India’s National Education Policy (NEP) in 2020 aims to address the need for environmental education in schools. The policy encourages a shift from content-based learning to skill-based learning, focusing on experiential learning in all subjects, including environmental education. It encourages hands-on pedagogy and ecological principles in school curricula, preparing students to become responsible environmental guardians and laying the foundation for a sustainable future.
NEP aims to integrate environmental education into the curriculum at all levels of schooling, emphasizing the importance of environmental awareness and sustainability. The goals of integrating environmental education into the NEP include fostering a sense of respect and responsibility towards the environment, promoting an understanding of the complex interconnections within natural systems, and encouraging behaviors that contribute to sustainable development. These goals are crucial in preparing students to address the environmental challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion.
Humble Beginning
Earlier, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) initiated the National Green Corps (NGC) in 2001-02 to create environmental awareness among children. The program consists of Eco-Clubs in schools across the country, providing students with hands-on experiences and opportunities to transform their ideas into creative action. The objectives of the NGC are to impart knowledge about their environment, instill compassion towards the environment, and build young students’ sensitivity towards environmental protection and conservation.
#Eco-Clubs in schools are designed to empower students to engage in meaningful environmental activities and projects, promoting sound environmental behavior and exploring environmental concepts beyond the confines of the curriculum. Teachers can become the coordinators of the Eco-Green Club and schools committed to the initiative are expected to develop an annual plan for their Club. Besides, capacity building through training teachers and students creates awareness and sensitivity towards environmental issues, imparts knowledge to help individuals and social groups gain a basic understanding of the
environment, builds attitudes to encourage active participation in environmental improvement and protection, and teaches skills to identify and solve environmental problems.
Eco-Clubs: Cultivators of Behaviors Change
Eventually, Eco-Clubs evolved into practical learning facilitators by providing opportunities, such as planting saplings, managing waste, and conserving water. They also organize awareness campaigns on environmental issues, engage students in community-based projects, develop essential skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, and teamwork, and foster environmental stewardship. By demonstrating the effectiveness of environmental education in schools, Eco-Clubs are also pivotal in influencing educational policy and encouraging the integration of more comprehensive environmental education into the curriculum.
Climate change is a pressing global issue that requires immediate action. While technological advancements and policy measures are crucial, behaviour change is also a key component in the fight against this pressing challenge where Eco-Clubs can play a decisive role. Our way of living, working, and consuming directly impacts the environment, and changing our behaviours can have a positive ripple effect in mitigating climate change.
Behaviour change addresses the root causes of the problem, such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, overconsumption, and waste generation. Raising awareness about the impacts of climate change and the need for action is essential. Reducing our carbon footprint can be achieved by conserving energy, using public transportation, carpooling, using energy-efficient appliances, and reducing waste.
Changing our consumption patterns is also critical in the fight against climate change. Eco-Clubs through pragmatic environment awareness and control programmes. Such action-oriented programmes allow students to understand that overconsumption leads to increased production, contributing to more greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and resource depletion. In contrast, practicing sustainable consumption by buying locally, supporting environmentally responsible companies, reducing food waste, and opting for products with a lower environmental impact can help reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable economy.
Educators as Action Enablers
Active learning experiences in authentic contexts can empower learners to engage in pro-environmental behaviours and collective action. Research shows that active learning pedagogies, which encourage learners to take responsibility for their learning process, significantly impact environmental education outcomes compared to traditional approaches.
Authentic experiences, which involve real-world tasks, multiple perspectives, and reflection, also contribute to effective environmental education. Policymakers can promote certain approaches through curricular reforms, but implementation efforts may not always align with these efforts.
The National Education Policy (NEP) emphasizes the importance of educators in fostering a positive connection with nature. They are encouraged to incorporate environmental education (EE) into their curriculum, ensuring they are well-versed in the subject. The policy also acknowledges the role of teachers in training and capacity building in EE. By providing professional development opportunities on educational premises, the policy aims to enhance teachers’ understanding of environmental issues, teaching methodologies, and sustainability principles, ensuring efficient delivery of EE to all ages.
