than 70% of collected urban waste is dumped straight into the landfills. Although according to Press Information Bureau, approx. 50 % of the waste reaching landfills is organic wet waste, which if segregated and processed properly can reduce the problem considerably.
A short session on solid waste segregation and composting have been designed by TREE Craze Foundation which is piloted in EDMC Government Schools. A composting pit is also being dug in schools wherever possible so that the students can gain a hands-on experience on composting.
Water Conservation and Water Footprint
India’s growing population has put a severe stress on the natural resources of the country, mainly its water resources, as we have 4% of the world’s freshwater resources which caters to 17% of the world population. Apart from the population, the mismanagement of the water has worsened the crisis. As per NITI Aayog, India is facing worst water crisis with around 50% population experiencing high-to-extreme water shortage.
TREE Craze Foundation has designed a session on water conservation and water footprint along with interesting format of quiz which has been piloted in both private and government schools.
The session intended to provide insights on:
- The importance and the role that water plays in our lives.
- Water on Earth is interconnected and therefore the scarcity of water anywhere on Earth will surely make an impact everywhere on the planet, no matter where you live.
- The amount of water that we use indirectly is several times more than what we use directly.
- Conscious efforts to reduce our overall consumption/wastage of water.
Waste Upcycling
Upcycling is nowadays emerging as a creative facet of waste management. It is when disregarded waste materials, objects, fabrics and furniture are reused to create something new with functional or aesthetic value. The underlying ideology is to extend the life of waste objects to prevent the need for the production of others. It marks a more creative way of addressing the imbalances between production, consumption, and waste.
To sensitise people for the same, and also empowering them with skills through which they can make their own upcycled products, sessions such as ‘Make and Take’, eco-friendly Ganesha making etc. were taken up by TCF at various platforms like Ganga Utsav, for office-goers, transgenders etc.
Geographical Information System
Webinars for Schools
Eco-club of St Marks School, Meera Bagh
On the occasion of World Environment Day, the members of the Earth Saviour Eco Club, St Marks School, Meera Bagh participated in an interactive, knowledge sharing session with Ms Bhawna Badola, CEO-TREE Craze Foundation. A lot of insight was shared on rivers restoration, especially River Ganga, projects under Namami Gange which aims at the cleaning of the pious river of our country.
Inter-school Eco-seminar by Hillswood Academy
Van Mahotsav Week Webinar
A webinar was organized on the occasion of Van Mahotsav by TREE Craze Foundation that discussed the stories of various Forest Warriors along with discussing on various aspects about forests and trees. Close to 500 students from classes I to VI registered for this webinar from different schools spread across the country, that includes Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, among others.