Programs

ENVIRONMENTAL PROMOTION & PROTECTION SERVICES (PEPPS)

Pakistan is faced with serious ecological crises, which has profound implications for the economy as well as human well being. Our national policies have by and large provided a pattern of over consumption by the elite, through excessive and unsustainable use of natural resources, whether it is water, forest or soil in the croplands, all have badly damaged the national asset base of the country.

Poor national resource management coupled with a high population growth rate, agriculture runoff, and industrial runoff have all made and adverse impact on Pakistan’s environment. Focus has been on achieving self sufficiency in food production, meeting energy demands, and containing its high rate of population growth, rather on curtailing pollution or other environmental hazards, and ‘green concerns as such have not been the governments top priority.

PEPPS is committed to promoting public awareness and education on environment and other issues related to sustainable national development. Accordingly it organizes workshops, seminars and conferences, targeting different sectors, inviting experts and stakeholders from the public and the private sector, the civil society, academia, national and international agencies, NGOs, community groups and all others with the goal of providing a neutral platform for exchange of ideas, information and expertise on environment and sustainable development; to develop academic and training materials and programs for enhancing of awareness and community participation, and to create and strengthen leadership in all walks of life that will encourage a form of development which is environmentally sound, equitable and enhances the quality of life for the present and future generations.

ENVIRONMENT - Definition & Introduction

Definition: En·vi·ron·ment (en-viron-ment)

The circumstances or conditions that surround one; surroundings.
The totality of circumstances surrounding an organism or group of organisms, especially:
1. The combination of external physical conditions that affect and influence the growth, development, and survival of organisms: "We shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as a living organism" (Paul Brooks).
2. The complex of social and cultural conditions affecting the nature of an individual or community.

Introduction
Not very long ago when people thought of the environment, they thought of its beauty; but now as the natural beauty of the earth fast disappearing, people around the world have awoken to the reality of just how fragile our earth actually is. Central to this issue is pollution, which involves the introduction of harmful substances into the air, land, and water. Although pollution has been occurring throughout the earth’s history, the rate by which the human species have contributed to the amount of pollution that has entered our environment over the past several hundred years far exceeds the earth’s inherent ability to heal itself.

Along with pollution, the mass deforestation of the world’s old growth forests has also posed a growing problem to the health of our environment. The clearance of forests without sufficient reforestation has gradually wore down nature’s natural defense against air pollution, desertification, and soil nutrient loss to the point that we are now facing a future world without trees, which would ultimately mean a world without people.

Experts and advocates of environment-centered reforms to policies, laws, and harmful corporate and social practices currently make up the global environmental [protection] movement, which seeks to consolidate individual efforts to improve upon the ways human beings interact with the planet.

The global issue of the Environment encompasses many diverse and important matters some of which include: Animal Rights, Climate Change, Natural Disasters, Sustainable Development, Biodiversity, and Green Spaces.

About us
PEPPS, is an environmental friendly, non-profit service promoting public awareness and education on environment and development issues, working for achieving an environment that safeguards public health, promotes sustainable livelihoods and enhances quality of life, with the active involvement and participation of the community.

Our Goal is to serve as platform for exchange of ideas, information and expertise on environment and human development; to develop academic and training materials and programs for enhancing of awareness and involvement of individuals and community on environmental related issues.

And to create and strengthen leadership in all walks of life that will encourage a form of development, which is environmentally, sound, equitable and enhances the quality of life for the present and future generations.

To effort, to create and implement an environmental agenda that is integrated strategically with the goals of economic development and social well being, leading to sustainable development.

Our Purpose is to effort in stopping and eventually reversing the escalatory degradation of natural environment and ecological processes by; preserving genetics, species and ecosystem diversity; ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable now and in the longer term; promoting actions to reduce to a minimum pollution and the wasteful exploitation of resources and energy.

And to protect and enhance human environment and thereby promoting sustainable development leading to improved human conditions everywhere.

Our Guiding Principles isto work with or on behalf of community groups including the academic community, national and international agencies, government, foundations, NGOs and the people at large.

To listen to local communities, address their needs, build appropriate partnerships with other conservation organizations, environmental and population institutions, the government and the public and to use best available scientific information to address and pursue environmental issues.

To seek dialogue, consensus building, with peoples participation and encouraging long term decision making.

Our Vision is to raise consciousness, bring awareness and of educating people on actions adversely effecting the environment and with their involvement and participation bringing about a real and measurable improvement in the capacity of natural resource base, necessary for supporting, a decent quality of life.

OUR WORK

For implementing its aims and objectives PEPPS focuses its work on 3 major areas i.e Education, Public Awareness and Training which are all interlinked and are recognized as essentials through which human being and societies can reach to their fullest potential, and are considered necessary for sustainable environmental development.

