Amrutha Varshini Vidyalaya, Kumarapatnam, won the Orange prize and was declared among the top 20 schools across the district of Haveri in embracing nature in its environs. 

Across 1495 schools in the district, our school was one among the 20 schools that were declared environment friendly. As a measure of environment friendliness, the Pollution Control Board (PCB, Haveri) had asked each school to submit a self assessment across 6 topics namely

1. Soil
   
2. Water
   
3. Environment
   
4. Energy
   
5. Air
   
6. Health and Hygiene
   

back in the month of January.

This was followed by a team of experts from the PCB who visited each of the schools who had submitted the self assessments to grade them. 

At the school level, a team of 10 student representatives and 2 teachers was formed to take the lead in conceiving and implementing nature conservation projects. Named 'Akash Ganga', it was under the banner of this team that we undertook the Tungabhadra River Bank cleaning project.  Smt. Katyayani Rao, one of the trustees and an ardent environment lover, is guiding the team.

The students of classes 4,5 and 6, Amrutha Varshini Vidyalaya, Kumarapatnam, Haveri District, engaged themselves in cleaning the banks of River Tungabhadra on 5th Feb 2014. About 150 students dedicated an hour to get rid of waste cloth, plastic, paper, glass and earthen pots that littered the banks of River Tungabhadra, ensuring visitors get clean spaces to enjoy the riverside. The exercise also involved teachers providing guidance to the  students on the need to spread awareness against littering among their neighbours and friends.

          Soil that is rich in organic matter will grow healthier grains and vegetables. Earthworms are the major agents in transformation of dirt into soil.

To study this transformation as it happens, the 4th and 5th standard children took up a project - building up a miniature earthworm habitat.

Materials required : A glass or plastic jar, gravel, sand, garden soil, compost or humus, chopped leaves and hay, black paper, tape, rubber bands, earthworms and water.

Procedure :
  1.     Fill the jar with gravel (3 cm), garden soil (2 cm), sand (3 cm), compost or humus (3 cm) and again sand (1 cm), one over the other. Spray each layer with water as you fill up. It should keep the different layers moist. Any excess water will get collected in the bottom layer.

2.     Now put a top layer of chopped leaves, hay and dead plant leaves to a height of 2 cms and sprinkle some water.

3.     Add 3 or 4 earthworms.

4.     Cut a sheet of black paper in circular shape and cover the top of the jar. Fix it with the tape. Make some pin holes in the lid for air circulation. Cover the sides of the bottle with a black sheet of paper and a few rubber bands.

5.     Every day take out the black paper and the lid and observe carefully. Don't forget to sprinkle some water before covering with black paper.
  6.     Study for 8 to 10 days. Write down your observations everyday.

You will look for :

1.     Any visible trails of earthworm movement.

2.     The movement of the earthworms through different layers mixing them up - this leads to aeration.

3.     Decomposition of the dead matter, turning it into rich compost.

4.     The worms eat the soil and vegetable matter and then pass them out.

Things to know :

Earthworms render the soil very rich. They help in distributing nutrients evenly throughout the soil. They mix the soil as they push their way through the soil. They eat decaying matter near the surface of the soil and excrete in deeper layers. An acre of soil may have as many as a million earthworms.

- Arunkumar G.N.

What a sad day for earth! We have lost one of our own brethren in the loss of George, the grand old tortoise. He is the last of his kind. His loss is a warning signal to us. We need to be very serious regarding the threats to our environment. Today, we are at the steering wheel. We can bring about a change. Let us get determined to build up an eco-friendly environment.

More Information: Wikipedia - Click Here



Sankalpa Sagar, SPL,
V Std.