Knowledge to Awareness to Action: Catch the young minds and orient them towards environment stewardship—Green Olympiad, India’s pioneer environment Olympiad for school students
Indian society is waking up to the call of ‘environmentalists’ urging citizens to take a more proactive approach for protection of nature and natural resources. Civilizations are intricately linked to the availability and quality of the life support systems available, and history has seen periodic washouts in the absence of a controlled and accountable lifestyles. For a sustainable and healthy way of living people need to be aware about the pros and cons of each of their actions on the environment. This awareness in turn needs to be created and built up amongst all levels of the society, to see a meaningful change in our surroundings. What better target group, than the young minds of our future citizenry? Children are the caretakers of the planet Earth and investing in them today ensures a more habitable planet. This is the vision in mind, with which TERI invests its time and resources on regular school environment education programs. These programs weave around issues related to water, air, climate change, energy, etc; reaching out to school and college students and, indirectly, to parents, teachers, and the society at large.
India’s First Environment Olympiad for Schools: Green Olympiad
Environment Education initiatives at TERI facilitate sensitization on major environmental issues with a focus on learning through doing. Various formal, non-formal and informal approaches are employed for the same. A leading example of this is the project GREEN Olympiad and TERRAQUIZ which has been on the field since 1999. The direct beneficiaries of the project are schoolchildren, teachers, parents, and the general community in the identified project area. The primary focus is to achieve maximum participation from schools across the country and abroad.
What makes this environment Olympiad unique?
o The project stretches across all the states and union territories in India, and in select countries abroad. The year 2007 saw participation of nearly 80,000 students from 1400 schools from across the country and abroad. Schools from around 500 cities, towns and districts participated in the contest from India. These were clearly from many remote parts of the country.
o GREEN Olympiad has made a place for itself in the academic calendar of the schools. Children are aware of pressing environment issues, which need to be addressed. They relate their day-to-day activities to the changes that they see and experience around them. The information that they gain through participation in the Olympiad is clearly translated into environment improvement activities at the school level.
o The United Nations has declared the period 2005–2014 as the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Debates and discussions are on regarding integration of EE as a curriculum subject in the schools. In the midst of all these developments, this Environment Olympiad is slowly equipping the students with requisite knowledge on the subject of environment.
o A trend of repeat participation from schools is observed. This reflects its popularity and acceptance within the school network.
o The top seven schools from each zone and four top schools from the international zone, i.e thirty- two schools participate in the TERRAQUIZ. This quiz is telecast on DD National and is one of the longest consecutive quiz program for schools. The winners of this quiz show are crowned Environment Ambassadors for the year. These ambassadors carry the message of environmental awareness among fellow students. With this accomplishment this project has carved a niche for itself in the realm of environment globally in creating a unique environment educational platform.
The GREEN Olympiad is designed in an innovative manner so as to test the knowledge of students in the field of environment, and in turn create awareness about key issues touching our daily lives. This annual initiative over the years has proven to be an excellent tool to sensitise children on environmental problems, reaching out to geographical regions across the country where otherwise children get limited opportunities to participate in such an extensive exercise. Children from all parts of India and also from Indian schools abroad participate in this venture. The questions are so designed to test knowledge of students evolving from environment topics of daily concern such as water, energy, air, forest, biodiversity, climate and sustainable development. Winners receive awards and recognition for their performance. This includes both, individual prizes for the students and awards for the schools. Special merit certificates are also awarded by Ministry of Environment and Forests, who has been actively supporting the programme for the past several years.
IMPACT
- The programme has had a great deal of impact on the minds of the children.
- Children take the question papers home, which carry a great deal of educative information.
- The questions are designed in an innovative manner so as to not only test the knowledge of students but also educate and sensitise them in the process.
- TERRAQUIZ is seen by students of all schools that participate in G O and also from other schools across the country.
- The viewer questions elicit response from the public exhibiting a keenness on the part of our viewers to know more about our environment.
- Students associate GREEN Olympiad and TERRAQUIZ as a part of the annual calendar of all the participating schools.
- Children in the smaller towns where otherwise the exposure to environment related issues are less, find this an excellent learning process. Teachers and students use the content of question paper in their classroom learning.
