Adding Environmental Studies to the Curriculum

We are in the planning stage of establishing a course on Environmental studies at “Our School”. In Haiti as in the rest of the world, the effects of environmental stresses are creating difficulties for the inhabitants. Providing education regarding environmental causes and effects can lead to the inhabitants understanding and implementing change in how they live. In Haiti large areas of land are striped of trees, which are burned to make charcoal. The smaller foliage dies under the harsh exposure of the sun, leaving a barren landscape. When the rain season comes the topsoil on this mountainous island region is washed away, causing massive mudslides and flooding, which further raises the death toll. Disease and starvation follow in the wake of such devastation. An understanding of the cause and effects of the environment is essential for the welfare of all people, everywhere.