ACTIVITY - I
School Review
The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it
Robert Swan
Reviewing the biodiversity
Pick the zones for biodiversity review -
1
List down all the activities (you can think of) that take place in your school.
2
Now pick the top activities that students & staff spend the most amount of time on, in descending order.
Example – Admissions, lectures, lab experiments, daily assembly, sports, lunch, using toilets, and so on.
Example - 1 – Lectures 6 hours 2 – Sports 1.5 hours 3 – Lunch 1 hour
3
Pick 4 zones in your school that are used to incorporate these activities.
1 – Ground floor of main building (admissions & assembly happen here) 2 – Corridors around classrooms on 2nd, 3rd & 4th floor (lectures) 3 – In and around the cafeteria (Lunch)
These sites will be your maximum activity zones for biodiversity review. (If your school premises is designed in a way that the above methodology is not applicable then your delegation can decide on the 4 most relevant zones for review through a discussion) You must visit each of the maximum activity zones and make the following observations :
Zone I You can rate the zone in review from 0 to 5 (0 being the description on the left and 5 being the description on the right).
Area
Points of observation You notice areas that are heavily constructed and crowded, with little or no green cover i.e. grass, plants, shrubs, flowers, trees.
You notice rich connected patches of green cover i.e. grass, plants, shrubs, flowers & trees.
Supportive Habitat
You notice very few types of birds like crows and pigeons that can survive in concrete urban areas. There are few or no butterflies and other small animals.
There is a variety of chirpy birds, butterflies and other small animals.
Quality of Air
The air tends to have a bad smell. Once in a while, the air makes your chest feel tight, or make you cough. You can feel there is dirt and chemicals in the air.
The air smells fresh and clean. It has no harmful levels of dirt, dust and chemicals in it.
Green Cover
Score
Zone 2
You can rate the zone in review from 0 to 5 (0 being the description on the left and 5 being the description on the right).
Area
Points of observation You notice areas that are heavily constructed and crowded, with little or no green cover i.e. grass, plants, shrubs, flowers, trees.
You notice rich connected patches of green cover i.e. grass, plants, shrubs, flowers & trees.
Supportive Habitat
You notice very few types of birds like crows and pigeons that can survive in concrete urban areas. There are few or no butterflies and other small animals.
There is a variety of chirpy birds, butterflies and other small animals.
Quality of Air
The air tends to have a bad smell. Once in a while, the air makes your chest feel tight, or make you cough. You can feel there is dirt and chemicals in the air.
The air smells fresh and clean. It has no harmful levels of dirt, dust and chemicals in it.
Green Cover
Score
Zone 3
You can rate the zone in review from 0 to 5 (0 being the description on the left and 5 being the description on the right).
Area
Points of observation You notice areas that are heavily constructed and crowded, with little or no green cover i.e. grass, plants, shrubs, flowers, trees.
You notice rich connected patches of green cover i.e. grass, plants, shrubs, flowers & trees.
Supportive Habitat
You notice very few types of birds like crows and pigeons that can survive in concrete urban areas. There are few or no butterflies and other small animals.
There is a variety of chirpy birds, butterflies and other small animals.
Quality of Air
The air tends to have a bad smell. Once in a while, the air makes your chest feel tight, or make you cough. You can feel there is dirt and chemicals in the air.
The air smells fresh and clean. It has no harmful levels of dirt, dust and chemicals in it.
Green Cover
Score
Zone 4
You can rate the zone in review from 0 to 5 (0 being the description on the left and 5 being the description on the right).
Area
Points of observation
Score
You notice areas that are heavily constructed and crowded, with little or no green cover i.e. grass, plants, shrubs, flowers, trees.
You notice rich connected patches of green cover i.e. grass, plants, shrubs, flowers & trees.
Supportive Habitat
You notice very few types of birds like crows and pigeons that can survive in concrete urban areas. There are few or no butterflies and other small animals.
There is a variety of chirpy birds, butterflies and other small animals.
Quality of Air
The air tends to have a bad smell. Once in a while, the air makes your chest feel tight, or make you cough. You can feel there is dirt and chemicals in the air.
The air smells fresh and clean. It has no harmful levels of dirt, dust and chemicals in it.
Green Cover
Activities 1.Green Cover and Supportive Habitat : Identify types of birds, insects, trees, animals living in the local area and count the number of different species.