Action-oriented Strategies Institutes Need to Follow
The transformative power of education lies in shaping a future where ecological stewardship is an inherent part of our societal fabric. From primary schools to higher learning institutions, the journey towards a sustainable future begins in the classroom. By incorporating these strategies, educational institutions can help students become more aware of their environment and its impact on their lives.
To promote environmental awareness and sustainability, educational institutions must develop and adopt a comprehensive system by leveraging school labs and incorporating STEM subjects at every stage of schooling. These methods help students understand environmental concepts and develop their understanding of their surroundings.
The most pressing need in this direction is an ideal curriculum, which should be interdisciplinary, holistic, value-driven, locally rooted, and globally relevant, integrating sustainability concepts at all levels. This approach ensures a well-rounded and meaningful educational experience, connecting learners to their immediate surroundings and broader global contexts.
Technology at the Core of Transformation
Eco-clubs are a strategy that aims to translate the National Education Policy’s environmental goals into tangible actions. This involves a combination of education, community involvement, and practical initiatives. The strategy includes educational workshops and seminars, curriculum integration, community engagement projects, sustainable campus initiatives, policy advocacy and leadership training, monitoring and evaluation, collaboration and networking, technology and innovation, funding and resources, and public awareness campaigns.
Educational workshops and seminars educate students and community members about the NEP’s environmental goals, while curriculum integration involves developing lesson plans that align with the NEP’s objectives. Community engagement projects involve engaging the local community in environmental conservation efforts, such as waste management and recycling, and partnering with local NGOs for tree plantation drives and awareness campaigns. Sustainable campus initiatives involve implementing waste segregation, composting, rainwater harvesting systems, and solar panels. Policy advocacy and leadership training are also provided to students.
Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) emerge as blessings to impart real-world experiences on virtual platforms. These days many institutions are exploiting AR tools to educate students about environmental challenges and their role in nature conservation. The workshop, which includes an induction-cum-objective familiarisation session and interactive sessions on pollution-related concerns, is designed for students from diverse backgrounds who share an interest in making meaningful contributions to climate protection and conservation.
Through collaborating with EdAct players in the environmental sustainability landscape many schools in India are offering students a dynamic and interactive platform to engage with crucial topics like climate change mitigation and sustainable practices. Their innovative teaching techniques, which go beyond conventional classroom learning, provide students with a unique opportunity to visualize and address real-world environmental challenges. These environmental sustainability players are instrumental in using JIG space, Oculus, and IOS ecosystem in Ed-Act platforms to provide students with an immersive and transformative learning experience.
Today’s cutting-edge technologies have empowered institutions with customized environmental studies programmes to entice students from diverse backgrounds who share an interest in making meaningful contributions to the fight against climate change. These programmes foster a deeper understanding of environmental issues and encourage proactive measures to mitigate climate challenges.
The Bottom Line
The National Education Policy (NEP) emphasizes the role of educators in promoting environmental education (EE) and
enhancing their understanding of environmental issues. To promote environmental awareness and
sustainability, educational institutions must adopt a comprehensive system, integrating sustainability concepts at all levels.
Technology plays a crucial role in transforming the NEP’s environmental goals into tangible actions. Eco-Clubs, which combine education, community involvement, and practical initiatives, are a strategy that aims to translate the NEP’s environmental goals into tangible actions. These strategies include educational workshops, curriculum integration, community engagement projects, sustainable campus initiatives, policy advocacy and leadership training, and a lot more. And, the collaboration of educational institutions with EdAct players is a significant breakthrough in the environmental sustainability landscape, which provides students with an immersive and transformative learning experience.
Blue Nudge
Blue Nudge is an Education-to-Action platform that drives sustainable education and Collective Responsibility Drive in over 1064+ schools, reaching out to more than 10,62,850+ students and has nudged 15930+ supportive teachers. The company focuses on community engagement and behavioral change to address environmental challenges. Blue Nudge aims to instill a sense of responsibility in students towards their planet and environment and encourages them to take up sustainability as a way of living.
Blue Nudge intends to integrate waste management, sustainability, and academic curriculums. It is a simple yet effective way to reach the basic unit of asociety, a household.
