Kusum Lata, Science teacher at the Government Model Senior Secondary School, Punjab Agricultural University, and school nodal officer for this project said, “The aim behind this workshop is to raise awareness among students about the environment and biodiversity. We will involve senior students of class IX and XI as well. Classes X and XII students will be kept out for their Board examinations. Students will be trained to keep a record of the various data and evaluate them accordingly. They can seek the help of teachers if needed.”

She added that students will keep a record of the various species of plants and animals on the school campus. The more the number of species, the better the school will score. Secondly, greater numbers of students, teachers and the staff using eco-friendly means of travelling to and from school — like bicycles and travelling on foot — will also bring in points for schools. Using automobiles to commute will mean negative points, being a factor for environment pollution.

Also, how much energy is consumed by the school on an average is going to be a factor contributing to the score, as will the record of consumption of water. Using waste-water for watering the plants and means for recharging ground water are also going to be taken into account. Another parameter is the consumption of LPG in schools — in the laboratories, school canteen, among others.

Kusum Lata, who recently attended a two-day workshop in Delhi along with five teachers from other government schools in Punjab, said, “We have been asked to share the information with other schoolteachers, so that they can implement the “Green School Project’ in their respective schools.