Tag Archives: Children

A Green Message for the World

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These are strange times indeed. Children today are bombarded with phrases such as global warming, carbon footprint and deforestation. These scary terms were totally alien a hundred years ago, but we only have ourselves to blame for their importance now. I ask you a simple question “What kind of future are you leaving for children and youth like me?” Every day, every minute we are writing an epitaph for a lake, or a wetland or a forest. The mighty river Ganges which once flowed, pristine and pure, from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, is now a cesspool of filth. … Continue reading →

An Interview with Paper Bag Boy of Abu Dhabi

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Abdul Muqeet, also known as the Paper Bag Boy, has risen from being just another ordinary boy to an extraordinary environmentalist spearheading the fight against climate change in United Arab Emirates. Ten-year old Abdul Muqeet has demonstrated remarkable commitment to saving the environment and has won numerous awards including the prestigious Abu Dhabi Award. Here the Paper Bag Boy (PBB) talks to Salman Zafar, Founder of EcoMENA, about various aspects of waste management scenario in UAE: SZ: You are considered as the ‘recycling face’ of Abu Dhabi because of your wonderful achievements. Can you give an idea of the prevalent waste management … Continue reading →

Impact of School Closure on Marginalized Children

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We are seeing schools close as a protective measure of reducing the potential exposure to the coronavirus across the globe. This is due to the fact that schools could be a major source of transmission from one child to another child within a classroom, from one classroom to the whole school, to within the families and the greater community. And all at a very speedy rate of transmission of Covid-19. The action of closing schools is an acceptable move in the more developed sectors of the global community as children tend to all have access to the internet, and in … Continue reading →

Water Pollution Worries in Developing World

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Water pollution has become a major concern worldwide, especially in developing countries where around 3.2 million children die each year as a result of unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation. Access to adequate wastewater treatment facilities in the developing countries is very limited. For example, only 209 of India’s 3,119 towns and cities—less than one in ten—have even partial sewage systems and treatment facilities. As a result water bodies in developing nations are often used as open sewers for human waste products and garbage, which is evident at the Ganges River in India which receives over 1.3 billion liters of domestic waste, … Continue reading →

The Green Girl of UAE

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Kehkashan Basu is a 12 year old environmental and social activist from the United Arab Emirates whose sole objective is to involve and mobilize kids and youth in the movement for a sustainable and green future. Born on 5th June, which interestingly also happens to be the World Environment Day, she feels that it was pre-ordained that she should grow up to be an environmental activist. Spreading the message of peace and sustainability has been her passion since she her early childhood days. Needless to say, Kehkashan has been working tirelessly to motivate youngsters all over the world to care … Continue reading →

The Need for Effective Environmental Education

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Children are the Future Generation and their engagement in environmental conservation is an absolute must. Education is the key to fostering this engagement and hence, all efforts must be made in this regard. One of the main reasons for the current state of environmental degradation is the general apathy of civil society and the only way to address this issue is through intrinsic involvement of all stakeholders, in particular, children, since it is their future that is at stake. Involvement of children in environmental conservation initiatives will also ensure that the movement becomes “bottom-up” rather than something that is mandated … Continue reading →

Environmental Education: Key to a Better Future

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Tomorrow’s leaders need to be equipped for tomorrow’s challenges, and we must adequately prepare our children for the future they will inherit. As climate change is being felt across the globe and its long term catastrophic impacts have never been so scientifically clear, environmental education is the key to a better future. In an era where more and more children are disconnected from nature, we should recognize the importance of making a real investment in environmental education and outdoor learning. Studies have shown environmental education engages students in learning, raising test scores, and encouraging youth to pursue career in environmental and … Continue reading →

6 Easy Ideas to Teach Sustainable Living to Your Kids

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Talking about the environment with children is one of the best things we can do to encourage ‘green’ habits for a sustainable world. Developing the habit of thinking about the impact of their actions on the earth is as important as learning about other aspects of faith and growing spiritually – they are interlinked. To make sustainable living a way of life, we can make small daily changes. Here are a few ideas to teach sustainable living to your kids: 1. Getting serious about waste Consider the waste your household generates – what can you buy less of? Is there … Continue reading →

ROOTA and the 4 E’s – Helping a Marginalized Community in Cairo

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Rising Out Of The Ashes (ROOTA) is a Canadian Registered Charity with the objective of alleviating poverty and improving education.  For the onset, ROOTA started by helping the marginalized community of the Zabaleen (which stands for Trash Collectors in slang Egyptian) of Manshayet Nasser.  Work with our boots on the ground The Association for the Protection of the Environment, we service a population of around 45,000. What is ROOTA’s goal?    Education, and Income Generating Projects We achieve this through the 4 E’s – Environment, Education, Empowerment and Employment – which are interacted and work in unison.  The Zabaleen are … Continue reading →

The Concept of Environmental Education

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Unlike traditional forms of education, Environmental Education is a holistic, lifelong learning process directed at creating responsible individuals who explore and identify environmental issues, engage in problem solving, and take action effectively to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper awareness and understanding of environmental issues and have effective skills to make informed and responsible decisions that lead to resolute the environmental challenges. Environmental Education is neither environmental advocacy nor environmental information; rather, Environmental Education is a varied and diverse field that focuses on the educational process that has to remain neutral by teaching individuals critical thinking … Continue reading →

Renting Bounce Houses and Other Party Supplies

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Children love all things bouncy and inflatable. Parents love making their children happy; however, most parents do not have space or the inclination to purchase a bounce house to have all of the time. In recent years, it has become so popular for parents to rent bounce house as well as other inflatable things for party events. It gives the children a chance to enjoy a popular way to play while the parents get to send the inflatables back at the end of the event. It is a win-win situation. Bounce houses are also quite popular for community events such … Continue reading →

How to Make the World a Healthier Place to Live?

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Let’s go green, today many countries in the world are getting a better understanding of the ecosystem. The way in which the world is suffering, and our need to change it is something we are all coming together and trying to improve. We all share one planet so pulling together and the improvements made is a mutual decision. It does not matter which country you are in, each country has its problems, some more apparent than others, some are easily solved. The point is by pulling together and recognizing the problems in our own countries and the best ways to … Continue reading →