Jamshedpur: A young Adivasi activist from Jharkhand wants climate education introduced in school curriculum.
“Our core belief is that every young person is a powerhouse of change and if it is well exploited by providing opportunities it can radically revolutionise the entire planet,” Ashish Birulee made this call at a national virtual conference held October 10 organised by Bring Back Green foundation.
The foundation is an initiative that focuses on rewriting the unsustainable past created by people’s greed and speed. The BBG team comprises young and socially oriented students who are 18 or above.
“We want to inspire action among the youth for the Climate Change Movement by offering them opportunities as well as awareness about the situation,” Birulee explained.
Birulee also talked about the centuries-old traditional knowledge among his community for sustainable development.
“Before urbanization Adivasis lived in houses made of mud with wood and kaapdha (special curved brick made out of red mud) allowing natural ventilation that kept the rooms cold in summer and hot in winter. This reduced the use of electric fans and heaters and emission of carbon dioxide,” he explained.
The traditional farming methods his ancestors used never exploited forest lands. He recommended the courtyard farming for self consumption and use of tribal medicine to cure the diseases saying, “The folk methods are as effective as medical science.”
Birulee opposed capitalism in his talks, while recommending a balanced growth between the urbanization and traditional method.
“Imbalance between these two is leading to destruction of Adivasis sacred home (forests),” he cautioned.