Early Education For Environmental Challenges: Concepts And Solutions

We face many environmental and social challenges in our growing world, such as resource depletion, water and air pollution, marine debris and air quality. The good news is, the human race has created many viable solutions such as:

~ Recycling
~ Ocean Conservation
~ Solar Power
~ Wind Power
~ Hydro-electric power
~ Upcycling

In a continuing effort to save our world, parents and teachers can introduce children to the concepts of recycling and taking care of the Earth at a preschool and kindergarten age. Children ages 3-6 are most susceptible to new concepts that will be carried into adulthood. There is a wonderful teaching tool, The Smidgen book series, that teaches children to recycle and conserve in a fun way with a clever cast of characters. “Crush and the Blue Box”, the first book in the series, teaches children to recycle. “Ryder and the Clear Blue Ocean”, the second in the series, teaches children to take care of the ocean, while also introducing the concepts of solar power, wind power and hydro-electric power, in a way the child will appreciate and understand. Every child who learns to recycle at a young age will create a life long impact on the community and ultimately the world; the children are taught “Every little bit counts!”

Our society is quickly moving away from the generation of consumption and moving toward a new generation of conservation. Green acts are talking place in many schools and companies, for example: recycling boxes at a hardware company, installing energy efficient lighting, replacing travel size shampoo bottles with large pump bottles in hotels, and carpooling. Children are beginning to learn at a young age not only to “reduce, reuse and recycle”, but there is also a healthy eating and exercising movement taking place. These are all wonderful practices toward bettering our earth and ensuring the health of our children as well as the Earth. Future Smidgens will address healthy eating topics as well as charitable acts and the childhood concept of sharing. Children learning about these social issues ultimately influence their parents as well; parents often admit they began recycling because their children requested they do so.

The Smidgen book series gives parents and teachers an easy and accessible solution that captures the breadth of the conservation movement with a set of unique characters in an informative setting. Catching the preschoolers at this early stage of childhood development will help promote green behaviors one Smidgen at a time.

NEBOSH: For Health Education

Established in 1979, the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) is a UK examination board. The responsibility of the NEBOSH is to set the syllabuses and methods of assessment for vocational qualifications. The institute was founded as an examining and awarding body with charitable status. The job profile of this institution is to provide certificates and diplomas in health, safety and environmental matters.

However, NEBOSH has not been given either the mandate or the responsibility to provide courses per se, as its job profile is to set examinations and accredit other organizations that provide teaching in these fields. Considering that the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health courses and examinations are provided in as many as 65 countries, the area of operation of this institute is really large. As it covers 65 countries, NEBOSH is inundated with lots of work as making syllabuses and methods of assessment for all these centers really consumes lots of its time and energy.

When it was set up in 1979, NEBOSH was known as the National Safety Examinations Board. Later on it changed to NEBOSH. Richard Booth was the board’s first chairman. A year later, in 1980 the first NEBOSH approved examination was held for modules that included the Ordinary Level and Higher Level Certificate. The institute expanded its Diploma qualification subsequently. Twelve years after its foundation the institute was recognized as a limited company and registered as charity in 1992 and in 2000 was accredited by the QCA. The post-nominal’s qualification was introduced in 2001. As many as 100,000 General Certificates were awarded in 2006.

NABOSH awards the Health and Safety at Work Qualification. The certificate it gives includes (a)National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety, (b)National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety, (c) National Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management, (d) International General Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health, (e) National Certificate in Environmental Management, (f) National Certificate in the Management of Health and Well-being at Work, (g) International Certificate in Construction Health and Safety, (h) International Technical Certificate in Oil and Gas Operational Safety.

NEBOSH diplomas include: (a) National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety, (b) International Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety, (c)) Diploma in Environmental Management.

More than 30,000 people get the NEBOSH qualification each year. As it operates in 65 countries, its qualifications are recognized globally. People from all walks of life, working in different types of industries and national as well as state government institutions take its examination in various courses provided by it. The advantage of its certificate level qualification is that it gives you a good foundation in health and safety and makes you more efficient managers, supervisors of your organization when you are leading a team.