The journey of Environment Club of Dhaka University
Fazle Rabbi Khan
The Environment Club of The Department of Geography Environment of Dhaka University is a voluntary organization emerged to serve the surrounding environments and raise public awareness among the common people toward environmental conservation practices. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to assess the various environmental issues and their socio-economic dimensions. The goal is to bridge the distance between hypothetical framework and social reality in regards to environmental protection through promoting our perceptions to the Larger, Boulder Community.
The club has been founded and is being run by the Department of Geography Environment of the University of Dhaka. According to Abu Yousuf Md. Abdullah, EC Member, Environment Club, it is a volunteer club that runs without financial aid and support from national or foreign governments. The club has been founded with a view to addressing some specific environmental issues and objectives. Those are to address global warming issues, to take necessary measures to reduce pollutant emissions, to implement correct methods for waste management, to encourage plantation of more trees, to keep the campus clean and sound and to educate and cultivate an appreciation and interest about environment.
The Environment Club has an executive board, where faculty to students are involved with club activities. Dr. Hafiza Khatun, Professor of Department of Geography Environment, is the advisor of the club, where Professor Dr. Towhida Rashid is the Director. And many other faculty and students of the department are actively involved with the Environment Club.
The subscription of the members and philanthropy of individual citizens and national organizations are the main sources of its income for meeting its routine expenditure.
The Club organizes seminars, meetings, conferences and workshops to draw attention to general and specific problems relating to environment and educate the public on such issues. It holds rallies and demonstrations to build up public awareness and ensures wide participation of people on environmental issues. The club is also associated with hosting Annual Environment Olympiads at national level to celebrate the World Environment Day.
This year a two-day long National Environment Olympiad was held at Teacher-Student Centre auditorium to mark World Environment Day 2015, with an aim to motivate students for protecting environment to overcome the challenges of climate change. This years theme was. Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with care. Nearly 300 students of different educational institutions attended at the programme. The two-day-long Olympiad also featured an Art, Presentation and Essay Competition 2015. DU Fine Arts Faculty Dean, Professor Abul Barak Alvi, was present as judge at the primary round of the competition. DU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, distributed prizes among the winners of the competition at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban.
To celebrate the National Environment Day 2013, the club hosted the Biggest Environment Event of the country that year. The whole programme consisted of an Environment Olympiad Competition among the schools and colleges of Bangladesh. A Powerpoint Presentation Competition at university level and a Photographic Exhibition based on last years theme Think - Eat - Save was also held. This was followed by National Environment Olympiad 2014, which added Debating Championship in addition to the series of events hosted the previous year. The theme Raise Your Voice. Not the sea level was echoed in every segment of the event.
During its short span the club garnered numerous awards and nationwide recognition. Marufa Ishaque won the Champion of the Champion (1st) award. Secured 2nd on National the Environment Fair 2012, Izazul Haq achieved Championship (3rd) award on the Inaugural Environment Olympiad 2012 jointly organized by NSU and BAPA.
The club has initiated a waste management project on the campus under the banner of Healthy Campus. The team put colour coded bins at key points and encouraged people to use specific bins for disposal of specific waste materials. For example, biodegradable waste should be put in a single bin, while paper, plastics and glass should be thrown out in separate bins so that the discarded materials can be easily separated and supplied for recycle, reuse or permanent removal. Under the project the club appointed team cleaned the entire campus and installed waste bins.
The club actively represented Department of Geography Environment in the annual Environment Fair hosted by the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Government of Bangladesh, on the occasion of Environment Day for the past few years, and became National Champion in 2014. In 2012 the department achieved 2nd place in the Environment Fair.
Environment Club started its activities long time ago, but was officially inaugurated on May 12 in 2012 through a formal ceremony, presided over by the former chairman of the Department of Geography and Environment. Since then an annual inauguration ceremony takes place early each year as an orientation for the new club members, to introduce active Executive Committee members and to take club oath. The ceremony is usually followed by a Demonstration Rally and Ceremonial Tree Plantation at the university campus.