Indicators of Sustainability
The project has a huge potential of social acceptance as it is a direct investment made towards development of an education foundation through environment friendly approaches. This project has made a place for itself in the academic calendar of the schools. A model is being created through this project to bring in awareness about environment issues at the community level through the involvement of youth. This model will be capable of replication in other geographical areas. The ultimate goal is to create an ‘Environment Conscious Informed National Network’.
TERRAQUIZ
The GREEN Olympiad culminates in TERRAQUIZ every year, a 13-episode environment quiz programme for television. The top 32 schools, seven from each zone and four from the international group - are selected to take part in this national environment quiz. The questions are drawn from topics of daily concern, both local and global; attractive audiovisuals impart a unique flavour to this quiz. This quiz programme is an interesting pedagogical tool for students. Being an extremely effective medium to convey crisp messages in a short period of time, it contains an inherent element of knowledge and competition. Its unique structure questions and educates students and viewers simultaneously. A special word needs to be put in for Doordarshan that helps make TERRAQUIZ immensely popular among the young minds in India.
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On the sets of TERRAQUIZ the finalists and the audience with Dr R K Pachauri at Lakshmi Studios, NOIDA | |
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| Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhania School, Thane (West), Maharashtra emerged as the champions of TERRAQuiz 2008 |
In a closely contested quiz, the first, second and third runners up were St Kabir Public School, Chandigarh, Our Own English High School, Sharjah, and Sunbeam School, Lahartara respectively. The TERRAQUIZ this year was a combination of fun, entertainment and interactive programs for the school children. Keeping with the tradition of having a popular screen personality to anchor the show – this year the anchor for TERRAQUIZ was Ms Tisca Chopra, popularly known as Eshan’s mother for her role in the award wining movie Tarre Zameen Par
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| Al Khor International School, Doha, emerged the winner among 32 finalists selected from GREEN Olympiad |
TERRAQUIZ 2007- Al Khor International School, Doha, emerged the winner among 32 finalists selected from GREEN Olympiad, India’s premier environment Olympiad. Mr R Mehta, Adviser – Ministry of Environment and Forests, and Mr Vivek Syal, Head – Marketing, Hero Honda Motors Ltd were also present at the ceremony that marked the close of the 13-episode TERRAQUIZ shoot, held during 19–22 November 2007.
The members of the winning team, Moiz Bohra and Sreelakshmy Koonath, were also crowned the ‘Hero Honda Green Ambassadors’ for a year. The title confers on the winners a responsibility to undertake initiatives to spread awareness on environmental issues among students.
In a closely contested quiz, Delhi Public School, Bokaro, Smt. Sulochana Devi Singhania School, Thane, and Indian High School, Dubai, were the first, second, and third runners-up respectively.
Around 80 000 schoolchildren, from over 1400 schools across India and abroad, participated in GREEN Olympiad 2007. TERRAQUIZ 2007 combined fun and entertainment with interactive programmes for schoolchildren. In keeping with the tradition of a popular television personality anchoring the show, Manpreet Brar, a well-known TV personality, model, and former Miss India, anchored the show this year.
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| Mother’s International School, New Delhi, emerges winner among 32 finalists in only national quiz on environment |
TERRAQUIZ 2006 - The winning teams of the eighth GREEN Olympiad and TERRAQUIZ, were felicitated by the Chief Guest, Mr B J Panda, MP Rajya Sabha, in a ceremony conducted at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on 24 November 2006. Mr Prodipto Ghosh, Secretary, MoEF; Ex-criketer Mr Abbas Ali Baig; MTV VJ Cyrrus Sahukar, Mr Pawan Munjal, Managing Director, Hero Honda Motors Ltd, and Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General, TERI, attended the ceremony.
Prashant Upadhyay and Piyush Patnaik from The Mother’s International school, New Delhi, were crowned ‘Hero Honda Green Ambassadors’ for a year. The title, confers upon the winners a responsibility to undertake initiatives to broaden and deepen awareness on the environmental issues amongst fellow students.
