GreenLine - Greener People, Greener World

29 th September 2011 For 48 students of St. Joseph’s High School (Wadala), the nature trail to the Vikhroli Mangroves was a chance to make their textbook lessons come alive. The trail was conducted by the Godrej Company’s Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre (SPGMEC). The trail began with Mr. Hemant from the SPGMEC explaining to the students, especially those from Stds. IX and X, the characteristics of mangroves. He helped them relate the plants they were seeing in the mangrove forest to the science topics that they will soon be studying. For the younger children, the trail was an opportunity to touch the mangroves, examine caterpillars and moths, and experience nature at its unspoiled best. The hilltop view, the aquarium, the mangrove walk,  the mangrove nursery  and the exhibition at SPGMEC—all these experiences are sure to remain with the students and strengthen their commitment to preserving the natural wealth of our city. 

28th September 2011 Don Bosco Development Society’s GreenLine, an environmental endeavor, hosted a workshop for schools participating in the Green Schools Campaign, on Organic Farming on 28 September 2011. This workshop was conducted by Urban Leaves, an organization with expert understanding of how even the smallest places can be used for the propagation of a new garden. The event was attended by 15 teachers and 55 students, from 14 different schools. The event began at 10.00 a.m and continued for three hours. The resource team from Urban Leaves included Ms. Purvita Kapadia, Mr. Harshal Deshmukh and Mr. Julius Rego. Fr. Savio Silveira, director of Don Bosco Development Society introduced the resource team to the participants, and also gave to the resource team a glimpse of the objectives, work and the successes of the Green Schools Campaign. Following this, Purvita explained about the organization, and then began explaining the finer details of the work they carried out. When this w...

26 th September 2011 There are a lot of different things that we have noticed as the Green Schools Campaign has journeyed out this year. There are schools that are doing a great many number of activities and there are schools that are doing a little lesser, since they are new to the campaign. However, one thing that remains constant, through all the schools that we visit, and all the students that we interact with is the fact that everyone wants to do something, everyone wants to make a positive impact. This phenomenal attitude was seen once again today, at St. Paul's Boys' High School, Dadar.  Close to seventy students from the school, all part of the school's Eco-club, attended the first session for the Green Schools Campaign in their school. Following the GreenLine movie, the children listened attentively to all of the waste facts and figures for the city of Mumbai. The children were unanimous in saying that cleaning the city was an important prerogative and shou...

23 rd September 2011  The eco-leaders of St. Joseph’s Wadala have completed their waste audit! Our second session at this school began with the students presenting the findings of their waste audit, which was conducted over 4 days in the month of September. The students concluded that the average waste per month, from the entire school, was 286 kg. They identified food waste as the biggest problem. This was followed by paper waste and plastic waste. Further, the audit indicated that a system for segregation of waste needs to be set up and maintained. The students also interviewed their Principal Fr. Bernard regarding the waste policies of the school, and made a video recording of the interview. The Principal stated that while the school does not have an environmental policy yet, the management and students will work together to draft an Environmental Vision Statement for the school. The students also asked the Principal whether the school’s environmental initiatives can be ex...

23 rd September 2011 The determination with which the students trooped into the audio-visual hall—all bright and beaming—set the tone for our first session at Duruelo High School, Bandra. All the students from the three divisions of Std. IX were present for the session, along with the captains and leaders from Stds. VII & VIII. And yes, a team of teachers sat through the session too.  Even the Principal dropped into the hall a couple of times, and at the end of the session met us for a detailed discussion on the follow-up of the activity we had given the students. This school definitely has a lot of green in its DNA! At the start of our discussion with the students, when we asked them if they believed that it was their responsibility to address the environmental concerns we are faced with today, all hands shot up, and they were unanimous in declaring that they would like to do their bit to protect and improve the environment. They paid rapt attention to the presentation o...

22 nd September 2011 The future of our country and the world indeed lies in the hands of present and future generations of its citizens. So, without a  doubt, the larger the number of youth and children joining in the endeavor, the better for Mother Earth.  Going by this thought then, the girls at Auxilium Girls' Convent High School are definitely gearing up to shape up a greener future, happy and safe for all. Proof of this: In a first of its kind, the Green School Campaign session over here in the school, there were no less than 150 students who attended. That's thrice the regular number of students we normally take in a session--and that today was only the first session! The session we took for the girls included the GreenLine movie, a presentation on Waste in Mumbai and the activity-presentation on conducting a waste audit in the school. Brimming with enthusiasm and so many students wishing to answer questions and be part of the session, it was set to be a mammoth task...

20 th September 2011 The children of Don Bosco High School, Naigaon, had been one excited lot when we reached their school for a Green Schools Campaign session. And why not, the boys and girls had been working hard and long for the session, one that they would be preparing themselves. Today's session was a follow up to the Eco Mapping activity that they had been presented with earlier. A very enthusiastic and bubbly group, the students of the eco-club here did proper justice to the activity, with each team making superb presentations. The four teams were given four separate tasks: the first team had to present all of the assets that they found in the school; the second team, all the things that needed improvement. The third team looked at all of the assets that were in the immediate vicinity of the school, and the fourth looked into problematic issues in the same area. All of the teams made their presentations substantial by adding powerpoint slideshows, with loads of photogr...

