Green Education for a Sustainable Future at Chitkara International School, Panchkula

Upholding and sustaining the quality of our planet through biological and eco-friendly methods is one of the practices, rigorously followed at Chitkara International School. The school has thereby adopted immensely effective green initiatives, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.” Chitkara International School, Panchkula, Haryana, is moreover, the only school among 5 states to successfully achieve the highest-level ‘Platinum’ ranking for outstandingly following an exemplary protocol that meets the Green School Standards under the IGBC Green Schools Rating System. Further, for environmental sustainability and judicious use of facilities, the school has incorporated the Wet & Dry Waste Segregation System, Organic Waste Management System, Rain Water Harvesting Systems, Herbal & Organic Gardens, Solar Panels, Paperless Working and Communication etc. The school also indulges in several innovative practices like Vertical Gardening, the development of Paper Recycling Project, and establishing Eco Clubs. Besides this, the quality of sanitation is ceaselessly examined, and adherence to the School’s Green Policy is thoroughly ensured by the Cleanliness Monitoring Team so that the same is perpetually maintained and upheld.

• Wet and Dry Waste Segregation

  The school also avidly believes that waste management starts at the individual level and thus promotes segregation of wet and dry waste in the school premises. It is due to this reason that the school has separate wet and dry waste bins in the school. Apart from this, regular workshops, sessions and awareness programs are conducted to ensure that the environment is conserved at the individual level.

• Organic Waste Management

  Rising quantities and poor management of organic waste have led to environmental and health issues. To encounter such problems, the school practices and promotes “Organic Waste Recycling”, a productive process of organic waste management where the deleterious organic wastes are recycled or converted into the favourable matter by varied recycling methods, to ensure that the problems that arise with the accumulation of waste products in nature can further be diminished.

• Rain Water Harvesting

  For the accumulation of rainwater, the rooftops of the school building are attached with drain pipes which are connected to an underground water tank.

• Herbal Garden

  Chitkara International School has built a Herbal Garden which acts as a wonderful way to use the schoolyard as a classroom, reconnect students with the natural world and the true source of their food, and teaches those valuable gardening and agriculture concepts and skills that integrate with several subjects, such as math, science, art, health and physical education, and social studies, as well as several educational goals, including personal and social responsibility. Herbal Garden of Chitkara International School has a large variety of herbal plants like Dalcheeni, Hari Elaichi, Kalmegh, Lemongrass etc.

• Organic Garden

  The school has an organic garden solely dedicated to gardening without using synthetic products like fertilisers and pesticides. It involves the use of only natural products to grow plants. Moreover, utilising this garden, the school also takes comprehensive awareness sessions on organic gardening and the significance of using homegrown organic products, the harmful effects of fertilizers etc.

• Solar Panels

  The rooftop space of Chitkara International school has been judiciously utilized to generate clean solar electricity through Solar Panels.

• Paperless Working and Communication

  CIS strongly believes in using the paperless working and communication mechanism. The circulars, documents, articles etc. are all e-circulated among the stakeholders to reduce carbon footprint and to ensure paper conservation in the school.

• Vertical Gardening (Agronic Culture)

  Vertical Gardening (Agronic Culture) is based on a farm in a bin concept which was initiated at school by the school student. The initiative aims at the production of superlative food products in a compact space using the benefits of vermicompost. It takes a step closer towards Sustainable Development Goals as it is in sync with 3R’s –Recycle, Reduce and Reuse. This inventiveness of compact and portable farming by the student was further adopted by the school and a cluster of bins were specially designed & established at the campus rooftop in a pursuit to assemble a repository of essential herbs and medicinal plants.