the goan I network
PANAJI
Environmental NGO ‘Thinkers’ on August 15 launched the first of 700 environment projects in all educational institutes in Bicholim, in its ongoing efforts to make Bicholim the most eco-friendly constituency in the country.
PRO of ‘Thinkers’ Shorya Bisaria explained to The Goan that Project ‘Prabhav’ was launched in Our lady of Grace High School, Shantadurga High School and Higher Secondary School, Radhakrishna High School, and Narayan Zantye College of Commerce.
Under this project, volunteers of the NGO will place one A-3 sized nature painting with a theme in a corridor of the educational institute once in every five days, through the entire academic year. So in 200 working days, 40 paintings will be placed in corridors of class rooms, and corridors of staff rooms. Each academic year, the paintings of the previous year will be taken down at the beginning, and new paintings will be put up in a similar pattern.
“Through this, and 699 more projects, we hope to create a deep impact on the minds of students over a period of several years. We hope that this will go a long way in creating eco-friendly mindsets,” Shorya said.
Thinkers has been carrying out many activities to increase environmental awareness and awareness on the crises of global warming in several schools across Goa. For example, two volunteers accompany any school that approaches them for their school picnic. Volunteers make sure the school children have fun while subtly teaching them about the importance of conservation in an outdoors setting.
Even as they teach children about the environment, the volunteers will never tell the students what to do and what not to do. For example, they will never tell students not to use plastic. “That change needs to come from the top,” said Shorya. “If we can affect policy change, problems like these will take care of themselves. Policy change is our ultimate goal,” he concluded.
