Some Actionable Steps That Create Awareness about Conservation

Once there used to be a lake called the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. It was considered as the fourth largest lake with an area of 68,000 m2. But then it started shrinking in the 1960s and by 1997, it had shrunk to only 10% of its original size. Satellite images by NASA in 2014 revealed that it had completely dried up and what was once called a ‘sea’ is now called a ‘desert’, the Aralkum Desert, to be precise.

The sad scene out there will break your heart and you will wonder at the folly and greed of humans. You’ll see rusted boats and ships lying in the middle of the desert. They constantly remind you of the depressing reason they are there—human greed. In a bid to boost agriculture, the Soviet government diverted the lake’s water to farmland displacing people and killing animals and plants in the process.

Example like this abounds in human history. But what can we do to stop our future generations commit crimes like this against nature? As educators and parents, and as an educational institution, we have an immense responsibility of creating awareness among children.

With this in mind, Gajera Global School has stepped up its efforts to spread awareness about conservation the result of which is the butterfly garden sitting at the terrace of our school. We have created a hub for these small florae and faunae by creating a bio-diverse environment for them. When you visit our school, you will see it surrounded by plants, and herbs that are adding to the greenery and beauty of the area while conserving nature.

We create interesting activities that evoke our learners’ interest and at the same time instill a sense of respect towards nature. Today, our learners are taking part in a competition called ‘Crack the Code’. Learners will decipher the code and make something using the word that is revealed. The words thus revealed are related to the environment and efforts to save it. They will send a video of the whole process afterwards as an entry.

Apart from competitions like this, we organize regular talk shows. Today Doctors Mr. Paresh Shah and Mrs. Keyuri Shah will discuss how pockets of greenery can be created on the balcony in your apartment, and if you have access, the terrace. They will give small tips to our learners who will interact with them.

We believe that our efforts will bear fruit in the long run and drive home the fact that to conserve nature, just let her be. Don’t change or control her. Otherwise, our seas will turn into deserts, just like the Aral Sea has turned into the Aralkum Desert.

-By Dipankar Basumatary

English Educator