The term 'ecology' was coined only in the latter half of the 19th century from the Greek word Oikos, meaning 'home'

In 1969, Dr William Stapp, from the University of Michigan, USA, became the first person to comprehensively define environment education: "Environmental education is aimed at producing a citizenry that is knowledgeable concerning the biophysical environment and its associated problems, aware of how to help solve these problems, and motivated to work toward their solution."

EE? Whats that? In India, work towards integrating environment school curriculum began to take shape in late 1980s. In 1986 the National Policy Education stated, "There is a paramount need create a consciousness of the environment." Still the pace was slow and schools taking interest in spreading awareness were few and far between. The Supreme Court then decided to take action. In December 2003, it issued a directive stating that environmental education should be taught as a compulsory subject at all levels of education. It directed the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to draw a model syllabus for it by April 14, 2004.

Ancient India adopted it as a way of life. For the young students who spent their early years in the Guru's ashram, environment was woven into the learning process, not just as a subject in the "curriculum", but in their social, cultural, and religious customs and activities. So tending the vriksha (tree), worshipping the awe-inspiring naga raja (snake god), and getting intimately acquainted with the van (forests), which surrounded the ashram, were as much a part of their daily routine, as were eating, drinking and sleeping, and learning Vedic hymns by heart.

This backdrop changed in the middle ages, as pathshalas and madrasas replaced ashrams. A more formal system of education -- bearing closer resemblance to the schools of today -- was established.

The gurus of yore taught students the skill to attain knowledge by using the five senses: seeing, touching, feeling, smelling and tasting. Now, the focus was on classroom instructions and learning of the 'R's (reading, writing and arithmetic).

Then in the late 17^th and early 18^th century, Indian students, along with their counterparts in various other parts of the globe, were introduced to the European brand of education. It was extremely enriching, because during this period, Europe was making spectacular progress in science and technology. It was also in the throes of the Industrial Revolution. India, of course, was the most sought after destination of European colonisers, looking for new markets and fresh sources of raw materials. It also emerged as the most fertile testing ground for their ideologies and systems in the field of education.  Again, the process opened new vistas for Indian intellectuals. But at the ground level, it finally severed the bond that the young once shared with their environment. Classrooms and text books defined school education.

By the late 19^th and early 20^th century, India -- along with the rest of the world -- had begun to feel the impact of this disconnection. Rampant and unplanned urbanisation, galloping industrialisation, and the tremendous toll taken on the natural resources of the planet, had driven home a strong message.

Students now had to re-forge their bond with the elements of nature: water, air and land. Efficient, frugal, and wise management of environment had to be the fundamental mantra of the next generation.