Honours for Indian students who went to Copenhagen

(December 23, 2009) Two students who shared environment-friendly practices with delegates at the recent Copenhagen summit have credited the Church for educating them on such issues. Ramsha Sajid and Adya Dubey of Carmel Convent Higher Secondary School in Bhopal won a nationwide essay competition to join the country’s 43-member delegation to the summit, led by the environment minister. The Church in Madhya Pradesh organized a public function to honour the two girls, a teacher who coordinated the green program in their school, and their school principal on December 20. Sajid, a Muslim 10th-grader, said the Church’s Matr Chaav Abhiyan (The Mother Earth Movement), launched in 50 Catholic schools in the state in July, had inspired her to focus on environmental issues. Under the project, students from grades five to nine each plant at least one sapling and care for them over three years. Sajid said her school’s own tree-planting program, called “Save our Green Gold,” also gave her the impetus to promote green policies. She also encouraged her neighbours to become involved. Dubey, a Hindu, said the delegates in Copenhagen were enthusiastic about learning different ways of protecting the environment. The 12th-grader said she and Sajid suggested to delegates that they could shut down computer monitors when not in use, use pollution-free carry bags, and other environment-friendly practices. “These suggestions were taken note of and appreciated,” she said. School principal Sister Reji said the school encourages its students and teachers to work on environmental protection rather than just talk about it.