No of Different Species Trees Insects Birds Animals
Names of different species
1.1 Quality of Air Test the air yourself. Cover small squares of cardboard with aluminium foil and coat each square with a small amount of petroleum jelly. Hang these in 5 different locations in your school. Take them down after 5 days and note what has stuck to the jelly.
Location
What do yo see?
What could this mean?
Tick (✓) any of the natural features you have noticed in and around your school premise: Grasslands
Farmland
Flooded grasslands and wetlands
Dessert
Forests
Brackish water
Brownfield land
Lakes, ponds and temporary pools
Mountains
Rivers and streams
Meadows
Swamp and marsh lands
Mangroves
Wetlands
1.2 Water i. Does your school have half flush system in toilets?
No. of toilets in the school
No. of toilets with half flush
No. of toilets without half flush
ii. Does your school have water saving faucets? (Faucets force air into the water flow with the help of an aerator. It reduces water consumption by more than 50 percent with no drop in pressure.)
No. of taps in the school
No. of taps with water saving faucets
No. of toilets without water saving faucets
iii. Are there any leakages in the plumbing in your school ?
iv. How are the green spaces in your school premises watered?
v. How many KL of water does your school consume on a monthly basis? (You can get this information from the water bill)
vi. Does your school pay for all the water consumed or does it also recycle water?
vii. Do you know if any of the following processes happening around you? Desalination
Reverse Osmosis
Rainwater harvesting
Recycling
Others
viii. Clear water is not an indication of purity. Do a pH test of drinking water and tap water from 3 different sources found in your school. Water is naturally neutral, compare the pH of the collected samples and determine which ones are polluted.
Location of water sample
Is the water clear?
pH value of sample
ix. Are there any natural or man-made water bodies around your school? (Natural – lakes, rivers, ponds, man made - community tanks, sewage drains, reservoirs, composting pit, etc.)
Please record the following observations for this water body :
• What is the colour of the water?
• Dirt (Is the water clear? Does it look transparent, translucent or opaque?)
• Are there insects around this water?
• What kind of smell does the water have?
1.3 Energy The BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) rates electrical appliances for their energy efficiency in India.
i. Do you have BEE 3 star (or equivalent) air-conditioners in your school?
No. of air conditioners in the school
No. of energy efficient air conditioners
No. of regular air conditioners
ii. Do you have BEE star (or equivalent) lighting fixtures in your school?
No. of lights in the school
No. of energy efficient lights
No. of regular lights
iii. Do you have BEE star (or equivalent) water heaters in your school?
No. of water heaters in the school
No. of energy efficient water heaters
No. of regular water heaters
iv. Do you have BEE 3 star (or equivalent) fans in your school?
No. of fans in the school
No. of energy efficient fans
No. of regular fans
v. Who is the energy supplier for your school?
vi. How many KWH of energy does your school consume per month? (You can find this information on the electricity bill)
vii. What are your school’s sources of energy? (Either supplier or otherwise) Coal Power
Wind Energy
Energy from Waste
Hydro Power
Solar Energy
Others
1.4 Waste i. Does your school segregate waste at source? (Food waste, paper waste, plastic/metal waste)
ii. Do you know of any organic waste management practices happening in your school? (Example: composting)
iii. How much garbage does your school produce every week? - You can calculate this by multiplying the number of garbage bins x Volume of the bins x No. of times it is emptied in the week - If the garbage is segregated at source you can make the calculations separately for food, paper and plastic/metal
iv. Have you heard of any recycling practices in your school?
1.5 Land Use & Mobility i. How do people travel to and from your school?
ii. Do people bike in and around your school?
iii. Do people walk in and around your school?
iv. Do you have separate walking, biking lanes or pavements?
v. Do you find them safe? Are they well maintained?
vi. Are they interesting, inviting and comfortable for you to use?
vii. Is there public transport facilities around your school? How convenient and accessible are they?
viii. What is the land surrounding your school used for?
The FutureSake Fellowship Program is presented by EDU-Yatras, a brand of Worldview Educational Services Private Limited.
Our Partners & Supporters
EDUYatras
India Office: #356, Road No. 23-A, Jubilee Hills,
USA Office: Suite 2, 148, Strathmore Road
Hyderabad, Telangana, India - 500033
Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Zip: 02135
TEL: 0091-40 6463-0077 | E-MAIL: info@eduyatras.com | WEB: www.eduyatras.com