Green ambassadors

Ten young ambassadors were chosen to represent India at the International Children’s Earth Summit, to be held at Johannesburg, South Africa, in August 2002 at the end of a week-long Eco-camp.
The camp was organised by Navdanya, a trust run by the environmentalist activist Vandana Shiva.
It was entitled the ‘Children’s Earth Summit’ recently at Bija Vidyapeeth, Dehradun.About 65 school students from across India, participated.
It inspired the children to understand their environmental future, and to have fun doing it. At the culmination of the camp, the summit will coincide with the UN World Earth Summit at Johannesburg.
According to environmentalist Vandana Shiva, ‘‘The minds of majority of adults have become so polluted and contaminated - just like the environment we are living in - that we seriously need the freshness of the hearts and minds of children to solve the ecological crisis.’’
Nupur Jain, a class nine student of St Mary’s School, New Delhi is among those selected for the international summit. An issue that left its mark on young Nupur’s psyche was that of chocolates, chips and aerated drinks.
‘‘While we buy a pack of chips for Rs 10 or 15, the poor farmer who’s produced the potato get only 10 paise for it. The same holds true for aerated drinks. The MNCs are making all the profits using the resources of the country,’’ she said.
Another young ambassador, Jogasmita Parida, a class 10 student of Maharshi Vidya Mandir, Balasore, Orissa, said, ‘‘The eco-camp helped us know more about environmental issues.’’
Class 11th student at the Doon School and a resident of Ranchi, Padmakant Khaitan elaborated, ‘‘Even small changes at a personal level can make a difference at a larger scale. While brushing our teeth every morning, many of us leave the water tap open. We could contribute to water conservation simply by changing this basic habit.’’ .
Jogasmita remarked, "We''ll pass our knowledge to the future generations and make every effort to make world a better place to live in."