One World in Qatar

The group in Qatar have done a lot of detailed planning - you may find this a useful model as you prepare to do the project.

ONE WORLD, ONE ENVIRONMENT

In answering a question about if the environmental deterioration of the planet is irreversible, Paulo Coelho said “…Nothing is irreversible when humans become conscious of their problems…at the moment in which we understand our dependence on the environment, we will also comprehend that it is more intelligent to respect that which gives us life.”

These words of Coelho have inspired many people to change the angle through which they view the environmental issues and to do a shift towards new intervention priorities. For instance, pollution control and clean-up activities are traditionally more widespread than the preventive activities. This method has added considerably to the cost of the solution and didn’t manage to solve the problem. Therefore, a new strategy, called the preventive way, was developed. In this way of solving the problem of pollution, the priority was given to pollution prevention, less pollutants and wastes are generated, which in turn, reduce the need for traditional methods of control and clean-up.

The preventive way relies on using processes, practices, materials, products or energy that avoid or minimize the generation of pollutants and waste, while reducing overall risk to human health or the environment. This way is more efficient than restoring the environment by eliminating the pollutants or controlling the pollution by stopping pollutants from contaminating the environment. Water and air treatment are common forms of pollution control.

To make the coming generation aware about the environment and for the seek of establishing effective environmental education, we should not limit ourselves to picking up litter and recycling paper and pop cans, we have first to deepen the feeling of belonging to nature, to strengthen our love for the Earth and to wake up the sense of wonder in the natural world. To convince the kids about the air pollution problem and to make the students believe in nature, we have first to give them the opportunity to behold the starts in a clear night sky and to let them feel fresh clean wind upon their face. This project should be a celebration of Nature’s beauty and a clarion call to action.

Objectives:

The objectives of the project are to:

- Deepen our love and understanding to the environment.

- Increase the awareness.

- Teach the students how to make a difference.

- Calculate the footprint.

The Project Strategy:

The strategy of my project is divided into three major steps:

I. Get Informed:

I-1 Search the library catalogue and find 20 books on pollution. (Read books on the subject).

I-2 Read an inspiring story: to motivate the students and to inspire them, I gave each student a copy of a short story for kids called “Save the forest” by H.Q. Mitchell. The students read and summarized it, in the next session we discussed it. The story is basically about Christopher Andrews who lives in Aylesworth, a quiet town in Barkshire. Nothing exciting happens until the day whenhe finds out that his favourate place, Aylesworth forest, will be cut down to build blocks of flats. He decides that he has to do something to save this old forest. With the help of others, he makes sure his voice is heard. In this contemporary story, Christopher not only proves that nothing is impossible, but he also learns a great deal about himself.

“Save the Forest”

I-3 organize an interview with experts from Municipality of Doha, supreme council for environment and natural reserves, friends of environment association , recycling plant, plastic factory. Ask them “What can I do about pollution and specifically air pollution and pollution in our sea system?”

I-4 Research the topic on the internet: enter the words (water pollution or air pollution) and find lots of websites on waste dumping, sewage overflow and chemical spills in our water system.

I-5 Tune on news and current affairs, watch a really good T.V. show on pollution in air or water system and the damage it is doing to the environment.

I-6 Calculate your carbon footprint

I-7 Document the problem: investigate the polluted area, go to the sea and get some water samples, there is heaps of rubbish in the water and lots of algae. There is also erosion where plants have been cleared away.

II. Get Active (do something about the problem):

II-1 Start or join a lobby group

The students have formed a “Friends of Environment” club from which “The clean sea committee” is branched. In their first meeting, the committee members set out their goal “we want the kids at school to know about the problem of the sea pollution. We make some posters and put them up at school.”

II-2 Engage the local community: we convinced the principal to discuss the problem with the parents’ council and to raise the issue at the next board of trustees meeting…we wish if we could raise it to the next council meeting and to ask if anybody do anything about pollution in that area.

II-3 Write a letter to the local newspaper. Explain how pollution is killing animals and plants in your area.

II-4 Organize a “clean up the sea day”: the “Clean sea committee” collected 50 garbage bags of rubbish from around the sea”.

II-5 Raise money to revegetate the park near the Al-Wakra. The “Clean Sea Committee” has collected money enough to buy 10 plants to be vegetated in the park. They also communicated the Ministry of Agriculture through our school that provided us with different trees to be planted in different areas including inside our school.

II-6 Organizing a camp: The students collected money and bought a telescope and organized a camp to watch the stars at night.

II-7 Organizing a field trip: under the supervision of the school administration, we organized a field trip to the sea to enjoy the beauty of the environment and to clean the beach there. 350 students have participated. The school provided food, drinks and water to all participants. The school hired a tent there. The program of the trip included:

- Team building activities.

- Studying and analyzing the biology of some marine animals collected there (e.g. crabs and fish).

- Following up the life cycle of the crab by collecting different crab samples at different stages of their development.

- Collecting shells and classifying them.

- Collecting any evidences for pollution there because of the construction activities and urbanization.

III- Make A Difference:

III-1 Raised awareness about pollution: the clean sea committee has 10 new members! Now we have more hands and minds to help solve the problem of pollution.

III-2 Encouraged the local community to get serious about the pollution problem. The school administration, parents’ council, BoT now think this problem is so important; they are discussing an action plan at the next meeting.

III-3 prompted the newspaper to do a story on pollution in the sea. The committee gets its photo in the paper; thousands of people will read about the animals and plants that are dying because of pollution and construction activities. More people might start to care.

III-4 Helped reduce the pollution level in the Al-Wakra Sea: the environmental experts should analyze and test the water to show if there is a reduction in pollution levels in the sea.

III-5 Improved the health of our sea system: by cleaning the beach, stopping the constructions there and planting natives in the near park.