From being a school without a compound and cattle lying around on the grounds, the Government High School Kollumedu in Tiruvallur district now has gotten a complete facelift.It is the district’s first green school and now has a green fence, walls with heat-absorbent paint, solar-reflective coated roof, and is a zero carbon-footprint institution.The school also has herbal, vegetable and ornamental gardens, vermi-compost shed, rainwater harvesting system, and LED lighting. The works were carried out with funds from the Environment Department and district administration and CSR funds from Aptus Value Housing Finance India Limited. Sanitation First (India) was the implementation partner.District Collector M. Prathap said that three more schools in Tiruvallur had been identified to be upgraded as green schools and the administrative sanction for the same had been issued recently. Schools at Thirumazhisai, Thirukandalam and Kuthambakkam would be a part of this initiative. A total of ₹30 lakh would be allocated from government funds and the rest would be pooled from corporate social responsibility funds, he added.Tiruvallur district Green Fellow under the Department of Environment, Sruthi Saravanan, said, “We had conducted several awareness programmes for the students and teachers as to how these systems can be maintained. We had ten topics and focused the students based on their age. We made teachers and students in charge of each concept. A gardener-cum-watchman has been appointed for the school.”Sanitation First (India) Chief Executive Padmapriya T.S. said that Green schools would definitely make better study environments for students and work environments for teachers. The aim of this project was also to inculcate the importance of environment protection and sustainable living.“The children have been taught about the biodiversities of Tiruvallur district through wall paintings. This school is in the middle of an open space. The transformation is nothing short of remarkable. The government gave it a biofence, solar system, rainwater harvesting system, and the gardens too,” she said. Published - June 20, 2025 01:21 am IST