Students from Tata Steel Foundation’s Green School showcase their work at WSDS 2022

Green School – a joint initiative of Tata Steel Foundation and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) to prepare students for a green and sustainable future – participated in the ongoing World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) to showcase its work on climate change related issues and the various milestones achieved over the years.

Organised under WSDS 2022 thematic track titled ‘Futurists for the Future: A Younger, Greener Collective’, the session was attended by students and teachers of the participating schools apart from a global audience. During the session, the key stakeholders of the Green School found an opportunity to bring forth their home-grown efforts and share it with the world.

“Children of today are our leaders for tomorrow, and they will be shaping the future of our communities. To harness their energy and help them shape a green and sustainable future, we started Green School five years back with just 10 schools. Over the years, the project has received very good response and now covers over 30 schools in Jharkhand and Odisha,” said Chanakya Chaudhary, director, Tata Steel Foundation.

Launched in April 2017, the Green School is an initiative running across all the Tata Steel’s operational areas in Jharkhand and Odisha, wherein special attention is given to create a holistic environment where students and teachers learn and rediscover their connection with nature and make concerted efforts to conserve it through resource management initiatives at local levels.

“With a goal of spreading awareness around climate change, we have been able to reach out to more than two lakh people, including students, teachers and parents through Green School. We have moved in phases and have been able to measure our success in adopting the concept of living with nature,” added Chaudhary.

Naman Gupta, Founder of Code Effort Pvt. Ltd., who has been recycling cigarette buds, and Kalicharan Basumatary, who has been elemental in restoring the Manas National Park, were some of the members of the Green School who presented their work to the world during the summit.

“It is important for children to learn about the value of ecosystems and biodiversity. The impact of this teaching will be visible 20 years from now. These students will become leaders by then; they will bring into practice the training which they have undergone now,” said Vibha Dhawan, director general, TERI.

Young change-makers of the Green School called 'Green Buddies’ are taking initiatives at their level to ensure a new era of a greener planet is ushered in. Three of the Green Buddies – Sejal Kumari from St Mary’s School, Noamundi, Dimple from Tata DAV Public School Ghatotand, West Bokaro, and Saina Mohanty from St. Mary’s School, Jajpur – presented their initiatives during the programme.

During the event, a panel discussion on ‘Futurists for the Future’ was also organised that brought together environment heroes and green buddies who have done exemplary work in the field of the environment, intending to have a greener future.