CSE’s Green Schools Programme honours 106 greenest schools in India

• Himachal Pradesh bags the Best Green State Award, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Punjab
• 106 schools out of the 707 that participated in the GSP Audit, bag the ‘green’ tag. 19 receive the topmost awards
• The annual Green School Awards are returning as an onsite physical event after three years  

New Delhi, February 21, 2023: One hundred six schools from across India were certified ‘green’ here today at a ceremony conducted by Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) Green School Programme (GSP). 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. 

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.” 

THE 2022-23 AWARDS 

Best State and District: 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’. 

Changemaker Awards: These were schools that have monitored their resource consumption and improved them. The two awardees in this category:

1. Global Public School, Ernakulam, Kerala
2. Noyes Mat. Hr. Sec. School, Madurai, Tamil Nadu 

Sterling Schools Awards: Schools rated ‘green’ for five consecutive years:

1. Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Rai, Sonipat, Haryana
2. Sachdeva Global School, South West Delhi, New Delhi
3. Salwan Public School, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
4. Ashok Memorial Public School, Faridabad, Haryana
5. Bal Bharati Public School, Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh
6. Kendriya Vidyalaya WCL, New Majri, Chandrapur, Maharashtra
7. East Point School, New Delhi
8. Indirapuram Public School, Pratap Vihar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
9. Bal Bharati Public School, IMT Manesar, Gurugram, Haryana
10. St Edmund's School, Jaipur, Rajasthan
11. Mahindra World School, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu 

Best Newcomer: Schools that have recently registered to be a part of the programme and have demonstrated considerable potential in managing their natural resources.

1. Cambridge School, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 

Best in Section: Schools that have performed exceptionally in specific sections.

• GSP Waste Warrior Award: Christ Academy CBSE School, Bengaluru, Karnataka
• GSP Land Manager Award: Government Senior Secondary School Himgiri, Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
• GSP Good Food Award: Shiv Nadar School, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh
• GSP Air Action Award: Subodh Public School Airport, Jaipur, Rajasthan
• GSP Energy Manager Award: Dr Rajendra Prasad Kendriya Vidyalaya, Central Delhi, New Delhi 

See the full list of award winners here: Is your school green? 2022-23 – Green Schools Program (greenschoolsprogramme.org) 

What it means to be a Green School?

A ‘green’ school may include, but is not limited, to the following:

• A window to floor ratio (WFR) of more than 15 per cent.
• Majority of the population using sustainable and non-polluting modes of transport (public transport, e-rickshaws, cycling, walking, etc).
• Maximum use of energy-efficient lighting to conserve energy and use of alternative sources of energy – the GSP Audit encourages schools to minimise the use of conventional lights without compromising over sufficient lighting for students.
• Maintain a high green cover inside and around the school campus along with greater biodiversity by planting native species of plants.
• Serve only cooked meals (avoid packaged foods) to ensure healthy food consumption.
• Harvest rainwater and treat wastewater.
• Segregate waste at source efficiently and dispose of responsibly -- recycling of at least 90 per cent of the waste is recommended
• Wet waste composted; waste should not be burned.  

To reach the GSP team at CSE or know more about the awards, please contact Sukanya Nair of The CSE Media Resource Centre, sukanya.nair@cseindia.org, 88168 18864.