Through these students/learners/individuals, Blue Nudge connects with families to encourage sustainable living and better management of waste. Blue Nudge’s Collective Responsibility Drive (CRD) is a simple and positive journey to encourage sustainable behavior and become a planet warrior. It is an initiative rolled out for schools/ institutions/ organizations passionate about contributing to the environment, wherein individuals are encouraged to practice source segregation and collect waste for a minimum of three months. The segregated waste is collected from schools/offices by team Blue Nudge and is upcycled into plastic benches that are donated on a need basis. The process instills, in the individuals, and through them in the families, the habit of proper segregation and management of waste for their lifetime and helps us build a climate-conscious society. CRD has been selected as one of the 75 Ideas by Niti Ayog to promote LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment) from a pool of 2,500 ideas received from 67 nations. This recognition serves as a testament to our shared mission of promoting sustainable and pro-planet behavior, aligning with #missionLIFE launched by Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Blue Nudge’s My Social Responsibility (MSR) program, aims to provide holistic experiential education related to sustainability and climate change. Participating in this program will serve as a springboard for student’s academic and professional growth. The interactive and problem-solving exposure will open doors for various national and international opportunities and deepen students’ understanding of sustainability and climate change.
MSR covers a range of topics related to sustainability, including the impact of climate change, the importance of community engagement, and the need for behavioral change among individuals. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities, the program helps learners gain a deeper understanding of these topics and develop the skills they need to make a positive impact on the environment. Although the program is not time bound, it is designed to be completed in 3 – 6 months and is suitable for a wide range of learners, including students, professionals, and community members.
Another key part of Blue Nudge is Environmental Studies Program (ESP). Environmental Studies and Behavior Change program is an activity-centric community engagement program for students who feel responsible for the future and are passionate about building a sustainable world. The program consists of online learning modules and community engagement activities. The modules cover nine topics that provide them with a holistic idea of sustainability, and the activities provide on-ground exposure to students. During their community engagement hours, students also extensively participate in a waste collection drive. The plastic and paper collected during the course are upcycled into benches/chairs to be donated to government schools in India.
Harsh Mehrotra Co-Founder & CEO – Blue Nudge
With over 15 years of hardcore corporate experience under his belt, Harsh Mehrotra, the alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, now leads Blue Nudge C-Suite as Co-founder and CEO.
Mehrotra, the man behind India’s unique Education-to-Action platform, brought sustainable education and Collective Responsibility Drive in over 1064+ schools, reaching out to more than 10,62,850+ students and has nudged 15930+ supportive teachers, leads an organization with a clear vision and sharp business acumen.
During his illustrative and impressive corporate career, Mehrotra contributed to the growth of many iconic companies in India in diverse sectors. At Mahindra Group, he served as Chief Business Officer, Head Training at Reliance LEAP, and Managing Partner & Certified Financial Planner at Shubhlaabh. The leader by example is armed with a multitude of professional expertise, including Investment Banking, Financial Modeling, Portfolio Management, Wealth Management, Financial Planning, Due Diligence, Market Research, Business Strategy, Business Planning, Team Management, and more.
Mehrotra is phenomenal in successfully managing
relationships with key clients in various roles in companies across India. Under his astute leadership, Blue Nudge instrumentally raises awareness in schools, colleges, corporates, and societies about the importance of behavioural change in fighting climate. In the last six months, Blue Nudge reached 2500+ CBSE schools in India along with 800+ colleges of Mumbai University to nudge millions of students to become more climate-conscious. He continues to believe that climate change cannot be addressed only via social media platforms but rather by bringing people physically on a dynamic platform like Blue Nudge.
Mehrotra’s Blue Nudge motivates learners to save the Earth. He believes that Blue Nudges would bring behavioural change, especially at a young age, by introducing concepts like Recycling, Food Wastage, Green Energy, Green Transport, Sustainability, etc. His mission is to incorporate sustainability learning opportunities into the learner’s daily life, including health and environmental sustainability. Blue Nudge is a simple yet effective way for learners to use resources efficiently and earn a Planet Warrior Certification for their efforts.
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