On cross-country mission for a green planet

The Economic Times , Sunday, August 11, 2013
Correspondent : Neel Kamal

LEHRAGAGA (Sangrur): After spreading awareness about organic farming through his documentary 'Toxic Tears', Dutch researcher Tom Deiters is on a tour to various parts of Asia to apprise people, especially schoolchildren, of the after-effects of deforestation.

A nature lover, Tom, 35, is helping save the globe from climate change and environmental pollution. He along with Thai national Om Sunisa Jamwset is looking for solutions and actions to be taken to help and care for nature. Be it remote areas of Thailand, Sri Lanka or the Himalayas, the duo is out to provide nature-based education to youth and children under the project - 'Climate change school tour Asia'.

During one of his trips to Thailand in February 2012, Tom visited Wongsanit Ashram at Ongkhark village of Siam. Om Sunisa was living there for about seven years teaching eco village design. Tom met Om at the Ashram and started working together for the cause.

At present they are in Punjab and are interacting with schoolchildren in Lehragaga, a place which has seen many farmers' suicides due to debt and a focus of his documentary.

Tom and Om have formed the NGO Next Gen Oceania & Asia, Gaia School Asia. "We are on our journey to the Himalayas and we are providing nature-based education to youth and children along our journey from Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Bangladesh," said Tom.

Tom had last visited Punjab in February 2011 and had prepared 'Toxic Tears' highlighting the ill-effects of excessive use of pesticides and insecticides for farming.

He had also tried to highlight how the MNCs are targeting even the small farmers in making them use their products. "We are holding workshops and are teaching at local schools in different areas about climate change, pollution, deforestation and all other problems nature is facing. We also try to find solutions and actions we can take to help and care for nature", said Om Sunisa, who is a teacher and youth empowerment trainer. Sunisa, 33, teaches how to design eco houses and villages in Thailand and more than 600 students are working under her stewardship.

The duo make the children plant trees after the workshop sessions. "We have planted over 1,500 trees in three different countries, said Om. After Punjab, the duo is heading for Ladakh to work with a school in Nubra valley.

Toxic Tears

Toxic Tears, a 25-minute documentary on excessive use of pesticides, had made waves across the globe. The documentary was screened on October 23, 2011 at Glasgow's international human rights documentary film fest. It was screened at the environmental film festival, Accra in Ghana (Africa) on June 15, 2011. Amsterdam-based researcher Tom Deiters had completed the documentary in 2011. "He visited Punjab's toxicity-prone villages to carry out research on farmers' suicides and found how the excessive use of pesticides was wreaking havoc on farmers.

 
SOURCE : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/the-good-earth/on-cross-country-mission-for-a-green-planet/articleshow/21752548.cms
 


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