19 th September 2011 The students of Our Lady of Dolours High School, Marine Lines, face a unique set of challenges in their Green School Campaign. The school is situated on a busy road right opposite a noisy railway station, space is limited, and greenery is almost non-existent. But none of these concerns is likely to stand in the way of the school’s bright and eager eco-club! At the very beginning of the session, the students pointed out that garbage is a major problem in their surroundings and that they are determined to do something about it. After we discussed the waste situation in Mumbai and the process of conducting a waste audit, the students divided themselves into groups and took responsibility for the various tasks in the waste audit. They also took charge of getting their teachers and schoolmates involved in the exercise. What impressed us most was that the several children expressed their desire to take the lead in environmental activities in their neighbourhoods. Th...

September 16, 2011 Team GreenLine continued with its second edition of the Green Schools Campaign today, with an interesting session at St. Anne's High School, Malad. What made the session interesting was the fact that the students had already carried out an eco-mapping exercise in the last year, yet wanted to do an eco-mapping of the school. The main difference in the mapping this time is the fact that the students will be doing a much more in-depth one this time.  A new school on The Green Schools Campaign roster, we wish the  the very best!

September 15, 2011 They say a picture says a thousand words... so this one is going to be one heavy blog post! This cloudy Thursday morning saw us GreenLiners going to the mangroves in Vikhroli, along with the students from Don Bosco high School. The event took place at the Godrej Company's  Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre. The beauty of the place speaks for itself, and is one place everyone should be!  The rest through pictures!

September 13, 2011 Team GreenLine saw itself at St. Paul's Girls' Convent High School, Dadar on a warm Tuesday morning, and it was there to conduct the school's first session, in this, the Second Edition of the Green Schools Campaign.There were a good number of things we noticed as we entered the school premises itself. For one, even though there is not too much space that the school can consider its campus, there is a whole lot of environment-friendly work being done here. We noticed a number of trees all around, and also the presence of dustbins all over the place. What however, really caught attention was the fact that even though the school was going through a recess, and even though there were students eating all over the place, there was not a single chip packet, chocolate wrapper, or food waste anywhere to be seen. This shows that the girls know the value of keeping the school as tidy as possible and also that unnecessary wastage itself is wrong.  Our session s...

September 12,  2011 The girls at Auxilium Convent High School were one excited lot today-- they were having their first session ever as a nature club. All of them girls of the ninth standard, had a good idea of what was going to be the subject for the session and seemed enthusiastic about having such a session. We were wondering if the girls would be receptive and interactive about the topic for the session, but once we did introduce ourselves, the girls seemed more than happy that we were there. They kept replying to all of the queries we had for them, and all of their answers were quick, well-thought ones. It was good to see their active participation for a good one and a half hour. The session began with Fr. Savio introducing the topic of waste and explaining why it is so important to tackle the problem at the earliest possible. This was followed by the GreenLine movie on Planet Earth. The girls ooh-ed and aah-ed throughout the movie, and it was a happy sight to see them ...

9th September 2011 The Nature Club of Don Bosco Matunga is making steady progress in turning their school into a more environment-friendly place. Having completed their waste audit, the students made a presentation on their findings. They concluded that while the per capita production of waste is relatively low, littering and waste segregation are major concern areas in the school. To help the students work out strategies of effective waste management, Ms. Kalpana Andhare from Stree Mukti Sanghatna explained the types of waste that can be recycled, the actual process of recycling, and the hazards posed by excessive use of plastic. After watching Stree Mukti Sanghatna’s film on waste, the students realized that it is not waste itself that is ‘bad’; rather, the problem lies in our faulty methods of disposal. Ms. Kalpana also explained some of the cultural reasons for the increasing amount of waste, and some of the students also pointed out that many environmental problems are caused ...

6 th  September 2011 Our session at Sacred Heart High School Vashi, was very different from all of the other sessions that we've had in this edition of the Green Schools Campaign. For one, even before we could began our session, the students from the Nature Club made a presentation for us, with fantastic photographs, videos and explanations of all of the activities that the school is already implementing. Not surprising then, that this school won the Greenest School award last year! If their presentation is anything to go by, the rest of the schools not only have good competition ahead, but also a whole lot of ideas and suggestions to pick up. The topic chosen for the session Sacred Heart High School was making a Green Policy for the school. The aim of this assignment is to ensure that the school--which is already active in environmental projects--sustains its green culture even after the current batch of students passes out. This policy-making exercise will involve everyone...

7 th  September 2011 St. Xavier's Boys Academy Churchgate had its first session with GreenLine yesterday, and the boys were probably amongst the bubbliest lot of students we had come across. Right from the first thought-process activity that we engaged them in, the boys asked innumerable questions, and interestingly enough, even sought to answering each other's questions. It was evident from the way these students answered, who were by the way, all members of the Nature Club, that they knew why they were there at the session, and that the environment held a place of importance in their everyday life. Since the boys are in the Green Schools Campaign for the first time, they will be first doing a survey of sorts- they will be seeing how environmentally conscious the students, teachers, other staff, and even the principal are. The method that they will be following is the direct interview method, and the primary aim of the activity is to understand where their school stands, w...