''Gobar Times'' is a monthly environmental education magazine for the young adult, published by the
Centre for Science and Environment
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1980, CSE works as a think tank on environment-development issues in India, poor planning, ...
. It is published along with ''
Down to Earth'' as a supplement. The magazine was first published in May, 1998 and has widespread circulation across India and abroad. The icon of the magazine, Pandit Gobar Ganesh, the pondering panditji is an Indian elderly who takes the reader through current issues, subjects and ideas relating to the environment. He is the icon whose brains can be picked for anything on earth. The current editor of the magazine is Sorit Gupto.
"
Gobar" is the
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
and
Nepali word for "cow dung". It was chosen to capture the eco-philosophy and tradition of generating wealth from waste. Waste gobar serves as an
insecticide and is used to plaster mud houses and is a waterproof coating for walls. It is also used to plaster floors to keep them cool. Gobar is the energy source for rural India. It is used as cooking fuel where people have no access to fuels like
LPG. The greatest use of cow dung in India is in farming where it is used as natural manure for farmers' crops. In short, it's a mainstay of rural India, and an appropriate symbol for eco-friendly technology.
Anil Agarwal the founder-director of Centre for Science and Environment, India’s leading environmental NGO, aptly called ‘Gobar’ the symbol that embodies the spirit of the Indian
environmental movement
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists a ...
. As he correctly reflected, the widespread and diverse use of gobar in Indian society stands up to every principle of good environmentalism.
History
In May 1992, the Society for Environmental Communications started India’s only science and environment fortnightly, ''Down To Earth'' (DTE). Over the years the magazine has informed and inspired people about environmental threats facing India and the world - a dimension underplayed in mainstream media. In May, 1998, ''Gobar Times'' was first published as a supplement to ''DTE''. ''Gobar Times'' reaches out to the young, encouraging them to take the lead and make a difference. It informs them and encourages them to save the environment by becoming an action-oriented, knowledgeable and aware community. The tone of the magazine is light-hearted, simple and thought-provoking. Every month the magazine comes up with an activity related center spread which can be pulled out and put up as a poster to encourage readers to become active participants. The magazine has recently entered into a partnership with the leading newspaper ''
Hindustan Times
''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia.
It was founded by Sunder Singh Ly ...
''. Readers can now get a glimpse of what Pandit Gobar Ganesh has to say as they read HTNext.
Green Schools Program
Conceptualized by the
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...
–based Centre for Science and Environment(CSE), The ''Gobar Times'
Green Schools Programallows self-assessment of the environmental practices of a school by its students, using the
. This inspection or survey of environmental practices at schools is a way for them to audit their immediate environment across the key areas of water, air, land, energy and waste.
*Water: To make the school water literate and teach ways of
rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir ...
and recycling of waste water.
*Air: Students check out the transport system of the school and understand how people commute to school. This further enables them to understand how transport policies affect air quality and how they can innovate and find ways of reducing
emissions.
*Land: The different plant and animal species on the school campus are identified by the students and a survey done on the use of
pesticides in the school. Understanding the concept of carrying capacity.
*Energy: The students study electricity and other forms of energy consumption on the school campus and explore ways in which it can be minimized.
*Waste: Students find out how much and what type of waste the school is producing? Learn
composting
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...
and waste segregation methods in the process.
*Food: To make the students more conscious of the kind of food being promoted and consumed.
By the end of it all the program gives the students an opportunity to give a report card to the school on its environmental performance and practices. They conduct the audit with the help of an interesting handbook called the
Green Schools Program Manual (2019 Edition). This manual gives them step by step guidelines on how to conduct an environmental audit in the school.
The purpose of the Green Schools Program is to encourage and support schools to build up an environmentally aware, active and skilled community of teachers, students and parents. The schools may use the manual as part of their environmental studies program or to conduct activities in eco-clubs. The data collected by students is compiled and rated such that it becomes a self-assessment tool of environmental practices followed by the school. The aim of the rating is, to understand what can be done to improve the schools performance on its environmental sustainability index and to implement measurable changes over the coming years.
Awards
The ''Gobar Times'
Green Schools Awardsis a platform to acknowledge and reward schools that have adopted the most innovative and effective practices to manage
natural resources
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...
within their own premises. Schools send in their green reports to CSE. These reports undergo rigorous verification and selection and the best schools are awarded annually.
The top 10 schools of the country which have been working and have implemented tremendous improvement in their environmental practices are awarded the 'Change Makers' award. Schools participating for the first time are considered in the 'New Schools' category. They are judged basis involvement of students and teachers, and the quality of the reports submitted. Also schools which do not necessarily audit all areas but do exceptionally well in a single specific area of water, energy, land, air or waste apply for the coveted 'Best Managers' award.
Partners
The
National Green Corps
National Green Corps is a programme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India covering around 1,20,000 schools in India with NGC School Eco Clubs. Environmental activity in schools in India is promoted through the Natio ...
is a program of the
Ministry of Environment and Forest
The ''Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change'' ( bn, পরিবেশ, বন ও জলবায়ু পরিবর্তন মন্ত্রণালয়; ''Paribēś, bana o jalabayou paribarton mantraṇālaẏa'') is a ...
, Government of India). State nodal offices and CSE partner in many states across India. As the Green Schools network is expanding, the awards are now also organized at the state level.
The most resource efficient schools at the state level in different categories are nominated by state nodal agencies to compete for national awards with CSE in Delhi.
References
{{reflist
External links
Green Schools Programme- Official Website
Gobar Times- Official Website
Centre for Science and Environment Official Website
1998 establishments in Delhi
Children's magazines published in India
Nature conservation in India
Education magazines
English-language magazines published in India
Environmental education
Environmental magazines
Magazines established in 1998
Magazines published in Delhi
Monthly magazines published in India