Environmental awareness [Archives:2002/24/Health]

BY ISMAEL AL-GHABRI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
We need a greater awareness of our environment. We need to go to schools, organize competitions, issue publications and form a friends of the environment association.
It is necessary to implement environmental education into school curriculums. The Ministry of Education should consider the importance of this, as developed countries do. The next generation should have a broad knowledge of their environment and how they affect it.
However, spreading environmental awareness is not only the job of educational institutions, a lions share should be given to the media. Despite the many studies and research we still lack laws and legislation to protect our environment.
Our common desire should be to maintain a clean environment and to create an environmentally aware society. Every citizen should participate in protecting the environment at home, in the workplace and for country.
Spreading the message to the people should be concentrated on by not only the press, but by television and radio which has a wider audience. These mediums can encourage the people to adopt proper habits in their daily lives.
Weekly radio programs could shed light on the Yemeni environmental issues. They could define the complicated relationship between man and environment and then help remedy negative behavior. Societys practice of littering without regard to their surroundings could be cured with a proper campaign. Radio is an effective wide spreading tool in communication through which we can address the public quickly.
Television is an effective way of communication, it shows people the message in addition to the story. We have all seen a good example of environmental messages on TV about water consumption. There should be more messages like that focused on children to increase their knowledge about their environment.
We should educate the children about bad food, especially food contaminated by insecticides and non inspected foods. There should be a link between family and environment. Specially for women, because they are the foundation of the family and her conduct should lead the family in the right direction, towards a clean Yemeni environment.



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