Comment: The importance of eco clubs in schools

Students can be powerful advocates for the conservation of natural resources and limiting waste. In fact, students may be able to help make this happen in a few ways that most adults cannot. Many adults are set in their ways and are not open to change. Students can try to get their parents to become more conscious of the environment.

Students can study subjects that will allow them to make a big difference in the future. They can learn about creating green technology, for example.

Students can also campaign in their school by running an energy saving project. The schools can promote this concept right from Grade 1 to Grade 12. The school eco club can also form a team of eco warriors, who will monitor the use of electricity all around the school campus. One more team can be formed to promote water saving, and prevent waste. The team will monitor the use of water in washrooms and water coolers.

The school's energy conservation team will also do a comprehensive energy audit, frequently conducted by the eco warriors, to determine where the school is wasting the most energy and money. Energy audits typically find lights that are left on in unused classrooms, doors and windows leaking heat in the winter, and light bulbs and other appliances that use more energy than they need to.

Solar panels and wind turbines can be installed in a variety of sizes and combinations. Small systems can provide the energy for night lighting in a school campus. Skylights and windows, for example, can replace much of a building's lighting needs and provide beneficial daylight to the students.

An "Energy Saved is Energy Produced" project will encourage students to know the value of electricity and water. They will realise the dangers of wasting energy. The eco club members will campaign for its cause and help instill the need of saving it among the student community.

There are several benefits for schools who encourage their students to form eco clubs. The school can keep tabs on energy costs and can quickly spot irregularities and rises, while simultaneously saving money. Students become enthusiastic about energy consumption and learn about this complex subject more easily. Students are also motivated to reduce their energy use at home as well as school, and inspired to come up with solutions.

Schools can encourage students to think creatively as they apply their knowledge to real, everyday thinking. Involving students in participation through real responsibilities improves self-esteem, which impacts learning. The attitudes developed will stay with pupils throughout their lives. Students will also have greater respect for, and take more care of, other environments they encounter.

Let's come together and save our planet before it's too late.

About Author: Rakesh Verma, Eco Club of Birla Public School, Doha.