by Shabana Kazi, RCE Goa-Coordinator & Associate Fellow, TERI, Goa, India

Photos: courtesy by RCE Goa

STARs is a project run by RCE Goa that works with 10 schools in the region with the core goal of improving resource efficiency. The schools also engage with the surrounding communities initiating various socio-environmental campaigns about important socio- cultural issues.

RCE Goa facilitates collaborative research, development and promotion of ESD in Goa. It aims to create an informed group of citizens, build capacity amongst the relevant stakeholders and develop linkages and partnerships to draw upon an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) plan for the region.

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the secretariat of RCE Goa, coordinates the overall activities of RCE Goa. One of the major projects being implemented is project STARs, an education cum action project on sustainable schools in collaboration with the Dempo group of companies - a forward-looking conglomerate based in the region.

The Parent Company is V S Dempo Holdings Pvt. Ltd with the Dempo Charities Trust and the Navhind Papers & Publications, being RCE Goa partners and among its subsidiaries and other concerns. The Council of Members comprises representatives from all partner organizations serving as key contact points. The Steering Committee is a sub-set of the Council of Members constitutionalized to plan and monitor activity progress. Some of the RCE partners are Goa University, Dempo Charities Trust, Bal Bhavan, Directorate of Education, Goa Science Centre, WWF, ICG, TTAG, GCCI, Free Legal Aid Cell, and the Navhind Papers and Publications

The project works with ten schools in the region with its core goal of improving resource efficiency by putting identified hardware interventions in place, conducting various sensitization sessions and field visits and the development of resource material. STARs is a project run by RCE Goa that works with 10 schools in the region with the core goal of improving resource efficiency. The schools also engage with the surrounding communities initiating various socio-environmental campaigns about important socio- cultural issues.

Under the hardware component of the project, four schools were supported to phase out their conventional lighting system that relies heavily on incandescent/CFLs, with LED (Light Emitting Diodes) based lighting. The intervention has already shown tangible results by reducing the energy consumption, and thus creating a positive environmental and economic impact due to a reduced carbon footprint and energy costs at the schools. The exact amount of carbon emissions that have been reduced through this initiative is currently being assessed.

In order to help schools deal with their paper waste efficiently, the project also intervened at four member schools with paper recycling plants. These paper recycling plants are helping the schools to recycle all the waste paper generated on their premises, and convert it into new writing sheets/chart papers/useful articles such as envelopes, greeting cards and other stationery items.

Two other schools received a composting and sanitation facility under the project based on the need assessment study carried out earlier in the tracking phase of the project. So as to bolster the physical interventions at all project schools, various software interventions have been executed with a number of awareness, sensitization and training sessions on natural resource conservation, environmental auditing, organic composting, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) etc. being conducted for the benefit of all the schools.

The school community at the 10 member schools are the direct beneficiaries (approximately 10,000 persons) of the resources created under the project, as the interventions reach out to a large section of the school, including teachers, support staff, parents and the local community.

This project was also featured in the press such as the Goa Newswire.

New Sanitation Block inaugurated at St Bartholomew’s School, Chorao as part of the Project STARS initiative - see TERI's press release on the STARs Project here.