The Chennai-based CPR Environmental Education Centre has been conducting a variety of programmes to spread awareness and interest among the public, particularly among NGOs, women, youth and children, on all aspects of the environment and ecology, with the purpose of promoting conservation of nature and natural resources. Over the years, the Centre has reached out to many groups of people in India, covering Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa and the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry.
With the rapid development in the field of computers, information can be accessed from any part of the world through the Internet and the Centre decided to create awareness not only in India but to cover the whole world through www.cpreec.org. The website was launched on August 23, 1998 at 6.30 p.m. by Shri Suresh P Prabhu, Hon ble Minister for Environment and Forests, Government of India at the CP Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, and presided by Dr MS Swaminathan, Chairman, CPR Environmental Education Centre. Shri D Bandopadhyay, Additional Director, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India, also participated. This is the first website on Environmental Education from India.
Shri Suresh Prabhu inaugurated by visiting the website on the computer and the display was projected on a large screen.
The information on the website was collected and collated by the staff members of CPR Environmental Education Centre and pertains primarily to the South Asian environment and climatic pattern. However, it enshrines universal ideas which have been developed from years of field work and experience.
The website has four sections -- About us, Environmental Education, Publications and Eco News. About us and Publications gives an introduction to the Centre s activities and its publications, respectively. Eco News is the Centre s quarterly magazine.