Primary School in Haryana starts nursery to mark Sikh Environment Day 2013
Students with their saplings in plastic bags from grocery
20 Nov, 2012: EcoSikh volunteer coordinator Gurpreet Singh, who is a teacher at Government Primary School, Kalwa, Haryana, with 50 young students, has initiated a school nursery project to mark Sikh Environment Day 2013. The idea is that each student contributes one and a half hour from the two activity periods every week.
Last month, the school guided its students to bring all polythene bags from household groceries to start their own plant nursery using those poly bags. EcoSikh bought them seeds & saplings for 15 species flowering and medicinal plants & vines including candela, petunia, ice-plant, ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera), brahmi (Bacopa Monnieri), aloe-vera, golden shower, marigold and salvia. These were appropriate for the weather for the next six months.
Gurpreet also inspired his students to tidy up their village: “Don’t worry if your previous generation did not keep your village very clean. You will be the heroes of village if you keep it clean now. You are the change, and you can change!”
“My students have taken the idea of reusing poly-bags very seriously and they have also been picking up plastic bags from village streets and saving the undamaged bags to add to their collection for nursery. Now they have started filling them with soil and planted saplings in many.”
The students will sell their plants at Gurdwaras stalls to sangat at kirtan programmes. The funds will be used to support musical instruments, library books, sports goods etc. This also teaches the pupils basic entrepreneurship. This school has run a kitchen garden since last year producing spinach, coriander, turnip, fenugreek and papaya which contributes to their mid day meal programme.
This is the first news we received in regard of Sikh Environment Day 2013. Hope it inspires many other schools who have not begun yet. Watch the wonderful video from Kalwa Primary School, linked here. Register for Sikh Environment Day today! Happy Sikh Environment Day-2013.
This is what Guru Har Rai Ji could hope from us in love for nature.
Links: Video to Kalwa Primary School Sikh Environment Day Guide in English or ਸਿੱਖ ਵਾਤਾਵਰਣ ਦਿਵਸ ਲਈ ਸੁਝਾਅ ਪੱਤਰ
Eak Bageecha (nature focused Gurbani compilation) with introduction in Punjabi or English SED Timeline from 2012 SED Pledge Form for sangat 10 minute Eco-Assembly for schools
SED poster English, Punjabi for notice boards