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Anooja Anil
Climate & Nature Educator
Centre for Environment Education (CEE); YouCAN Earth Educator Fellow; Chennai Young Naturalists Network
Cohort
4
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Anooja Anil is an aspiring conservationist, scientific communicator and nature educator practising sustainability. She completed her Masters in Convservation Practice and Environmental Studies. For her thesis work, she worked with the rural coastal communities of Ramanathapuram to understand their solid waste management practices and plastic recycling. Her two years of experience at ATREE, Bengaluru, helped her take a step towards changemaking. She published the book, Butterflies of Chennai, and a paper on North Tamil Nadu's coastal habitats, and was associated with various organisations to participate in documenting the rich diversity of life. She is currently working as an environmental educator. She has created materials for the Madras Naturalists' Society, Bhoomi College, Abacus Montessori School, and Chennai Young Naturalists' Network.
Passion Project
Primary Focus Area
Climate Education & Climate Action; Urban Ecology & Green Spaces
Special Expertise
Designing nature walks in highly built-up urban areas; introducing children to “nearby nature†(classroom walls, school grounds, neighbourhood wetlands); climate action programmes in schools (GenCan); integrating SEL with nature education; local guides such as Butterflies of Chennai and a coastal fauna guide
Namma Iyarkai – Nature in Chennai reconnects children with local biodiversity through classroom nature walks, school-yard exploration and visits to Ramanthangal Lake. Children observe spiders, wasp nests, moss, wall-plants, birds andx butterflies, practising empathy and SEL-based reflection. Activities include documentaries, imagination games (“What if humans had taste buds on their feet?”), mood check-ins and creative expression. The project helps urban children recognise that nature is all around them and develop pride in Chennai’s ecosystems.
Communities engaged
Urban schoolchildren in Chennai and Madurai; government school communities in Meghalaya and Sikkim; teachers; local wetland - neighbourhood residents around Pallikaranai / South Chennai wetlands
Pedagogical Style
Child-led and responsive—lets students’ questions steer the session; strongly place-based and rooted in Chennai’s wetlands and neighbourhood biodiversity; blends nature education with social-emotional learning; emphasises kindness, empathy, inclusion and quiet “feminist” values; uses stories, reflection, humour and play to help children unwind, be “wild” for 40 minutes, and feel that nature is close and part of them.