Green Committee creates impactful change at the Academy

The Academy Green Committee organised Earth Day celebrations at the AKA Hyderabad from 22nd to 24th April. The committee, comprised of students and staff, held activities on campus with the aim of reinforcing the institution’s commitment to environmental sustainability and values of stewardship.

Earth Day was celebrated worldwide on Sunday the 22nd, and  keeping with tradition, the Academy spent Earth Hour from 8:30 to 9:30pm on Sunday night, turning off lights, fans and other gadgets that use electricity. The Academy felt that it was important to prolong Earth Day into the week to create a deeper consciousness around the topic of environment and sustainability. So, on Monday an Earth Day assembly was organised bring together grades 1 through 10.

The special assembly was a chance for students to discuss practices on campus that are detrimental to the environmental goals of the academy. A vegetarian lunch menu was designed for the day which was made entirely from locally sourced produce. Food wastage was also on the agenda, with kitchen staff taking the stage to speak about the issue. Monday was also declared a paperless day, with Junior and Senior School and administration going without printing for the entire day. PYP students held a presentation about paper waste describing how they make optimum use of the resource in Junior School. Teachers of Junior also attended a workshop later in the week where they learned fun ways to reuse old chart paper.The assembley was a lively affair with audience and presenters interacting with each other over the questions raised about sustainable practices. Faculty were dressed in natural fibres acknowledging the environmental damage caused by synthetic clothes and accessories.

The morning assembly ended with a presentation on of grade 8’s Happiness project. The project was aimed at promoting mental wellbeing on campus through music and dance. The message that Happiness Project had on Earth Day was that the outward condition of the environment is a reflection of our communities. “Unless we find true happiness within ourselves we won't be able to work happily as a community,” said Jacintha Thota of grade 8H.

Also on Monday, students of grade 4A and K gathered at the boulevard to create artwork from leaves and flower petals that had fallen from trees. The art was inspired by the style of environmental artist and sculptor, Andy Goldsworthy, and created under the guidance of their art teacher, Nivedita Badepally. “We are happy to create more of this kind of art,” said Ayesha Khan of 4k. “My message is save mother earth, save nature.”

On Tuesday, students and teachers at the Academy took the Green Pledge where they wrote down on recycled paper how they would make a difference to the environment in the future. The exercise was to reflect on personal practices and the impact that individuals can have on the environment.

“Our Academies’ commitment to environmental sustainability is reflected in the participation of our faculty, staff and students in the wider Indian Green Schools agenda," said head of Academy, Dr. Geoffrey Fisher. The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad prides itself on being a green institution, certified platinum rating by the Indian national IGBC Green Schools Rating System.