Biopolis – Sustainable Urban Development 2011
As a development activist, I get opportunities to participate in different forums related to campaign and advocacy. Bangladesh is a developing country and in the process of urbanization. Our capital city, Dhaka, has been identified as one of the unplanned rapidly growing mega-cities of the world. The question of sustainability is becoming crucial nowadays, alongside this growth. On the other hand, Bangladesh is the victim of climate change. In such consideration, the course contents have enriched my understanding about sustainable development, both in an urban and an environmental perspective, which will be very useful once I incorporate it in our campaign and advocacy works. I am really thankful and grateful to the Biopolitics International Organisation for giving me this opportunity. I will take more courses offered by B.I.O. in coming semesters. Sazzadur Rahman Chowdhury, Executive Director, Bangladesh Freedom Foundation (BFF), Bangladesh
Food, Agriculture and the Environment 2011
I studied the course material in detail and it fully coincided with the development issues that are covered in my project. I am working to ensure sustainable environmental health, by promoting safe water, environmental sanitation and hygienic practices. Knowledge on agricultural activity affects the quality of the environment. The topics of agricultural water pollution, the way agriculture prevents rural environmental degradation, agricultural waste management, and the significance of urban agriculture covered in the course module help me in my work of ensuring sustainable health. The way agricultural activity affects the quality of the environment is the most valuable aspect of the course, and I incorporate it in awareness raising and in the advocacy of my work. Nur Mohammad, Project Manager, Nabolok Parishad, Bangladesh
Green Salary 2011
I studied the course material in detail and it fully coincided with the development issues that are covered in my project. I am working to ensure sustainable environmental health, by promoting safe water, environmental sanitation and hygienic practices. I learnt that when environmental resources are not managed in a sustainable manner, their degradation can perpetuate poverty and hunger, an escalating problem in developing countries like Bangladesh. As we are racing to gain economic wealth and social advancement in a short-sighted manner, that is often more harmful than beneficial, the need to promote the sustainable use of resources on which the poor rely, becomes increasingly urgent and an area where the Green Salaries program can prove particularly beneficial. However, a green salaries program may be more appropriate for certain developing countries like Bangladesh due to a limitation of financial and other resources. In such cases direct assistance from developed countries may be a more appropriate approach for dealing with environmental problems while at the same time fighting poverty and hunger. In this context, an environmental corps could be formed to assist developing countries face the international environmental crises and achieve sustainable development. The needs are many, as developing countries face a plethora of different environmental problems, including but not limited to, improper management of water resources, encroachment of deserts as a result of saline intrusion in the coastal belt of Bangladesh, improper disposal of waste materials. Adopting different technologies, like waste management through recycling of solid waste (biogas plant, solid waste composting plant etc.), surface water treatment, and ground water recharge by rainwater etc. could create a lot of green jobs and protect the environment with the incorporation of green salaries issues in my work. Nur Mohammad, Project Manager, Nabolok Parishad, Bangladesh
As a development activist and with Bangladesh being a direct victim of climate change, I get opportunities to participate in different forums. The course contents have enriched my understanding of green employment for a sustainable environment. The course could cover the basic ideas of green jobs, which would be very useful for me to incorporate in our campaign and advocacy work in the context of the impacts of climate change. The course will help me in rethinking for future planning and redesigning projects and interventions. It will also help me analyse critically, through the lens of climate change, adaptation and mitigation strategies. I am really thankful and grateful to the Biopolitics International Organization for giving me this opportunity. I will take more courses offered by B.I.O. in coming semesters. Sazzadur Rahman Chowdhury, Executive Director, Bangladesh Freedom Foundation (BFF), Bangladesh
