Environmental education begins in schools and colleges.

The greening of young minds

"Environment education cannot be confined to plants and animals or even conservation; its aim must be to open to children the interconnectedness between living and non-living things in space as well as time.

Vedic chants such as Servai Bhavantu Sukhina placed value on balance and equilibrium; sanyam (discipline) and sahachar (good behaviour) were great virtues; Vedic literature shows plentiful evidence of the sensitivity of very ordinary people in the routine of their lives, wherein the "dharma" with which they were brought up acknowledged the interdependence of everything -- living and non-living. Respect for all beings and things and for Mother Earth was a logical consequence of this recognition.

We are all aware that "environment" is an all-encompassing term, which includes the natural and physical, socio-cultural and politico-economic dimensions; it is in effect the interconnectedness of the living and the non-living in a shared space, and that of the past, the present and the future in the time dimension."

Vibha Parthsarthy

" Environmental literature being generated for school children is, with some exceptions, in the genre of nature education. It is very important to expose young children to the beauties and wonders of nature. But as they grow older, it is important they begin to understand how human beings and human societies interact with their environment for their survival and their growth, how these human interactions become a part of a society's culture, and why it is important to rationalise our relationship with our environment. "

Anil Agarwal
founder-director of CSE

	Centre for science and environment
	United Nations Environment Programme