105-year-old Palayamkottai school wins ‘Green Champion Award’; gets ₹1 lakh cash

105-year-old Palayamkottai school wins ‘Green Champion Award’; gets ₹1 lakh cash

St. Ignatius Convent Higher Secondary School, a 105-year-old government-aided institution in Palayamkottai for girls, has bagged ‘Green Champion Award’ for its green initiatives and encouraging the students to use eco-friendly products while strictly avoiding plastic products in any form on the school premises and even in their personal life.

District Collector R. Sukumar handed over the award carrying ₹1 lakh cash, memento and the certificate to the representatives of the school at the Collectorate on Friday.

After assessing the environmental initiatives taken by all schools in the district over the past three years towards ensuring green campus, increasing green cover in the society and maintaining it, St. Ignatius Convent Higher Secondary School, being run by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, has been selected by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board for this prestigious award.

The green initiatives taken by the school included mega seed ball campaign, gifting all the children with seed pens and paper pens as part of children’s day celebration, providing jute pouches to every student to avoid plastic products, encouraging the 3,000-odd students to plant tree saplings in their homes by providing the saplings to them, strictly imposing the ban on using plastic products, especially one-time use plastic products on school premises, involving NCC cadets in segregation of waste getting generated in every classroom and the school premises, training NCC cadets on creating and maintaining terrace organic gardens, training on e-waste recycling, sustained distribution of yellow cloth bag (manjappai) etc.

“With the overwhelming cooperation of our teachers, non-teaching staff, students and their parents, we’ve reached this height. The impact created on the children due to these sustained efforts is just awesome and visible. Encouraged by this prestigious award, we’ve resolved to take it forward further. The school is deeply grateful to all stakeholders of this beautiful journey,” said Rev. Sr. Vasanthi Brinda, headmistress of the school.