Tata Steel’s Green School Project reaches out to over 7300 students and teachers
~ The Green School Project, a joint initiative of Tata Steel and TERI, promotes environmental stewardship to enhance critical and interdisciplinary thinking through formal and informal modes of teaching ~
Tata Steel, under its flagship Green School project, reached out to more than 7,300 students and teachers in the past eight months spreading awareness about the climate change and importance of sustainable development model. Climate education and awareness is a critical instrument in the global strategy to address the environmental impacts of climate change.
To address the challenges posed by the pandemic in reaching out to the school community, Tata Steel leveraged the digital platforms like web platforms, mobile applications, and social media to continue this outreach programme and connect with the green crusaders. The online initiatives involved virtual seminars and hands-on training workshops, digital competitions, self-learning series in the form of audio-video learning capsules, and more.
‘The Green School Project’, a joint initiative of Tata Steel and TERI, involves the school fraternity to bring about a change using climate literacy as an effective tool. It promotes environmental stewardship to enhance critical and interdisciplinary thinking through formal and informal modes of teaching. The project is being implemented in various schools at the grassroots level in the operational areas of Tata Steel in Jharkhand and Odisha and has touched the lives of more than 1.5 lakhs students, teachers and community members since its inception.
Pankaj Satija, Chief Regulatory Affairs, Tata Steel, said: “People form the core of bringing about transformative change needed to create an equitable and green future for coming generations. A sustainable ecosystem requires all sections of the society including community, corporates, NGOs, government, and especially students, to come together to #ActforNature and work towards a sustainable tomorrow by following a holistic approach.”
Students and teachers took up homebound ‘Community Impact Projects’ like making paper bags, wealth out of waste, installing bird nests and bird feeders, etc. to bring about the change in the society. 20 project schools across Noamundi, Joda, Jajpur, Jharia and West Bokaro and 6 project schools of Angul along with 36 schools across 6 panchayats implemented these community impact projects.
Pradeepta Kumar Das, a Teacher at Tata DAV Public School in Noamundi, said: “I feel extremely glad to share my experience of the online activities. Undoubtedly the way TERI is conducting the activities with students and teachers in the pandemic situation is quite praiseworthy. The students are extremely happy and enthusiastic to take part in this programme. They are taking part in the project with heart and soul. I am thankful to Tata Steel and TERI for such an innovative way to involve the students and teachers in this programme. Being a part of this project, I feel proud and happy. This will be very helpful to the students, teachers and the environment.”
The ‘Green pedagogy’, designed under the Green School project, operates with an objective to develop systemic thinking, participatory learning, and creative thinking for face future scenarios.
The Green School Project was launched in April 2017 with select schools with an overarching goal of creating amongst students, awareness on climate change and the ways in which a sustainable lifestyle can help mitigate the adverse impact of climate change.
This is achieved by promoting environmental stewardship through both classroom and outdoor activities like teachers training workshops on digital pedagogy, development of green curricula, community impact projects, outdoor educational activities, development of Information Education and Communication (IEC) resources for joyful learning activities. In September 2019, Phase-III of the project was launched to expand to more schools.
About Tata Steel
Tata Steel group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes per annum. It is one of the world's most geographically-diversified steel producers, with operations and commercial presence across the world. The group (excluding SEA operations) recorded a consolidated turnover of US $19.7 billion in the financial year ending March 31, 2020.
A Great Place to Work-CertifiedTM organisation, Tata Steel Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures, is spread across five continents with an employee base of over 65,000.
Tata Steel has been a part of the DJSI Emerging Markets Index since 2012 and has been consistently ranked amongst top 5 steel companies in the DJSI Corporate Sustainability Assessment since 2016. Besides being a member of ResponsibleSteelTM and worldsteel’s Climate Action Programme, Tata Steel has won several awards and recognitions including the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse recognition for its Kalinganagar Plant - a first in India, and Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2016-17. The Company, ranked as India’s most valuable Metals & Mining brand by Brand Finance, received the ‘Honourable Mention’ at the National CSR Awards 2019, Steel Sustainability Champion 2019 by worldsteel, CII Greenco Star Performer Award 2019, ‘Most Ethical Company’ award 2020 from Ethisphere Institute, and Best Risk Management Framework & Systems Award (2020) by CNBC TV-18, among several others.
Statements in this press release describing the Company’s performance may be “forward looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. Actual results may differ materially from those directly or indirectly expressed, inferred or implied. Important factors that could make a difference to the Company’s operations include, among others, economic conditions affecting demand/ supply and price conditions in the domestic and overseas markets in which the Company operates, changes in or due to the environment, Government regulations, laws, statutes, judicial pronouncements and/ or other incidental factors.
Chief, Corporate Communications-India & SEA