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| Shri A Raja, Hon'ble Minister for Environment and Forests and Mr S Sunder of Hero Honda Motors ltd. presenting the trophy to Aditya Acharya and Soumyashant Nayak from DAV Chndrasekharpur, Orissa. |
TERRAQUIZ 2005 - The winners of the 7th GREEN Olympiad and TerraQuiz 2005, international inter-school environment quiz competition organised by TERI in association with Hero Honda Motors Ltd and the Ministry of Environment & Forests, were felicitated at a special ceremony on November 25. This year the top honour of being crowned Hero Honda Environment Ambassadors was won by Aditya Acharya and Soumyashant Nayak from DAV Chandrasekharpur, Orissa. These Ambassadors will undertake initiatives to broaden and deepen awareness on the environmental issues amongst fellow students. The second and third place in the international quiz was won by Centre Point School, Nagpurand and Aditya IIT Talent School, Kakinada, respectively. The GREEN Olympiad 2005 - which culminates in TerraQuiz - was held in 402 cities and towns all across India and abroad. Over 60,000 schoolchildren from over 1000 schools participated in the exam.
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TERRAQUIZ 2004-The winners of TERRAQUIZ 2004, the 6th International Inter-school environment quiz competition, organized by TERI in association with Hero Honda Motors Ltd, the World No.1 two-wheeler company, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, were felicitated at a special ceremony at India International Centre on 26 November 2004.
This year witnessed four global winners – two international and two Indian. Saket Choudhuri, Delhi Public School, Bokaro Steel City; Rohan Kohli, Atomic Energy Central School, Mumbai; Apoorva Santosh, Abudhabi Indian School, Abu Dhabi, U A E; and Zubaida Nasreen, Alkhor International School, Doha, Qatar received the first prize.
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Master M Harishankar and Master Hemant Kumar from Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1, Panambur, Mangalore: winners & Hero Honda Environment Ambassadors for TERRAQUIZ 2003. |
TERRAQUIZ 2003- saw teams participating from each of the four zones of the country along with the international teams. It was telecast on Doordarshan National Channel from December 2003 to March 2004. The focus for this year was on issues related to water. The programme was anchored by Mallika Saraibai, the famous dancer and television personality. Harishankar M and Hemanth Kumar from KV No 1, Panambur, Mangalore were the lucky winners. They walked away with prizes worth more than a lakh of rupees and other gifts.
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Master Suparn Goel and Master Arjun Sinha from The Mother’s International School: winners & Hero Honda Environment Ambassadors for TERRAQUIZ 2002. |
TERRAQUIZ 2002- looked at WSSD (World Summit on Sustainable Development) and its outcomes. The questions focussed on the Eighth Session of the Conference of Parties and the WSSD. Teams from Moscow, Kathmandu, and the Middle East, participated. It was telecast on Doordarshan’s National Channel from May 2003 to July 2003. Suparn Goel and Arjun Sinha from The Mother's International School, New Delhi emerged winners and were crowned the Hero Honda Environment Ambassadors for an entire year. The winners were given cash prizes and other gifts from the sponsors.
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Master Gokul Mahadevan, and Master Amit Vikram Das, from the Indian High School, Dubai - winners & Hero Honda Environment Ambassadors for TERRAQUIZ 2001 |
TERRAQUIZ 2001 - it was at this juncture (going by the growing popularity of the quiz show), that Hero Honda Motors Ltd became a part of the programme as its prime sponsor. The eight finalists were designated Hero Honda Environment Ambassadors who took forth the environmental message to fellow students. Thus began a unique partnership between TERI and Hero Honda Motors Ltd. The focus was on Rio plus10, and thus looked at environmental issues from an international perspective. The quiz show, was keenly contested with teams form Dubai and Kuwait also participating. Ms Sanjana Kapoor anchored the show yet again. Gokul Mahadevan, and Amit Vikram Das, from the Indian High School, Dubai won the final.
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Ishadarshi Mishra & Abhimanyu Arora from Army Public School: winners & Hero Honda Environment Ambassadors for TERRAQUIZ 2000. |
TERRAQUIZ 2000- was telecast on Doordarshan-I Channel from January 2001 to May 2001.The quiz programme was anchored by the noted theatre and TV personality, Sanjana Kapoor, and was graced by the presence of Ms Sharmila Tagore, Ms Shabana Azmi, Ms Nandita Das, Mr Khushwant Singh, Ms Nafisa Ali Sodhi, Mr Bishen Singh Bedi, Mr Jatin Das and others. The winners of the TERRAQUIZ 2000 were Ms Ishadarshi Mishra and Master Abhimanyu Arora of Army Public School, Noida.
