RCE NETWORK

Last updated: October 23, 2019

RCE Goa

Photo Credit: RCE Goa

Rce details

Region:

ASIA-PACIFIC

Country:

India

Overview

Date of RCE acknowledgement:

April, 2012

Description of RCE and Geographic Region:

RCE Goa strives to create an informed citizenry, build capacity amongst the relevant stakeholders and develop linkages and partnerships to promote ESD in the region. It adopts an awareness, outreach and dissemination approach primarily targeting youth in the region so as to help address the various sustainability issues and challenges plaguing the region.

Goa is located in the southwest peninsular of India in a region known as the ‘konkan’ and is currently the smallest Indian state. It is bound by the state of Maharashtra to the north, Karnataka to the east and south, and the ‘Arabian Sea’ to its west. The state encompasses an area of 3,702 km² (1,430 sq. miles) with a coastline of 101 km (63 miles). The entire state is divided into three areas; a heavily populated coastal belt, the fertile midlands and the forested hilly regions. The Western Ghats that run through the state have been internationally recognized as one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world.

Goals and Objectives:

Vision:
To promote ESD in Goa by educating, engaging and empowering youth and local communities to deal with regional sustainability issues.

Goals and objectives:
RCE Goa envisages facilitating collaborative research, development and promotion of ESD in Goa. Key objectives of RCE Goa are as follows:

Integration with regional stakeholders to develop collaborative projects that will promote the agenda of sustainable development (SD) and ESD in the state of Goa
Setting up of a regional knowledge base so as to share and disseminate existing knowledge and experiences in tackling sustainability issues in the region
Development of a platform for stimulating dialogue among all relevant and important stakeholders to help turn Goa into a truly sustainable region

Photo credit: RCE Goa

Organisation Hosting RCE Secretariat:

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Key Partners:

Name of organisation: Directorate of Education, Govt. of Goa
Role: Member
Contact name: Mr. Nagaraj Honnekeri
Contact email: scertgoa@gmail.com

Name of organisation: Dempo Charities Trust
Role: Member
Contact name: Mr. Sunil Prabhu Desai
Contact email: pro@dempos.com

Activities

Current Activities:

Designing and planning for the Global Week of Service
Development of content for the Green Olympiad examination
Extension of GREEN Olympiad Examination in the region

Upcoming Activities:

Execution of Global Week of Service
Implementation of Green Olympiad examination in the region
Inclusion of new stakeholders into the network

Achievements:

One of the major projects executed by RCE Goa was project STARs (Sustainability Tracking, Action and Reporting in Schools), an education-cum-action project on sustainable schools in collaboration with the Dempo group of companies. The project firmly established how educational institutes can be a catalyst for sustainable development by demonstrating the principles of sustainability in practice. It enabled schools to improve campus operations (deriving environmental and economic benefits), engage and involve local communities in finding solutions (to environmental, socio-economic, and cultural challenges and problems) and integrate learning for sustainability and sustainability practices (in their curriculum). Key outcomes and impacts are as under:

Approximately 500 kilograms of wastepaper was recycled by the four schools during 2015-2016. Every school could recycle at least 20 kilograms of wastepaper per month (for every 500 students), and it was used as chart papers, stationery, greeting cards, files/folders etc. This is still ongoing till date at the schools.
The gross annual C0₂ emission reduction from the LED based intervention in the four schools worked out to 40tCO₂/MWh approximately, and these schools continue to generate lesser emissions till date.
Approximately 180-200 kilograms of organic waste per month is being composted till date. The school has also set up a recycling center which will become active this academic year.
The sanitation facility is serving the kindergarten section comprising nearly 100 students.
Amount of inorganic waste recycled increased from 93 to approximately 705 kilograms per month over the course of the project, collectively across all schools.
Feedback analysis results indicated a strong positive impact on improved student behavior, attitude and action in all sustainability spheres.
Establishment of strong school-community linkages across all sustainability domains. Campaigns and activities taken up with/for communities by a few schools are still active till date.
Increased sensitivity to socio-cultural issues/awareness about local culture and knowledge was observed at all the project schools.

Most of the interventions initiated are thus active till date, and hence RCE Goa is really satisfied to see how schools are carrying forward the work established under the project.