Indicator Eggs

1. For this activity, you will need to do the following:
   1. First, make ‘Eggs’ – one for each group: Cut a white piece of paper in the shape of an egg. It can be about 10 cm tall and about 5 cm wide. Refer to the illustration given. Next, cut a circle of yellow paper (about 3 cm in diameter) and stick it on the white paper as shown.
   2. Copy the following case studies. Give one case study each to a group of 4-5 participants.

1. Divide the participants into four groups of about 4-5 participants each. Give one case study and one ‘egg’ to each group.
2. Tell the groups that the egg has two portions: one white and the other yellow. The yellow portion represents the well-being of people. The white part represents the environment that supports and sustains people.
   1. Only when both the white and the yellow portions of an egg are healthy, is the egg good or fine.
   2. If any one of the portions is spoilt, the egg is spoilt.
   3. Similarly, only if both the environment and the people in it are in a state of well-being, is the system fine. On the other hand, if any one of these is in an unsatisfactory state, the whole system is not in a state of well-being.
3. Tell the groups that in this activity, they will use the eggs to indicate the well-being of the places mentioned in their case studies.
4. The first task for each group is to read the case study and discuss it among themselves.
5. Ask the groups to look out for information in their case study that will tell them about the well-being of the people. The participants may use specific indicators from each case. For example, the health worker of Viratpur says that nearly half of Viratpur’s population has some gastro-intestinal problem at any point in time. The woman of Shantinagar says that she is on the Panchayat and takes decisions along with the male members. These bits of information from each case study ‘indicate’ to us the well-being of the people. They are indicators.
6. If the group feels that, in their case, the people are in a state of well-being, they leave the yellow portion of the egg as it is. If they think that the people are in an unsatisfactory state (that is, if they are poor, uneducated, have threatened livelihoods, bad health, etc.), they colour the yellow portion according to the severity of the problems. For example:
   1. Severe – Black (solid colour with a pencil)
   2. Serious – Grey (heavily shaded with a pencil)
   3. OK, but danger signals – lightly shaded with a pencil
7. Similarly, they also have to look out for information in their case study that will tell them about the well-being of the environment. For example, the housewife in Megatta mentions a haze that wraps the city in the evening. The child from Shantinagar mentions huge trees, birds, squirrels, and other animals near the village. These bits of information ‘indicate’ the state of the environment.
8. If the group feels that the environment is in a state of well-being, they leave the white portion of the egg as it is. On the other hand, if they think that the environment is not in a state of well-being (that is, if it is degraded, polluted, etc.), they colour the white portion according to the same criteria they used for the yellow portion.
9. Give the groups 30 minutes for this activity.
10. Ask one representative from each group to show the group’s egg. The representative should read out their situation and present/ justify why they have coloured their egg as they have.

1. How many eggs represent systems which are in a state of well-being? How many are in an undesirable state? Why?

• In the case of Viratpur, both the people and the lake are not in a state of well-being. The people are unhealthy, uneducated, and poor. They also do not have facilities such as sanitation and water supply. The lake is polluted.
• In Megatta, the people have good facilities (water, electricity, communications, etc.) and enjoy a high standard of living. But this may not last for long, as per the view of the municipal officer. The environment is not in a state of well-being.
• In Adilapur, the environment seems to be in a state of well-being with a rich diversity of species. But the well-being of the people is a problem. They do not have access to resources, and their livelihood is threatened.
• In Shantinagar, both the people and the environment seem to be in a state of well-being. Both the men and the women participate in securing facilities (school, health centre, wells, etc.) for themselves. They have also managed to conserve their environment and use resources wisely.

2. What information about your city/ village would give an idea about its well-being?

Ask the participants to brainstorm and list indicators for their city/village for human well-being and environmental well-being. For example, will the number of trees be an indicator of the well-being of the environment? Will the number of bus stops be an indicator of the well-being of the people? They should try to list at least ten indicators for human well-being and ten indicators for environmental well-being.

This method provides a way to understand the behaviour of a system and its sub-systems from multiple points of view. In this case, a simple sustainability framework of human well-being and environmental quality. The behaviour a system may be assessed against the desired goals of human well-being and environmental quality.

