World Water Day, World Forestry Day and World Meteorological Day, 2013 were celebrated simultaneously in Uttarakhand at villages Jhuni, Khal Jhuni and Pathiyasar, Bageshwar, on March 21, 22 and 23, respectively, by CEE Himalaya under the UNDP-GEF project on the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) of Uttarakhand. The events were hosted in collaboration with RCE Srinagar and local NGO Lok Chetana Manch.

The themes of the three days were very relevant to mountain communities and were adapted to the local context of the villages. The events were attended by around 350 people who discussed rapidly melting glaciers and erratic rainfall patterns adversely effecting crop cultivation and MAPs in these mountain villages. They discussed the impact of climate change on their lives, livelihoods, forests and other natural resources. They also voiced their concerns about increased competition for natural resources, especially water, land and forests, leading to the disintegration of their traditional way of life and resulting into high labor migration.

The audience also participated in slogan writing; wall painting and pledge writing activities, and games like ‘web of life’ and ‘nature love’ that enabled them to express themselves freely through different media.

Paryavaran Mitra from Rajasthan joined the Safe Holi Campaign, under its Culture and Heritage theme,to celebrate the festival of colours in an eco-friendly manner. Students prepared a variety of natural colours from the plant products commonly available at home like seasonal vegetables, species, flowers, leaves, etc. and then displayed them to popularize its use among the local community. This enthused others in their families, and neighbors, to play a eco-friendly Holi. An interactive session was also held linking the action with other cross cutting topics like water and soil pollution, impact on health and threats to local biodiversity. In all 850 eco-club members participated in the campaign.

CEE is the ENVIS centre on Environmental Education (EE). As an ENVIS centre, CEE caters to the information needs of environmental educators. Write to the CEE ENVIS Centre at [email protected]

Acknowledging the UN International Year of Water Cooperation, CEE Jaipur celebrated World Water Day on March 22 at Sikar in partnership with the Rajasthan State Bharat Scouts & Guides. A series of thematic competitions were conducted, including essay writing,  slogan writing, quiz and poster making, along with actiitis and games through which the participants depicted their ideas related to issues like quality, quantity, availability, and management of water. Children also pledged to mobilize the community to save water by playing ‘Tilak Holi’ for a greener future and a better environment. The programme culminated with prize distribution to winners of the competitions.

Holi, the vibrant festival of colours spreads the message of interfaith harmony. Unfortunately, the colours that are available in the market are synthetic and it is harmful not only for us but also for the environment. Therefore, it is important that the message of using natural colours is promoted among the masses. Taking this initiative forward, the Youth Environment Network at CEE and the Information Facilitation Centre at CEE launched the Safe Holi Festival Campaign on March 19.

The campaign involved young volunteers who visited schools, colleges, public places with an objective to sensitise them towards the detrimental effects of chemical colours on environment and health. The campaign also included demonstrations and homemade tips for making holi colours.The campaign was conducted in association with AURA Herbalwear.

As a part of this campaign, the team also visited Samarpan Professional Unit (sister concern of Blind People’s Association) and SAATH Child Development Centre, Vasna on March 23 and 24 respectively.

At the Samarpan Professional Unit, the idea of making natural colours was introduced to the students of the institute. The campaign was integrated with the vocational training programme of the institute. This added towards developing the youth’s entrepreneurial and livelihood skill. This gave them access to employment and created job opportunities for themselves. Activities like canvas painting, green tattoo were also conducted.

At the Gyanshala, SAATH Child Development Centre, Vasna Ahmedabad, children from the economically challenged sections of the society participated in this event. Students from HB Kapadia, Ahmedabad participated as volunteers and helped in demonstrating the preparation of natural colours, and in organizing games and fun activities for these children. The day ended playing tika holi with children reinforcing the message of making Holi an eco-friendly festival.