Around 25,000 schoolchildren and their parents visited about 150 stalls set up by schools, universities and commercial entities of the city at the annual Travelling Nature Carnival, organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature–Pakistan (WWF-P), in partnership with the Indus Motor Company, at the PAF Museum on Sunday. The objective of the event was to motivate and involve youth and general public in valuing the rich natural heritage of Pakistan, and supporting conservation initiatives. At the stalls, students had set up models and described how to recycle, reuse and reduce waste to keep the environment clean, healthy and human-friendly.
On the occasion, WWF–P’s Regional Director Rab Nawaz pointed out that through the carnival, the message to protect the environment can be conveyed to a large audience. “Children are the stewards for change; they should be equipped with conservation practices,” he said. “Since the past 10 years, WWF-P’s Nature Carnival has been playing its role as a unique endeavour that brings together thousands of visitors, including students, families, the corporate sector, the media, government organisations, conservation organisations and the general public. It provides a collective platform for building knowledge and interest in responsible action, ecologically conscious development and sustainable living.”
Pervaiz Ghias, managing director of the Toyota Indus Motors Company, was the guest of honour at the carnival. Speaking on the occasion, Ghias said the Toyota Environmental Programme launched in 2011, in partnership with WWF-P, is being implemented in 100 schools, 15 colleges and 10 universities and is a great success. “The Indus Motors Company is proud to be part of the carnival and hopes to make the young generation of Pakistan an environmentally sensitive generation and a guardian of our natural resources,” he added.
Nasir Ali Panhwar, coordinator for the Indus for All Programme, stressed on the unique nature of carnival in terms of establishing diverse level of participation and an integrated approach towards nature conservation. He highlighted need of creating awareness about environmental issues with support of media.
Among its several engaging activities, the most innovative was the 3D display model competition. Hundreds of students participated in live presentations to the judges and guests, featuring themes such as habitat conservation of endangered species (snow leopard, green turtle, Indus dolphin), water conservation, a green idea, solid waste management (recycle, reuse, reduce), global warming and climate change, ecotourism, energy conservation, and green architecture. The winning institutes were presented with shields and certificates.
An environment puppet show, a live musical performance, a magic show, environment games and a quiz, a nature art exhibition, a theatre and an environment debate competition were also arranged at the carnival.
WWF–P’s upcoming event is the Earth Hour observation in March 2012. Pakistan’s pride in tennis, Aisamul Haq, is the official spokesperson for the event.
