Class XII student Basu in Patna

A young environment ambassador from Patna plans to start nationwide projects with students like him to save nature.

Basu Singh, a Class XII student of DAV Khagaul, has recently been selected the regional ambassador (India) for the United Nations Environment Programme Tunza Eco-Generation. He received a mail from UNEP-Tunza — a youth body of the United Nations working for environmental protection and awareness — three days ago.

Basu, who spends his free time thinking about the environment and taking up online courses on computer programming offered by reputable institutions, is among the 34 ambassadors of the programme from around the world.

Other than Basu, there are four regional ambassadors from India. The other green crusaders are from Indonesia, Nepal, Mexico, US, Yemen, Kenya and Turkey among other countries.

All of them had to send in a project on environmental issues based on which they were selected regional ambassadors for the United Nations Environment Programme.

Basu sent his in August last year. He said: “My project dealt with how to address the problem of different types of pollution. For instance, the City Ride service in Patna has several buses with old engines that lead to air pollution. Air filters can be attached to such vehicles to prevent emission of black smoke. This is popular in countries such as Sweden and Ireland and it can be implemented in India, too.”

Now, selected a regional ambassador, Basu plans to take up green projects in cities across the country.

“First, I plan to visit Gaya, Delhi, Calcutta, Gujarat and Bangalore to start green projects that would involve school and college students. I believe involvement of youths will provide us solutions to environmental problems. Officials of United Nations Environment Programme Tunza Eco-Generation will sponsor my trip. I only have to plan and execute my idea,” he said.

The Patna boy also wants to address the polythene menace.

Environment isn’t the only thing on his mind, though. The 17-year-old is equally passionate about learning computer languages.

Basu, who plans to major in computer science from Brown University in Rhode Island, US, told The Telegraph: “I have done an online course in basics of computer, including programming and website designing, from Harvard University. At present, I am pursuing an introductory course to computer science to solve analytical problems from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and another on introduction to computer science and programming from IIT-Bombay. I want to become an ethical hacker and software developer and these courses will help me achieve my goal.”