One hundred six schools from across India were certified ‘green’ here at a ceremony conducted by Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) Green School Programme (GSP) in New Delhi. Of these, 19 schools received the topmost Annual Green School Awards for their exemplary initiatives in making their campuses environment-friendly and their students, environment-conscious.
Himachal Pradesh bagged the award for the Best State with the highest audit registrations and report submissions. 114 schools from the state submitted their audit reports – nine were rated ‘green’. Solan in Himachal Pradesh bagged the Best District Award with 61 submissions and six schools rated ‘green’.
Apart from the schools, awards were also conferred on the most proactive teachers, the “best state” and “best district” etc. CSE director general Sunita Narain and executive director Jagdeep Gupta handed out the awards to the winners.
The awards, given every year by CSE, are based on an exhaustive and rigorous annual audit of resource management and environment-friendly practices within the school campuses; this audit is conducted by the schools themselves with CSE’s help.
Says Souparno Banerjee, senior director, environment education, CSE: “The unique aspect of this programme is the opportunity that it affords schools to measure their progress year on year and improve their ranking.”
Over seven hundred schools from 29 states and Union territories vied for the honours; 19 of these received the top awards, and 106 were tagged as ‘green’. 436 government schools, 55 government-aided schools and 216 private schools participated in the audit.
Each school which undertook the audit, was assessed by the Green Schools Programme on its resource consumption practices in six areas – water management, solid waste management, energy efficiency, air pollution control, land and biodiversity management, and food systems followed.
Speaking after handing over the awards, Narain said: “We are re-engaging onsite after a gap of three years, but it seems like we never went away. The vibrancy and enthusiasm with which schools, their children and teachers have joined the 2022-23 audit, the efforts they have put in, is a tribute to the promise they hold, and foretells a future that is full of hope. I congratulate all the winners and green schools, as well as the larger GSP family.”
