Introduction

India would be one of the leading nations with a young population of 765 million by 2030. This population equals almost half the population of the country today. Children spend almost 30% of their time in schools. Therefore, developing healthy school environment will be a priority for parents,

teachers and school managements. Access to dust-free environment, good sanitation, natural

lighting, ventilation, hygiene and general awareness of 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 impact the way children think and incorporate these factors in their daily lifestyle.

Launch of IGBC Green Schools Rating System®

Against this background, Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), with the support of all the stakeholders, launched IGBC Green Schools Rating System® at the 12th edition of Green Building Congress on September 4, 2014 at Hyderabad. This rating program is a tool to facilitate schools to go green, thereby transforming young minds. The main objective for the launch of this rating system is to develop as many green schools as possible with the support of industry.

Applicability of Green Schools Rating System

This program is structured for a very simple approach. It would enable both new schools and existing schools to incorporate and monitor environmentally friendly concepts that would result in tangible and intangible benefits to the school. The overarching objective is to instill eco-sensitivity amongst children.

IGBC Green Schools Core Committee

IGBC has set up a Green Schools Core Committee to develop a rating program to address school children from Kindergarten to Higher Secondary (KG to +2). The committee comprises of key stakeholders including educationists, principals, school managements, industry representatives and architects. The committee, with a diverse background and knowledge base, has enriched the rating system both in its content and process.

Benefits of Green Schools Rating System

The school rating system is unique, as it addresses ecoeducation, health and hygiene besides infrastructural facilities, energy efficiency, water conservation and waste management. Aspects like nutrition, physical activity and safety are also addressed. Green Schools can have substantial benefits. The most tangible benefits are reduction in water and energy consumption. Intangible benefits include health and wellbeing of children, enhanced air quality and excellent daylighting.

The rating system is designed such that both existing schools and new schools can use the guidelines.

Levels of Green Schools Rating System

Green Buildings make Good Business Sense

As of January 2015, over 3,000 building projects in India amounting to over 2.63 billion sq ft are going green – giving India the second largest green building footprint in the world. Various types of buildings including airports, banks, colleges, convention centres, factories, hospitals, hotels, institutions, existing buildings, IT Parks, offices, residential houses, schools, SEZs and townships are registered with IGBC. The reason is simple – Green Buildings make Good Business Sense. Though the incremental cost of a commercial green building would be about 3 to 5% more than a conventional building, the additional costs gets paid back in less than 3 years through substantial reduction in operational costs.

Vision of IGBC

The vision of the Council is to enable sustainable built environment for all and facilitate India to be one of the global leaders in sustainable built environment by 2025.

Holistic Nature of Green Schools Rating System

All IGBC rating systems have been developed based on the holistic approach of panchabhutas, and are a blend of ancient architectural practices and modern technological innovations. The rating systems are evolved so as to be comprehensive and at the same time user-friendly. Currently, IGBC has 9 types of rating systems to suit various types of buildings.