At a time when preservation of the “greens” is a global concern, this school in the city stands out for the success of its efforts on the field.

Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 46, has over 600 trees, an equal number of potted plants and more than 70 species of medicinal plants in and around it. And the credit goes to the school’s eco club.

Established in 1996 with a handful of saplings, the club has consistently worked to improve the school’s green cover.

And this was done through innovative ways—gifting saplings to students on their birthdays, urging them and teachers to plant trees on special occasions, and roping in parents in the initiative.

The club is the brainchild of the school’s former principal, R S Goraya, who stressed on the significance of a healthy environment.

“The objective behind the concept is to create awareness among students about a clean and green environment. Our indifference towards nature is the cause of calamities like floods, earthquakes and depletion of the ozone layer. Our idea is to catch them young and involve them in tree plantation,” Om Prakash Manauli, head of the eco club, says.

The club started with a few students from the middle section, but now has the entire school rallying behind it.

Manauli says now students volunteer to plant trees. “We have also involved parents in the initiative. They visit the school once a month and either donate or plant a sapling,” he says.

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