This is a presentation done by Divya Jacob.. for a post on the blog akshayroongta.in/eco

2. The Eco‐Exhibition is an attempt to inform the visitors of Auroville about few
key areas where they can make changes so as to be better citizens of the world.
i.e: Energy, Organic Food and Farming, Mobility, Water, Transportation,
Wasteland and A forestation.
The exhibition sees many children who come to the space in groups with
schools and camps. The idea of having an Educator is that there is a person who
can engage the children with games and activities while making them very
aware about the issues mentioned above so that they may make small lifestyle
changes at a young age.

3. Through live and interactive workshop modules, create awareness
amongst the audience (namely children visiting from schools) with the
main messages/themes of the Eco‐Exhibition as listed below:
1. Energy
2. Water
3. Waste
4. Food & Farming
5. Mobility
6. A forestation

4. • For each theme mentioned in the previous slide, the
Educator will engage the children in a brief interactive
discussion. Estimated duration: 20‐25 min
• During the discussion the following points will be addressed:
the problem, causes, effects, how they can help.
• A few quick short games, demos and props will follow to
further get the message across to the children in a fun but
simple way.
• Live feedback can be taken through a quick on‐the‐spot quiz

6. • Do you know what energy is and why we need it? (we use
energy for everything – from cooking our food to running a race to
sending astronauts into space! refer to link for basic energy definitions)
• Activity 1: run on the spot for 30 seconds. See how much
energy we need to do that.
• Everyday we waste small amounts of energy. Do you know
how? (leaving on lights and fans when not in use, running water, using
vehicles when not needed)
• Activity 2: lets see how much energy it takes to light a bulb.
(They try out the pedal power demo). Now you know how much it
energy it takes to just light a bulb! So that’s why we need to
conserve it as much as we can.

7. • Want to know how you can conserve energy? (use LED and not
bulbs & CFL, turn off lights and appliances when not in use, use public
transport/walk/cycle. More information on using and saving energy)
• Prop: show and explain in simple terms why an LED is better
than a Bulb
• Activity 2: Share amongst the group a limited number of
sweets so that not everyone gets one. Explain how the
sweets like energy, is something we all want but is limited.
That’s why we need to conserve it so that everyone can
share it.

8.  What do you use water for? (show a pictorial chart ‐ drink, cook,
water plants, bathe, wash dishes etc.)
 Can you think of ways in which you waste water? (running
water while brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables and when
playing water games outside wastes fresh water, leaky taps).
 Activity 1: give them a glass of murky water and ask them if
it is drinkable. (Explain why the water got polluted – pesticides, waste
etc. Explain how all the life under water dies because of this.)

9.  A spot contest to list out two or three things bad that will happen
if the earth runs out of water.
 How can we stop pollution and conserve water? (dispose waste
appropriately, not wash clothes in the water bodies, reuse water from
washing vegetables and fruits to water plants, not leave water running, rain
water pits, catch rain water in a bucket and use it to water plants, flush toilets
only when needed)
 Demo: model of the taps used in sadhana forest (a steel tumbler with
a hole. Water poured from the top into this. After washing the water flows
down into a pit to water a plant.)
 Activity: two teams, two buckets of water. Use as little waster for as many
things as possible
 Activity: mix oil, water and food colouring. Show how oil floats on the top
and does not mix with water. Explain this in the context of water pollution

10.  What is waste? (Demo: show the different kinds of waste – paper,
metal, plastic, glass etc)
 How is it created? (using plastics, littering, not disposing garbage
correctly)
 Why is it bad? (Demo – a globe covered with bits of garbage all across
the continents and only little bit of land left. Explain how waste will
destroy and fill up the earth. That’s why we need to create less of it)A:
Activity: Timeline of biodegradation. Kids are asked to guess how long
various materials take to biodegrade by placing materials along
corresponding timelines on a long rope. Eg. Banana peels, old shoes,
paper etc
 Can you stop it? Yes!!

11.  Reduce
Demo: show packaged fruits in box/plastic vs buying fruits fresh from the
market. Plastic bottle vs metal bottle. Plastic bags vs cloth bags
 Reuse
Activity 1: show them how to make items from old boxes, cans, bottles,
clothes. E.g: pen stands, candle holders, cloth bags and dolls
Prop: Junk art created from the Litter Free Auroville (LFA) campaign
Activity 2: show them how vegetable peels and fruit left overs can be
used in a compost pit and explain how it gives nutrients to plants.
 Recycle
Activity 3: A mixed pile of garbage. Different labeled bins (paper, plastic,
metal, other garbage). Ask them to separate the garbage and explain
the use of doing so
Prop: recycled hand made paper products from Auroville