Case study 1: Viratpur

Viratpur is a small community located along one side of a lake. Here is what the people of Viratpur say:

• Man– Ours is a poor community. Most of the men here work as daily labourers, guards or office helpers. Most of the women also work but as domestic helpers in apartments on the other side of the lake. What else can we do? Less than twenty of us have been to school. Even today, only about twenty children of Viratpur go to school.
• A person living in an apartment across the lake– The people of Viratpur are a nuisance. They use the lake shores for their toilet needs! They even dump garbage on the lakeshore. The whole place stinks. I heard that about five years ago, the lake used to be home to many water birds. But now you hardly see any birds here. From time to time, we see dead fish floating on the lake surface. Even fish can’t live in a lake that is so dirty!
• Health worker– Nearly half of Viratpur’s population has some gastro-intestinal problem at any point in time. This is only to be expected. Very few houses have water supply. The rest take water for drinking, cooking and other daily needs from a bore well close to the lake. Less than one-fourth of the houses here have toilets. Malaria is another problem increasing in its seriousness. Moreover, the shallow waters along the lake edges have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Case study 2: Megatta

Megatta is a large and fast-growing metropolitan city. Here is what the people of Megatta have to say about their city:

• Traffic Policeman– I think the number of vehicles in this city is growing by the hundreds each day. So naturally, there is also an increase in the air pollution levels in the city. I have been a traffic policeman for the past seven years. I do not like the work, but I get a reasonable salary, so I can’t leave it either! I have severe bouts of cough, and the doctor says it is because of my exposure to vehicle smoke.
• Housewife– Our city has many facilities that several other cities do not have. For example, we have piped cooking gas that comes right into the kitchen, so no trouble waiting for gas cylinders. We also have good telephone connectivity, uninterrupted water supply and electricity. The only problem is this haze which wraps the city in the evening. It is terrible. It is difficult for us to see even five metres ahead of where we stand in some places.
• Senior citizen– This city is dying. The younger folks think that it is one of the best cities in the country, but they have not seen the city in its earlier days. What is left of the city’s past glory today? The lakes that dotted the city have been drained to build apartments. Trees have been cut down for timber and for making roads. There are hardly any green lungs in the city, and you can see the result—the city is choking!
• Municipal Official– We try our best to serve the city, but it is a challenging job. The number of people in the city is increasing each year, but our civic facilities cannot keep pace. How many more houses can we build in this limited space? Where will we get clean water to supply to all citizens? How and where will we dispose of the wastes that these people create? Today things may seem alright, but tomorrow will be a problem!
• A young man– This city is simply amazing! The standard of living is high. Nowhere in the country will you get well paid jobs? The shopping places, public transport facilities, schools and entertainment places are all great! This city is full of life and never seems to sleep!

Case study 3: Adilapur

Adilapur is a tiny hamlet bordering a famous national park. Here is what the people of Adilapur have to say:

• Headman– Life is miserable here. Our people are not allowed to enter the forest at all. We have been dependent on the forest for generations—for fuel-wood, fodder, medicinal plants, fruits, etc. Now they (government) have declared it a National Park and say we cannot enter it or use it. What do we do now?
• Woman– I used to go to the forest each day to collect firewood. Now the forest guards drive me out whenever they see me. If I do not collect firewood, how will I light the stove? Earlier I was free to go into the forest. I could also collect small fruits and roots. These would help my family survive when the crops failed.
• Farmer– Farming on the edge of the jungle is not an easy task. First, there is very little land available for farming. That too is under the threat of being swallowed by the national park that the government plans to enlarge. Secondly, deer from the forest are a big menace to our crops. They come in herds and feed on crops that are waiting to be harvested. All the hard work we put in for months goes to waste! A bigger problem is with the big cats in the jungle—the tigers and the leopards. They attack our cattle and goats. We are not allowed to harm these animals because they are ‘protected animals’! Who will protect our crops and cattle?
• Forest Officer– This national park is one of the richest places in the country in terms of the variety of plants and animals found here. It is also home to some very rare species of plants and animals. We have been protecting the park strictly night and day. Unfortunately, people from the nearby villages sometimes try to enter the park illegally and take away wood and grass. They seem to be ignorant about the fact that this park is a national treasure.

Case study 4: Shantinagar

Shantinagar is a small village. Here is what the people of Shantinagar say about their village:

• Community elder– We are a community of about fifty households. All adults in our village participate in making decisions. That is how we managed to do so much—start a school and a health centre, dig wells, etc. We are a peaceful community. During festivals, we organize dance and song each evening under the huge neem and banyan trees of the village.
• Woman– I work in the fields and at home. I am also an elected member of the Panchayat (elected village council) and take decisions along with the male members.  I initiated the Panchayat to make two major decisions – one is  that, all children in the village must go to school and secondly, that no tree in the village should be cut down without permission from the Panchayat.
• Man – I am a farmer. I also manage the village fuel-wood plot. I make sure that people do not steal wood from the plot. We harvest only the required amount of wood at specific times and distribute it to all villagers. The Panchayat pays me for protecting the plot.
• Child– I love playing with my friends near the lake next to our village. It is cool and breezy there. There are huge trees where we put our swings. We also see lots of birds, squirrels, mongooses and turtles there.

From ‘Towards a Green Future: A trainer’s manual on education for sustainable development’, developed and published by Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, India.