A grassroots approach to environmental transformation

By engaging with the community and finding simple but innovative strategies, it is possible to create far more effective environmental awareness

PRIYA BHARTI

A  message circulating on Instagram quotes the founder and former president of the World Resources Institute, Gus Speth: “I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy… and to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation—and we scientists and lawyers don’t know how to do that.”

This quote addresses fundamental questions that every environmentalist struggles with: Why aren’t people segregating waste despite awareness campaigns? How can people overlook what’s happening to our planet and their surroundings? When will people understand that we’re on a path to destroying everything, including ourselves?

But do we stop? No. So let’s work to spread awareness at the grassroots level, starting with our State. We can accomplish this through Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs)—with 205 already established—by engaging them to build a future with less greed, selfishness, and apathy.

Let’s apply the five principles from the article of Ann Christiano and Annie Neimand, ‘The Science of What Makes People Care’ to achieve this transformation.

Join the community

Let’s listen to our villagers—their concerns, stories, and values. For instance, in a village of ‘raponkars’ (traditional fishermen), concerns might include declining fish catches and the need to venture deeper into waters. We can address these issues through monthly ‘Village Environmental Council’ meetings celebrating their contributions to our fish curry rice. These gatherings should include our youth for fresh perspectives while also consulting environmentalists and village elders for their wisdom. Creating WhatsApp groups facilitates rapid communication about local environmental issues.

When the village connects, local challenges become community problems, inspiring collaborative solutions.

 Invoke emotion with intention

We can create a ‘Village Memory Bank.’ This involves documenting stories from village elders and recording memories of historic trees and clean water bodies. Through short videos and audio recordings in local dialects shared on social media, we can highlight what we’re losing. This approach helps motivate action through both, concern for what remains, and, hope for positive change. We have some pioneers in this field, such as Ecobaai and Dilghoomar.

Communicate in images

Visual communication proves most effective. BMCs can install visual displays near water bodies and biodiversity hotspots. Through CSR funding, they can create before-and-after photography of local areas and put up posters illustrating dos and don’ts, especially focusing on children’s displays in Konkani and English. Creating infographics featuring local species becomes more engaging when turned into a community activity, with students and naturalists contributing their artistic talents through local competitions. The Goa State Wetland Authority has already initiated such efforts.

Create meaningful calls to action

Rather than generic environmental slogans, we need specific, actionable messages. Instead of simply saying “Save Environment”, we can say “Keep your wrapper in your pocket, keep the earth in a safe socket”. Rather than “Stop cutting trees”, try “Plant a sapling in your yard, give birds a home and guard”. BMCs can further engage the community by organising competitions to generate more locally relevant slogans.

Tell better stories

We’ve made progress with books like ‘I to Eye’ and ‘Mangroves of Goa’, but these stories need a broader reach. BMCs can organise monthly ‘Environmental Story Hours’ and arrange street plays and puppet shows. Local environmentalists can lead storytelling sessions, while environmental messages can be woven into traditional art forms. Most importantly, villagers should be encouraged to document and share their own environmental stories.

(Priya Bharti is an environmentalist, who has worked with Goa State Biodiversity Board’s Wetland Authority and Climate Change)