{"id":24608,"date":"2026-02-20T18:21:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T11:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.koktailmagazine.com\/?p=24608"},"modified":"2026-02-20T18:21:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T11:21:45","slug":"friday-future-lister-turning-classrooms-green-with-dr-chaweewan-and-feed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.koktailmagazine.com\/th\/2026\/02\/20\/friday-future-lister-turning-classrooms-green-with-dr-chaweewan-and-feed\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Future Lister: Turning Classrooms Green with Dr Chaweewan and FEED"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover how Dr Chaweewan Hutacharern leads FEED Thailand in turning forests and urban spaces into natural classrooms.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Environmental education is often treated as an extra, placed on the margins of the curriculum rather than at its core. Yet education shapes how we understand environmental challenges and how we respond to them. When people develop a clear understanding of ecosystems, biodiversity and sustainable living, they are better equipped to make informed choices that protect both the planet and the communities that depend on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Thailand, this belief led to the establishment of the Foundation for Environmental Education for Sustainable Development (Thailand), or FEED.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of this mission is Dr Chaweewan Hutacharern, Chairman of FEED, whose leadership continues to advance environmental literacy and sustainable development. Today, we look at her leadership and her belief in learning beyond four walls, which builds a greener future for environmental education in Thailand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Biodiversity Research to Environmental Education Leadership<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After earning her Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Missouri in 1974, Dr Chaweewan built experience in forest entomology and natural resource management. She served as a Senior Forest Entomologist at the Forest Research Office of the Royal Forest Department of Thailand, contributed to the Thailand Forest Department\u2019s Algae and Plankton Group and was an adviser to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP). These roles strengthened her expertise in biodiversity research and environmental policy and laid a strong foundation prior to her leadership of FEED. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FEED began when WWF Thailand consolidated three existing nature education centres: Bangpu Nature Education Centre (BNEC), the Toyota Biodiversity and Sustainability Learning Center (Cheewa Panavet) in Chachoengsao and the Toyota City of Green Learning Center in Ayutthaya. These centres were brought together and registered as FEED, to strengthen and expand environmental education in a more structured and sustainable way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FEED was officially registered on 26 July 2011 and recognised in March 2012 as a private organisation dedicated to environmental protection and natural resource conservation under Thai environmental law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Courtesy of FEED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With Dr Chaweewan Hutacharern as Chairman, the foundation moved forward with a clear focus on making environmental education more practical and accessible. Operating independently, FEED aims to build a future where people and nature can exist in balance. Through nature-based learning, it hopes to equip younger generations with the awareness and mindset needed to care for the environment in a practical and lasting way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning Nature into the Classroom<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For Dr Chaweewan, FEED grew from a simple belief: conservation works best when people step outside and experience nature for themselves. From that belief came the idea of the natural classroom. Not four walls and a whiteboard, but real forests and restored landscapes with living ecosystems. When learners explore, feel a sense of adventure and take action themselves, the experience stays with them. It builds deeper understanding and real environmental awareness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Courtesy of FEED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Courtesy of FEED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Courtesy of Toyota City of Green Learning Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Courtesy of Toyota City of Green Learning Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bangpu Nature Education Centre<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr Chaweewan\u2019s vision first took shape, starting with BNEC, with an aim to restore the mangrove ecosystem in an area affected by industrial waste and environmental decline. Located near Bangkok, the project also aims to expand green space and strengthen ecological balance. Additionally it can help ease air pollution in the capital and surrounding areas while restoring ecological balance and reducing coastal erosion.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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