Centre for Environment Education (CEE)

The CEE, Ahmedabad was set up in 1984 to develop and carry out nation-wide environmental education programmes and activities. Highlights of the activities of the Centre during the year 1995-96 are as follows :

• An exhibition package consisting of a set of posters on the theme of what individuals can do for the environment, suported by a manual, has been brought out in two versions; one with English text, and the other with blank spaces left, where text in the language of choice may be filled in. The South Asia Cooperative Environmental Programme (SACEP) has distributed 150 sets of these posters in countries of South Asia.

• Joy of Learning, a handbook of environmental education avtivities for teachers of standards 6-8 has been brought out.

• Under the NEEPS (National Environmental Education Programme in Schools), activities such as training teachers; equipping teachers with EE materials; drawing up annual plan of activities for the cluster and school levels; etc. were continued.

• A chart and a teachers booklet containing information and activities on the issue of ozone depletion have been develoed for the Ozone Cell, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

• Macmillan publishers have commissioned CEE to develop Environmental Studies (Social Studies) text books for standards III, IV and V, based on the NCERT curriculum. These books will be available in 1996-97.

• CEE Modules for inclusion with the B.Ed. course are being developed and tried in selected colleges of Karnataka. These modules are being developed by the faculty of the colleges, working with CEE.

• The adaption and translation of three CEE publications, Joy of Learning, Approaches to Environmental Education in Schools and Bird Observation Book into Assamese, Khasi and Lusia were initiated during the year, with support from Ministry of Human Resources Development.

• CEE has been commissioned by a Public Trust of Bombay to bring out a book on the Fascination of the Oceans, with special reference to the waters around India, for the age group 14 to 16 years.

• Eco-clubs have been set up in four schools in Ahmedabad involving students in greening, energy conservation and garbage management projects.

• Four subject specific modules for college teachers have been developed and tried during the year. These modules are adapted from the Teachers, Guide of the World Resources Institute, USA Modalities for publication and distribution of these modules are being worked out with major publishing houses.

• Work on a textbook for the compuslory course on environment to be introduced by the UGC at under graduate level, commissioned to CEE by the Consertium of Educational Communication, is underway.

• CEE is working with Gargi College, Delhi, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad, and Bhavanaar University, Bhavanagar, to introduce EE course or tailor-made EE modules within existing courses.

• The planning for the Leh-Ladakh interpertive programme is underway.

• The first phase of the interretive pprogramme for Bharatpur has been completed and installed.

• The Gujarat State Archaeological has commissioned CEE to develop abd install signage for over 200 monuments in Gujarat. The first phase of this interpretive programme has been completed.

• The sixth course of Training in Environmental Education (TEE), an eight month diploma course as been completed. Commonwealth countries took part in this. The seventh TEE commenced in November 1995, with 20 articipants (15 from India and form other Commonwealth developing countries).

• Under TALEEM series, short-term training programmes on `Environment and Development Concerns and Efforts; `Environment Education for Children'; `Women and Energy' were organised during the year for in-service `professionals.

• Fortnightly packages of environmental news, features articles, etc. were brought out under CEE-NFS, in English and Hindi, and supplied to newspapers, magazines, NGOs,etc. CEE-NFS also provided exclusive articles to identified mainstream newspaper and magazines to focus attention on secific environmental issues.

• Various programmes for ecodevelopment, such as soil and water conservation, fuelwood and fodder plantations,introduction of efficient energy devices, etc. are being continued in the villages around Ranthambhore National Park and Hingolgaqdh Sanctuary.

• Work relating to awareness creation and education on drinking water related issues were continued in 41 villages of Amreli district.

• About 1.5 lakh people visited Sundarvan Nature Discovery Centre during the year.

• Over 1200 children, youth and adults attended Sundervan's nature apppreciation camps at Beyt Dwarka and Bakore.

• CEE Northeast also organised several nature camps for youth, tribals, villages, NGOs, students and teachers.

• Work on studying the information requirements of the small-scale dyestuffs and chemical intermediate sectors to become environmentally friendly, was continued.

• Through CEE South, 20 colleges are involved in environmental quality monitoring of nine districts in Karnataka, including monitoring of biomass, and soil.

• Through CEE North, a strategy and action plan has been develoed for communication to support the Ganga Action Plan.

• CEE South continued to carry out programmes towards better management of garbage in Bangalore City, which will server as a basis for developing models for other cities.

• A project involving college students to create awareness about garbage related problems and solutions has been initiated in identified areas of Ahmedabad.

• In collaboration with the Ahmedabad citizen's Trust and supported by USAID/RHUDO, New Delhi during the pilot phase, CEE has taken up a Research Vouchers programme which seeks to build bridges between community groups and research organizations to enable the former to purchase professional services from the later to support community based programmes in Ahmedabad. The focus of the programme is on deprived urban communities viz-a-vis the environmental-related stresses and constraints they encounter in their economic and social lives.

• Under the series `Environment and Sustainable Development', two books titled `Sustainable Develoment in Fragile Environments' by Dr. N.S. Jodha and `Sustainable Technology : Making the Sardar Sarovar Project Viable by Suhas Paranjape and K.J. Joy aimed at decision makers and planners have been brought out. Executive summaries of both books have been distributed widely.

• Sampark, the Hindi edition of the UNESCO-UNEP newsletter `Connect' `continued to be brought out and widely distributed among NGOs and others.

• The second two-month Intership in Environmental Education organised under SASEANEE, was attented by nine participants from South Asia as well as China, Mongolia and Malaysia.

• Two issues of the SASEANEE newsletter have been brought out during the year.

• A regional report prepared by CEE for SACEP on training needs and oportunities in EE as well as an action plan to meet these needs was discussed at a regional meeting held at Ahmedabad in February 1996.

• CEE presented a status paper on Environmental Education in Asia, at an inter-regional workshop on Reorienting Environmental for Sustainable Development, organised by UNESCO.

• A seminar on Protected Areas of Gujarat was organised in December 1995. The comprehensive action- oriented recommendations emerging out of the seminar are being followed up.

• The Northern Regional Cell of CEE was launched in October 1995 through a seminar, `Education for a Cleaner Ganga'. The Cell will concentrate on servicing the EE needs related to National River Action Plan. A communication strategy and action plan to support the Ganga Action Plan has been developed by this Cell.

• A comprehensive slide presentation prepared by CEE on India and Agenda 21, was used for India's presentation at the third session of the Commission on sustainable Development held at New York during 1995.

MoEF Home Page