Green camp for students

CHENNAI:  In a bid to spread awareness among the students on the importance of caring for the environment, a day-long camp is being organised in Taramani on June 4.The camp, which is jointly organised by M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and Federation of Science Clubs of Tamil Nadu (FSCT), in association with Loyola Institute of Frontier Energy (LIFE), Loyola College, Chennai at MSSRF, Taramani, will sensitise the youngsters on the serious impacts of deforestation and forest degradation and on preservation of ecosystems, according to President, Federation of Science Clubs of Tamil Nadu (FSCT), J Daniel Chellappa.Interestingly, the camp is organised on the eve of the World Environment Day, which falls on June 5. A special focus will be on the theme ‘Forests — Nature at Your Service,’ he said.The theme reflects key forest issues and their numerous economic, environmental and social benefits and also underscores the need for both conservation and sustainable use of forests. Currently, India faces serious environmental challenges like deforestation, pollution, loss of water resources in the Western Ghats, which is one of the hotspots and characterised by high level of endemism and high rates of habitat loss, he said.The camp is designed for arts, science, engineering, medical under-graduate, post graduate full-time students, registered research scholars, and school PG-teachers from recognised, affiliated colleges, universities and schools, situated in Chennai. Limited number of most committed nature lovers will be considered for participation on ‘first-come-first-served’ basis.Preference will be given to college students or school teachers whose college, university, school science clubs, Eco/Enviro Clubs are affiliated to FSCT. Working lunch and snacks will be arranged by MSSRF.Applications can be downloaded from the websites http://www.mssrf.org/ or http://www.tnenvis.nic.in/ or http://www.loyolacollege.edu/. Soft copy of the application should be mailed to [email protected].