His relationship with nature was shaped early on by his primary school teachers and deepened further through his involvement in a school nature club. While training at Paro College of Education, Tandin realised that they were the first generation to clearly understand what is causing damage to the planet, and possibly the last with a real chance to reverse it.

That realization became his lifelong calling.

When he returned to his hometown in Trashi Yangtse as a full-time teacher with Trashi Yangtse Primary School in 2014, he was determined to act on this understanding. This was when he initiated the Trashiyangtse Nature Club in the school. Tandin shared, “I started this club to reconnect young children and local youth with nature, nurturing them in the same awareness I had gained.” Since then, the club has been serving as both an on-campus and off-campus platform for students to explore environmental issues such as climate change, plastic pollution, species extinction, and wildlife decline through direct engagement with nature.

Every year, he organizes birdwatching for young children, including field trips and butterfly watching, as a means of practicial inspiration approach to environmental education. More than 30 students take part in the campaign every year. “This helps children understand their immediate environment and their place as Homo Sapiens. For me, birdwatching has a personal connection where my mentor during my time in college who intilled my love for nature.”

Earth Hour through youth voices, arts and birding

What began as a simple weekend outdoor nature club, designed to help students reconnect with nature through day-long hikes, gradually evolved into a deeper commitment to environmental action. A turning point came in 2018 when Tandin first learned about Earth Hour through mainstream media.

He has since followed the annual observance through WWF-Bhutan’s social media. Tandin is never tired of coming up with ideas to make children understand Earth Hour, where someone spends 60 minutes doing a nature-positive activity for Earth.

Earth Hour emerged as a meaningful annual moment for the club where people united for a purpose with passion, dedicating a full day to nature-based action.

Every year, as a buildup event and in partnership with the WWF-Bhutan, Trashi Yangtse Nature Club contributes to Earth Hour by organizing a bird watching and art competition. This year was no different, as the club focused on connecting children and youth with nature through art. As a universal language, art enabled young minds to grasp both the urgency of the environmental crisis and to be engaged in a meaningful way.

“Protecting and conserving nature is an essential civic duty, locally and globally, what WWF-Bhutan calls becoming green citizens. Sustainable values and habits must be nurtured early, which is why our small nature club is strongly aligned with the aims of Earth Hour,” Tandin stressed.

Tandin believes that fostering eco-friendly values from an early age encourages responsible environmental stewardship, with outdoor learning playing a key role. In this spirit, small grassroots efforts like the Trashi Yangtse Nature Club play a powerful role in nurturing informed and caring young citizens committed to conserving the planet and its biodiversity.

“With limited funding, training, and the removal of subjects like Environmental Studies from the curriculum, nature education at the ground level has decreased. However, support from organizations such as WWF-Bhutan and other environmental agencies has helped revive school nature clubs in recent years,” he added. This reaffirms that investing in children’s environmental education is an effective way to contribute to the planet’s future.