Future Perfect

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eople

social

inclusion

green

jobs

education

not simply to reduce waste, but to explore how waste generated from

one industry could be used as a resource for another.

In partnership with the waste management facility, a knowledge

management centre with a museum for schools and the public –

including a conference centre – is being established at the site.

Partnerships in managing urban waste

Bhopal, a city in central India, generates 14 per cent plastics in its

solid waste so local NGO Sarthak, along with the municipal council

and local rag pickers, is developing a sustainable model to reduce

plastics disposal and improve conditions for rag pickers. CEE is the

national host institution for the Small Grants Programme within the

United Nations Development Programme. Through grant funding and

co-financing by the local group, the project has expanded so that close

to 900 rag pickers are now involved. Plastics smaller than 20-40 micro-

grams are recycled at 5,000 kg a day. Bundled plastics are then sent to

four different cement plants, where they are burned at 1200° C and used

as replacement fuel for coal, with no fluoride or dioxins produced. The

waste reprocessing units have enhanced the rag pickers’ skills, knowl-

edge and practice, while ESD has connected them with social security

initiatives, allowing them dignity and respect.

Remodelling projects

In the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a major poverty reduc-

tion project is underway across 25 districts, with support from the

World Bank. Its key objective is generating employment to improve

livelihoods for the poorest sections of the population – women,

the vulnerable, the disabled and tribal people – using a participa-

tory, community-driven process. To ensure the environment is not

compromised, an Environment Management Framework (EMF) has

been integrated into the project, with CEE appointed as the State

Environmental Resource Agency (SERA).

ESD is involved with capacity-building, material development and

environmental supervision and monitoring. This means managing

natural resources in efficient ways so livelihoods are sustainable

by suggesting cost-effective, environmentally-friendly

practices. This in turn provides a platform for creat-

ing community awareness, building skills, addressing

issues linked with commons – water bodies and pasture

lands – by using eco-friendly technologies, and enhanc-

ing local environment and ecosystem services.

Agricultural practices in Thiruvallar, Tamil Nadu,

where both jasmine and vegetable cultivation are the

main livelihoods, involved using restricted chemi-

cal pesticides. Coordinating with the District Project

Management Unit and environmental appraisers, SERA

taught members about organic farming techniques and

provided training in using organic extract.

Embedding work in rural communities

The Hingolgadh Sanctuary in Rajkot district of Western

India is a fragile, semi-arid rural area that is environmen-

tally vulnerable, drought-prone and with limited natural

resources. Nearby village communities are dependent on

the natural resources of this region. The shift in livelihoods

from agricultural biodiversity to the monoculture of cash

crops such as cotton led to soil degradation and over-extrac-

tion of ground water. ESD tackled these issues by forming

a local natural resource management group comprising

local women and youth, to develop village-level institu-

tions and provide community funding for eco-enterprises.

Criteria are in place to ensure the proposed enterprises are

environmentally sound, economically viable and socially

beneficial. CEE is also supporting activities related to agri-

culture and animal husbandry, with objectives set up for an

institutional framework that influences practices and helps

strengthen the local economy through more sustainable

approaches, which support the community and therefore

reduce stress on the fragile ecosystem.

Education is the key to change

These examples illustrate not only the diverse sectors

and environmental issues needing ESD, but the various

approaches required to suit local situations, alongside

reflecting CEE’s philosophy and highlighting the essen-

tial role education plays in moving towards sustainability.

Raising awareness among policymakers about sustainable

alternatives, as in the case of the BRTS – sharing best prac-

tice, using disaster situations as opportunities to rebuild

not just infrastructure, but also livelihoods, trust and

hope, while building capacity in communities to exploit

the power of education to influence policymakers – are all

educational components for creating a development path

that is sustainable. The focus has been not only on natural

resource management itself, but the way to sustainable

livelihoods, including identifying suitable options – along-

side building skills and capacity – for effective adoption.

ESD is also concerned with offering dignity and respect

to communities by expanding knowledge and providing

better social security. CEE, through its long and varied

experience, has sought to demonstrate that education can

be a key driver for change; one that is environmentally

sound, economically viable and socially beneficial. This

is the essence of education for sustainable development.

Students quantifying their school’s waste

Image: Centre for Environmental Educatiion, India