Sustainable practices are the need today: Environment Minister

Gurgaon, Jan 9 (IANS) Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar Friday said sustainable practices were the need of 21st century, as he inaugurated the Prakrit school that seeks to focus on sustainable learning and living practices for children.

"The building of any institute is not important but how you build it is important. Our civilization and lifestyle is very pro-environment.Sustainable practices are the need of 21st Century. I am glad that TERI Prakriti School will focus on life skills, knowledge, spirituality and ethos, all these values should to come from within and are important for all individuals," he said at the inaugural function.

Prakriti, a school developed by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), will be a K-12 facility that will become operation in April this year.

Affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Examination, the school's curriculum would focus on issues of sustainable development and environment conservation across the world.

"The school and the teachers will sensitize students on issues, such as climate change, reducing carbon footprint, proper and effective utilization of natural resources, use of renewable energy and make them responsible citizens in managing wastes from a very young age," said a statement by TERI.

On the occasion, TERI director general R.K. Pachauri said: "Protection of the environment and respect for nature is entirely a matter of values and knowledge and must be an integral part of all the subjects that we learn in school.

"It is for this reason that TERI is establishing this novel institution that inculcates reverence for nature and a focus on sustainable development."

Capt. Abhimanyu, Haryana's minister for finance, forests and environment, was also present at the occasion.