India would be one of the leading nations with a young population of 765 million, by 2030. This population covers almost half the population of the country as on today. Children spend almost 30% of their time in schools. Therefore, developing a healthy school environment is going to be a priority for parents, teachers and school managements. Access to dust-free environment, good sanitation, natural lighting & ventilation, hygiene and general awareness on the principles of protecting our nature would go a long way in preparing young children for a future that would be bright, challenging and prosperous. It would even impact the way children would think and incorporate them in their daily lifestyle. Needless to say, this would apply to schools of all kinds – Government and Private.
Against this background, the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has launched 'IGBC Green Schools Rating System®’. This rating programme is a tool to facilitate schools to go green, thereby transforming young minds. The main objective to launch the ‘IGBC Green Schools Rating System’ is developing as many green schools as possible with the support of industry. This programme is structured and designed to have a very simple approach. It would enable both new schools and existing schools to incorporate and monitor the environmental friendly concepts that would result in tangible and intangible benefits to them. The overarching objective is to instill a sense of ‘eco-sensitivity’ amongst children.
The IGBC guide was released during the 12th Green Building Congress 2014 organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry on 4-6 September, 2014 at Hyderabad.