Role of Counsellor in Sustaining Eco-Friendly behaviour
Urfain Habib
(Research Scholar)
Department of Psychology
AMU, Aligarh
ABSTRACT
Environment holds a pivotal position in determining the quality of our life. Role of ecology
in shaping our persona has always remained an intriguing topic, stimulating a lot of research
work. The paper highlights the role of counsellors as marketing executives of environment,
selling the art of preserving our nature at three different levels of society viz; school,
community, and work Place. At all the three levels Couseling could only fructify with the
collaboration of authorities in charge of these institutions. The paper would also highlight the
various techniques that could be used for motivating people to care for their environment and
feel connected with it.
Key Words: Role variant, Kiersey Temperament Sorter, Wild Network, Benchmarking.
Running head: Role of Counsellor in Sustaining Eco-Friendly Behaviour
Role of counsellor in sustaining Eco-Friendly Behaviour
Urfain Habib
(Research Scholar)
AMU, Aligarh
INTRODUCTION
In 1820 there were around one billion people in the entire world. Today that is less
than the population of China alone. The world’s population has rapidly increased in the last
50 years, more than doubling to reach 6.5 billion people in the world today. While the
population continues to increase, our access to natural resources stays the same. This means
that there are now more people using the same amount of natural resources. The current rate
at which humans consume resources and produce waste is unsustainable. The earth will not
be able to maintain this imbalance forever.
Defining Sustainability
Sustainability is the concept which promotes equality between the people of today and
the people of tomorrow. The idea of sustainability is to create a balance between our
ecological, social and economic needs. Our needs of today taken care of in such a way that it
does not negatively impact the needs of the next generations.
Ecological Sustainability refers to the capacity of the biosphere to meet the needs of
the present generation, without hindering future generations from being able to meet their
needs. This means using our natural resources wisely in the short term so that these resources
are available in the long term. Ecological sustainability is the belief that all humans must use
resources wisely and efficiently so that these resources never become exhausted or over
polluted.
Targets of Ecological Sustainability:
It has got nine stretch goals that have been given below;
1. Zero extinctions
2. Zero climate damage
3. Zero soil degradation
4. Zero waste
5. Zero pollution
6. Zero net greenhouse gas emissions
7. Zero encroachment on nature
8. 90% improvement in resource use efficiency
9. 75% of land for nature
Sustaining Eco – Friendly behaviour:
Counselling is known for its magic talk. An effective counsellor holds the key
for changing lives of the people through the sudden influence of his powerful words.
So huge is the influence of counselling that it has prompted psychologists to name it
as a unique personality type. Keirsey is well known for this purpose, his counsellor
idealist is one of the 16 variants that he used in his Keirsey Temperament Sorter (a
self – assessed personality questionnaire). However Isabel Myers contributed to its
development. Counsellors are known for being introspective, cooperative, directive
and attentive. They have a strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others. They
have rich intricate personalities and rich inner selves. This makes them effective as far
as influencing the behaviour of people is concerned.
Providing counsellors access to the vast networks from where they could
function:
As far as becoming the marketing executives of environment is concerned,
counsellors cannot function independently. It has been rightly said by Bill Gates that
“We get to put in lot of money in order to change behaviour of the people”. Therefore
the collaboration of counsellors with several institutes is necessary, be it government
or private. For the purpose of achieving sustainable growth, this paper is highlighting
three such areas or fields where the collaboration of counsellors with some institutions
could bear fruitful results.
1. Counselling at school level :
Unfortunately in India school counselling is a dream which is yet to come true. School
counsellors can play an important role in inculcating eco - friendly behaviour among
the children. They together with the assistance of school authorities could employ
some methods which would eventually prove to be effective in creating awareness
among children regarding several aspects of their surrounding environment.
(a)Building Wild - Networks:
Wild Networking Campaign has recently been started in London after the release of
famous documentary; “Project Wild Thing: a film maker’s campaign to connect kids
with Nature”. It aims at swapping some hours of children’s daily screen time for wild
time, where they can step outdoors and spend some time with Nature. Schools and
parents should employ this technique.
It might include taking out children to nearby parks, lakes and forests. This is how
children could familiarize themselves with the nature. As the psychological principle
says proximity breeds familiarity, familiarity in turn breeds love and care. The more
children are familiar with their surrounding nature, more they will care for it.
(b)Encouraging eco-friendly behaviours:
For encouraging eco - friendly behaviour among children, school counsellors may use
reinforcement(rewards). They might make it a part of annual ratings or report cards.
Where by children can get extra points for exhibiting eco - friendly behaviour. It
might include simple acts on the part of students such as, not being a litterbug, not
using polythene, saving energy by putting off the lights, fans before leaving the class
etc. Counsellors might employ volunteers who can observe children for the same.
(c)Making environmental study an essential part of the curriculum:
Several schools have already implemented this principle. But the knowledge thus
gained must be put into practise. School counsellors can prove to be helpful in this
regard, by communicating the true worth of this knowledge to the students awakening
their souls so as to address their problem of environmental degradation.
2. Counselling at community level :
Counselling at community level can tax a counsellor enough mental and physical
effort in order to bring people on a common platform where they can discuss about
the sustainable growth of their society. A counsellor can achieve it through the
following ways:
(b)Involving local Municipalities:
By involving local municipalities counsellors could get easy access to the various
households of that particular locality. Thereby counsellors would be able to
involve some volunteers, so as to carry their work ahead. It might include door to
door counselling through volunteers using pamphlets, posters and cards.
Kanhangad Municipality(Kerela) has been in news for its active participation in
conducting cleanliness drive that included the Govt. Employees and the residents
of the area.
(a) Carrying Environmental awareness drives :
Counsellors would be able to create environmental awareness by holding
similar programmes and functions at community halls. It might result in the
mass involvement of people. Here the message could be conveyed through
plays, poems, essays and songs etc.
3. Environmental counselling at work place :
The behaviour of the employees at the work place must be eco friendly. Counsellors
would be able to achieve it through the following techniques:
(a) Encouraging eco – friendly behaviour :
Eco – friendly behaviour at the work place must be reinforced properly. Counsellors
could make this behavioural aspect an essential part of their performance appraisal.
Providing employees extra perks, incentives and allowances for exhibiting eco –
friendly behaviour.
(b) Involving top management :
Here the active role of top management becomes inevitable. The top management
must cooperate by exhibiting eco friendly behaviour themselves. Counsellors would
be better for this job, as far as counselling the top management is concerned and
seeking their support and cooperation at the same time, so as to promote eco - friendly
behaviour within the organizations.
(c) Benchmarking:
Organization must plan frequent visits to such other organizations who are applying
environmental friendly techniques within their work place. It could be achieved
through Benchmarking where the organizations compare themselves against the other
better organizations and try to match their standards. Thus in this regard organizations
must compare themselves against more eco organizations thereby trying to emulate
their values and culture.
Conclusion
In the light of above discussion it would be fair enough to conclude that people
should become more sensitive towards their environment. They should develop a
mutual bond with their surrounding nature. They must become its thorough caretakers
and use resources judiciously and wisely. Every individual should take a personal
responsibility for saving our earth by preserving nature. The above discussed
techniques would not be able to solve all our problems. But if they are capable of
solving few, why not employ them.
Running head:
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