1) Reorienting Education Towards Sustainable Development
Education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of the people to address environment and developmental issues, changing people’s attitudes, achieving environmental and ethical awareness, developing values and attitudes, learning skills and behaviors consistent with sustainable development and for an effective public participation in decision making processes.

2) Increasing Public Awareness
There is still a considerable lack of awareness of the interrelated nature of all human activities and the environment, due to inaccurate or insufficient information, lack of relevant technology and expertise.

There is a need to increase public sensitivity, to environmental and developmental problems and to their involvement in their solutions and to foster a sense of personal environmental responsibility, with greater motivation and commitment. The objective is to promote a broad public awareness as an essential part of an educational effort.

3) Promoting Environmental Training
Training is the one of the most important tools to develop human resources and facilitate the transition to a more sustainable world. It should have a job specific focus aimed at helping individuals find employment and to be involved in environmental and developmental work.

Establishing and strengthening environmental vocational training programs, to promoting a flexible and an adaptable work force of various ages equipped to meet growing environment and development problems; to strengthen local capacities in education and training and for assimilation of new environmentally sound, socially acceptable and appropriate technology and know how.

ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES

In addition to focusing and targeting its programs, projects and services on education, awareness and training on environmental related issues ‘PEPPS’ in the continuation and the fulfillment of its aims and objectives shall endeavor, support and encourage, the carrying out of following activities and services.

Provide professional, environmental and human resource consultancy/services to health business, industrial, agricultural, trade and related sectors.
Undertake research, prepare and publish literature, arrange and conduct seminars and training of personnel in environment, specifically - air pollution industrial emissions and effluents.
Acquire and distribute pollution abatement equipment and technologies.
It shall emphasize and work on the awareness of critical relationship between environment and population density, between economic growth and industrialization and work for the means to reduce their adverse effects on environment.
For the implementation of storage of water by dams and other means, thereby providing a source of water for agriculture, for food production and as a energy source.
For the developing of alternate sources of energy viz solar, atomic, hydel, and nuclear.
For the controlling of rapid and unplanned urbanization which increases the environmental and social stress.
For legislative and economic policies curbing emission, conserving natural resources, promoting resource management efficiency, introducing deposit refund schemes to encourage recycling and waste reduction.
For coordinating trade for the protection and strengthening of environment by encourage.
Become party to MEA (Multinational Energy Agreement) and supporting regional and global environmental policies.
For prevention of oceans oil spills and coastal dumping of toxic wastes.
For keeping the beaches, oceans, rivers, streams, mountains and forests clean and pollution free.
For protection and conservation of forests and encourage the use of alternatives to wood for fuels, buildings etc.
For tree plantation drives and for preventing and control of forest fire.
For the protection, safety and development of wild life animals and other rare species.
For the protection, safety and development of the aquatic life, the fish and for the development and setting of fish breeding farms.
For the awareness of the dangers of smoking.
For including in the educational curriculum and assisting schools in designing environmental activities, work plans with staff and students participations on environmental health including safe drinking water, sanitation, and food and eco- systems and in relevant activities linking these with services and research in national parks wildlife preserves ecological heritage sites subjects of environment.
For the awareness of the dangers of nuclear accidents and nuclear contamination.
For setting up local regional, national and international early warning systems for storms, rains, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters.
For the promotion and preparation of disaster relief teams for tackling the above mentioned natural disasters.
For setting up of an institute of environmental studies and for its collaboration with national & international organizations in the same field.
For coordinating and cooperating with all provincial, national and international organizations and agencies on environment and shall follow the UNEP (United Nation Environmental Protection) council’s mandate on environmental issues.

COLLABORATION & COOPERATION

PEPPS seeks and offers assistance cooperation and collaboration with all like minded individuals and organizations, having in common and sharing its concerns for the protection and promotion of environment.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The magnitude and the importance of environmental concerns demand substantial financial allocations, with appropriate contributions from all the major stakeholders including the government, public and the private sector, industry and business, civic bodies, NGOs, individuals and organizations both national and international by way of donations, grants and aid. Accordingly PEPPS seeks assistance, support and cooperation from all like minded individuals and organizations sharing in common its concerns for the protection and promotion of environment and for the making of cleaner and greener Pakistan.

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are a precious commodity. We could not have functioned as efficiently, was it not of the volunteers, who give their precious time efforts and energy – and those who provide generous funding, without which things simply wouldn’t get done. We request both individuals and organizations to come forward, lead or lend us a supporting arm in our efforts for the creation of an environmentally better, cleaner and greener Pakistan.