Inheritance is a gift that today grants tomorrow. Elders move mountains to ensure the legacy they preserve for younger generations is complete, resourceful, and worthy enough to be called a future keepsake.
Family heirlooms are thus protected. But increasingly, at least a few among the older generation — sensitive to the rapid environmental shifts around them — are asking: what kind of world will their children inherit?
“This question struck me hard recently as I watched an advertisement on ecology. It showed a future family of four, worn out and short of breath, ordering oxygen masks online, much like we order personal accessories now. This got me thinking... is this the world my kids or their kids are growing up to?” wonders Minnie Jose, a mother and interior designer, who has ensured her house in Thiruvananthapuram is a haven of all things green.
The Breakthrough Science Society (BSS), a non-profit aiming to promote science awareness among the masses, is acting on such concerns. Its latest initiative, Green Voices, targets school and college students, encouraging them to reflect on the world they inhabit from an ecological perspective.
“Our idea is to make them think about their surroundings and spot an issue that they feel is—or could become—a concern affecting environmental wellbeing,” says BSS district secretary Shaji Albert.
Organised as part of the collective’s observance of June as Environment Month, the Green Voices project urges students to identify local ecological issues, study them, and submit an abstract paper to the society by June 20.
“The issue could be a known one or something unique to the area that hasn’t yet been noticed. If it’s the latter, it will be an eye-opener for us too, as the issue could be flagged for public attention and further study,” Shaji notes.
Applications have been invited from students across schools and colleges, and the response has been robust, he adds.
A few selected abstracts will be taken forward, with the students given six days of support to probe deeper into their chosen topics and prepare a presentation. These will be showcased on June 26 at an ecology seminar hosted by BSS at the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram. The seminar will feature scientists, science teachers, and environmentalists as panellists.
BSS also hopes to pursue some of the more relevant topics raised during the Green Voices initiative. Students who prepared the abstracts and subsequent presentations will be invited to take part in more in-depth studies.
However, the aim of Green Voices is not to arrive at ready-made solutions. “We want the youngsters to understand their surroundings and the world they live in,” says Shaji.
“We want them to know how ecology is deeply linked to their own existence and why it is necessary to be bothered by the changes around us. The idea is to create a movement that will take care of the future. This is because mere discipline is not helping the earth’s cause.”
Shaji points out that there are ample laws to safeguard nature, but they are not being effectively enforced. “Governments across the world are either in denial or ignorant of the issues. In such a situation, we must think beyond conventional discipline,” he says.
“The next step is to ensure that the future has crusaders — those who are aware, who won’t repeat our mistakes, and who will prompt precaution and action rather than wallow in guilt over ecological damage caused by human flaws.”
The effort, then, is to make tomorrow care for its own tomorrows.
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