TERI and Tata Steel Foundation Kick Off Sixth Phase of Green School Initiative

The Energy and Resources Institute and Tata Steel Foundation are celebrating the launch of the sixth phase of the Green School initiative with planting trees and involving students and teachers.

JAMSHEDPUR – The sixth phase of the Green School project was kicked off on Monday, July 17, by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Tata Steel Foundation (TSF). The initiative was launched across the operational locations of Jharkhand and Odisha with the aim of promoting a sustainable path for the future. The launch event saw participation from 869 students and 95 teachers from 45 different schools.

TERI and TSF staff members, along with the students and teachers, celebrated the event by planting 350 trees. An additional 475 trees are scheduled to be planted over the following week at different locations.

Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General of TERI, underlined the importance of such initiatives for raising sustainability awareness among children, the future citizens of the planet. “It is essential to teach children about the consequences of overusing resources as it will solve many problems on various levels,” she added.

TSF Director Chanakya Chaudhary expressed his satisfaction with the progress made over the last 6-7 years and emphasized the need for focusing on the program’s outcomes and promoting this replicable model among more schools.

The Green School initiative, launched in 2017 by TERI and TSF, focuses on educating young minds, aged 12-14, on crucial environmental topics like water, energy, forest, biodiversity, and waste management. The aim is to empower these students to take action at school and community levels and contribute to creating a sustainable environment.

S Vijay Kumar, a Distinguished Fellow at TERI, shared that the project’s primary aim is to sensitize children towards environmental conservation, given the ongoing environmental crises.

The sixth phase of the Green School Project will focus on crafting modules for different categories of schools for knowledge enhancement and intervention replication.