Forest and HRDD collaborate to deliver environment-conscious citizens by 2020

CHIEF MINISTER’S GREEN SCHOOL ROLLING TROPHY TO BE LAUNCHED NEXT SUNDAY
GANGTOK, 27 May: The departments of Forest, Environment & Wildlife Management and Human Resource Development are collaborating in an initiative aimed at developing “100 percent environment conscious citizens” in Sikkim by 2020. The mission is being launched with focus on children and will seek to develop instinctive environmental consciousness among them through special activities in schools and Chief Minister’s Green School Rolling Trophy scheduled to be launched on World Environment Day, 05 June.
“We all know that we are part of the environment we live in. Solution to many environmental problems lie in our attitude towards environment. Be it awareness to keep our surroundings clean or the realization to conserve natural resources by re-using and recycling wherever possible, they all are attitudinal. On the surface it looks simple. But changing the attitudes of such huge population is not going to happen overnight. The best way to attempt to bring about a change in the attitudes in the society is through children. They are impressionable and have no vested interests, they are our future. They are the single most important influence in any family. With this realization the Government of Sikkim under the visionary leadership of Shri Pawan Chamling envisages to achieve 100 percent environment conscious citizen in Sikkim by the year 2020,” explains the Forest Secretary, ST Lachungpa, in a press release issued today.

In pursuit of the expressed aim, a meeting was held on 23 May among senior officers from Forest and HRD departments with the secretaries of both departments in attendance, the release informs.
“2011 being the year of innovation and pioneer year to achieve the vision, the Government of Sikkim has come up with an innovative state-level award scheme Chief Minister’s Green School Rolling Trophy, the first of its kind in the country,” the release adds.
This award will be launched on World Environment Day next Sunday at Chintan Bhawan by the Chief Minister. The trophy will be awarded to the best performing school to have adopted the “most innovative and effective practices to manage natural resources within their own premises”. The ratings of the schools will be based on awareness and work of the school in environmental issues, climate change, pollution control and the national standards as laid in the Green School Manual, the release explains.
The awards scheme will be coordinated under the National Green Corps programme jointly by the Forest and HRD departments, the Ministry of Environment & Forests and the Centre for Science & Environment (CSE), New Delhi.
At present, National Green Corps covers 182 schools with more than 5000 students in 354 School Eco-clubs in Sikkim, the Forest Secretary informs.