Environment Protection Underpinned by Sustainable

Awareness through Training

Anirudha Alam

Gearing human resources

Greening environment with long-lasting achievement
Our environment on the planet earth is the only known environment that is supporting human
survival in full sense. But environmental condition all over the world is degrading every day very
severely. The existence of human being is very much interrelated concern of maintaining sound
environment in sound dealing. Environment is being deformed frequently in different ways
related to overpopulation, unplanned urbanization, pollution, declination of cultivable land,
deforestation, global warming, using pesticides, unsustainable agricultural and fishing practices,
over consumption, mishandling and mismanagement of wealth, sky-rocketing corruption,
illiteracy & ignorance, drastic poverty in the third world, militarization and wars and so on.

Environmental degradations are being diversified by human being rapidly. The human race is
thus endangering their existence. The first world habitually is promoting environmental
degradation in diversified routes for making availability of their extreme contentment and
prosperity. But they are not taking enough initiatives that people’s capacity of protecting
development may be developed keeping pace with time and need.

Protecting environment is one of the flagship components of sustainable development. The

United Nations Conference on the issue of Human Environment in Stockholm in June 1972 was
the first global conference to highlight that environmental concerns had increasingly become the
subject of mainstream socioeconomic policies and strategies. The United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 was the second
major global conference in the field of protecting environment. It was recognized through this
conference that sustainable development should integrate environmental issues. For sustainable
development, developing human resources is one of the main preconditions. Awareness building
through training oriented activities on different social issues like environmental preservation may
translate the unskilled human resources in the skilled human resources for maintaining
environmental soundness in innovative and their own ways. Under these activities, courtyard
meeting, community convention, workshop, orientation and so forth may be organized as the part
of knowledge management at disadvantaged community level for making their awareness
sustainable.

Burning sensation of environmental degradation is mushrooming constantly with wide ranging

speed. It results in undesired natural calamity like flood, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions,
earthquakes, hurricanes, landslide, avalanche, tsunami, draught, arsenic contamination and so on.
In the 1990s, it was discovered that many of shallow wells of Bangladesh established by aid
agencies like UNICEF got contaminated by arsenic. Arsenic is a poison that is created naturally
in alluvial soils. As per the estimation of the World Bank, 25 per cent of the century’s 4 million
wells may be affected by arsenic. The people of some part of Bangladesh are tremendously
suffering from arsenic problem. But most of them do not know how they will cope up with such
kind of environmental disaster. The Environment Conservation Rules 1997 has already been
passed by the Parliament. But minimum number of Bangladeshi people does not know about the

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rules and regulations to protect the environment. People’s lack of information, knowledge and
technology widens the scope of environmental degradation. In this case, general people should be
properly aware of environmental calamity and familiar with the means and ways through
different training oriented activities to overcome different environmental disaster.

Throughout their lifespan, people should be learned that how they will be able to contribute to the
well being of environment. Training arranged by government and non-government initiatives on
environmental conservation issues may relate the awareness of causes and consequences as to
poverty endemic, overcrowding, food crisis and food insecurity, weather extreme, introduction of
invasive species, species loss i.e. loss of biodiversity, acute and chronic medical illnesses, release
of genetically modified organisms and toxics, war & human resource abuses and a growing
mayhem among global green community portending Malthusian chaos and disaster. For instance,
the name of Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI) may be mentioned.
It a premier agency set up in 1992 in India has been providing training, orientation, consultancy,
applied research services and extending advocacy in the area of environment protection to
industries, regulatory bodies, Government Organizations and NGOs and works towards bringing
about change for a more balanced development.

If environmental preservation training program is mapped out involving people's participation

and social mobilization for ensuring environmental sustainability it would be with the essence of
demand driven approach. Specific suggestions for action may be discussed and well-defined
guidance should be provided in the training sessions. At the same time, the scopes and
opportunities of taking such kind of training should be available. Otherwise, people feel
discouraged and lose their interest for taking the desired one. According to the findings of the
research recently initiated by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation, disadvantaged
community people may get the proper messages and skills as to environmental preservation easily
and effectively through training in the form of participatory rural appraisal (PRA). As they have
no minimum educational background and do not have the possibility to go to any educational or
training institute for being educated about environmental preservation, it would be the right way
to arrange community based training program for them.

Any how we have to be committed to our environment because the soundness of environment
controls the quality of our living on earth. Environment in good condition ensures our all
goodness. All of these are maintained by proper preservation of biodiversity. Minimum 40 per
cent of the world’s economy and 80 per cent of the needs of the poor are derived from biological
resources. Human resources should be geared to be well-equipped with a range of life skills
which will be the key instrument for protecting the environment. They should learn that how they
will be able to increase the environmental security catering to them and make the environment
greener towards sustainable green.

Anirudha Alam
Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer
BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)
183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS
Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206
Bangladesh.
Website: http://anirudhaalam.onsugar.com/
Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)
E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: UNICEF, World Bank, Allianz Knowledge Partnersite, Environment Protection Training and
Research Institute

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