PALAKKAD: On June 5, the World Environment Day, a school in Palakkad has set itself a much bigger challenge along with planting saplings - creating a generation of climate-conscious citizens, who can measure, monitor and reduce their impact on the planet.
At St Dominic's Higher Secondary School, Sreekrishnapuram, environmental education is moving beyond textbooks and into homes, kitchens and daily routines. Through a year-long initiative launched as part of the United Nations-backed "Race to Zero" campaign, every student in the school will become a climate auditor of their own household.
The project aims to make St Dominic's the first school to achieve 100% environmental literacy, ensuring that every student understands not only the science behind climate change but also the practical steps needed to tackle it.
For the students, the journey begins at home.
"Over the next year, they will identify sources of carbon emissions in their households - from electricity consumption and LPG use to waste generation, food habits and recycling practices. Using a carbon calculator, they will estimate the emissions produced by their daily activities and upload the information to a digital platform called Green Metrica," say the school authorities.
The collected data will be displayed on a dashboard, allowing students to track their carbon footprints and measure progress as they adopt more sustainable lifestyles.
"Climate change often feels like a distant problem for young people. Through this programme, students will understand that the solutions start from their own homes. When children begin questioning energy consumption, waste disposal and consumption patterns, entire families become part of the environmental movement."
To help students undertake the exercise, the school's Eco Club, Eco Gens, will provide training on carbon accounting and methods to reduce emissions. The programme will continue throughout the academic year with workshops, awareness campaigns, environmental audits and sustainability challenges.
The initiative reflects a growing belief that environmental education should not simply inform students but empower them to act.
School authorities believe the initiative will help students see environmental protection not as an annual campaign but as a way of life.
By the end of the year, the school hopes every student will be able to calculate their carbon footprint, identify opportunities to reduce emissions and influence their families to adopt greener practices.
If successful, the project could offer a model for schools across Kerala and beyond - demonstrating how classrooms can become laboratories for climate action and how students can emerge as some of the most effective ambassadors for environmental change.
The Net Zero St Dominic's Project was inaugurated on Friday by Dr Haridas Varikottil Raman, climate change expert at Caritas Asia. Sreekrishnapuram panchayat president Aravindakshan presided over the function. School principal Sr Pauline O P, Fr Saji Joseph, director of Equator Geo, ward member Dwarakanathan and others attended the function.