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Rahul Madhavan & R V Ram from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Hyderabad: winners of the GREEN Olympiad & TERRAQUIZ 1999. |
TERRAQUIZ 1999- the first-ever, environment quiz series for schoolchildren was televised on Doordarshan Metro, from 14 November 1999 to 6 February 2000. Mr Arjun Raina, a Delhi-based theatre personality anchored TERRAQUIZ in its first year. The winners of this pulsating, quiz show were Rahul Madhavan and R V Ram from the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Public School, Hyderabad. The winners and the runners up were awarded study trips to the Andaman & Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep, respectively, by the President of India, during TERI's silver jubilee celebrations. The study trip was sponsored by Doordarshan.
Frequently asked questions
What is the GREEN Olympiad?
The GREEN Olympiad is India's first annual examination on environmental issues for middle and senior school students. The examination is designed innovatively to test the knowledge of students and also educate and sensitize them in the process. The only one of its kind in India, the GREEN Olympiad asks questions arising from issues such as air and water pollution, environment-friendly initiatives and practices, land and water resources, forests, wildlife, oceans, socio-economic aspects of natural resources, global climate change, and the roles of society to improve our environment.
Am I eligible to participate in the GREEN Olympiad?
If you are a student in class 8 through 10 and are currently studying in a public, private, government or a residential school, you are eligible to enter.
I am from a Hindi medium school; can I appear in GREEN Olympiad?
Yes of course. The examination is conducted both in English and Hindi. You can opt for either language.
If I already have appeared in the GREEN Olympiad in the past, can I enter again?
As long as you are a student in grades 8-10, you may enter the contest each year.
I am not an Indian citizen nor I reside in India, am I eligible for GREEN Olympiad?
Yes you are eligible for GREEN Olympiad, as it is open to foreign national as well. Since 2001, we have been getting entries from countries including Bhutan, Russia, Nepal, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
Is there a lower/upper limit to the number of nominations from a school?
A school can nominate as many students as it wishes - there is no upper limit to the number of nominations from a school. However, a minimum of 30 students per school is required for registration to the examination.
When will the examination be held this year?
26 September 2009.
What is the procedure for registration?
Schools can register for this project through the registration form. You can write to us to receive a form/ or download it from the GREEN Olympiad web site. We do not accept individual registrations from students.
What is the deadline for registration?
To register for the Green Olympiad 2009, send in your applications along with the registration form and draft (details in the registration form) so as to reach TERI by 07 August 2009.
Where should the registrations be sent?
Completed registration forms with the bank draft should be sent to
Environment Education and Awareness Area
TERI
Darbari Seth Block
IHC Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110 003.
How do I prepare for the examination?
There are various ways to brush up your knowledge. Read as many articles as you can on environmental issues in magazines, newspapers, books, journals, encyclopedias. You can watch channels such as Discovery, Animal Planet, and National Geographic. Besides this, you could order a copy of the six volumes of the GREEN Olympiad and TERRAQUIZ: knowledge books on environment. These books have well-researched, unique question banks that will help educate and sensitize students all over India and also sensitize to environmental issues.
How will I know if I have cleared GREEN Olympiad?
The results will be posted on our Web site time in October 2009. Certificates along with complete marklist will be also sent to all participating schools.
Are there any prizes for students writing GREEN Olympiad?
Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) awards 'certificates of participation' to all students who participate in GREEN Olympiad. Merit and Distinction certificates are also given to top performers. There is also a cash award for the state toppers.
The top 32 performing schools of GREEN Olympiad are also selected to participate in TERRAQUIZ.
What is TERRAQUIZ all about?
The GREEN Olympiad finally culminates into TERRAQUIZ, the first environmental quiz programme for school students. TERRAQUIZ is a 13-episode quiz programme based on topics of daily concern - local as well as global. Each year, seven teams from each of the four zones and four teams from outside India are selected to participate in TERRAQUIZ. It is an interactive quiz and the rounds are designed on the lines of a game show. Attractive audiovisuals impart a unique flavour.
How does one qualify for TERRAQUIZ?
When the GREEN Olympiad examination is over, the results are collated and 64 students from the top performing 32 schools are invited to participate in TERRAQUIZ.
What is the visibility of TERRAQUIZ?
TERRAQUIZ has been annually telecast on popular television channel. All 32 teams who participate in TERRAQUIZ receive attractive prizes. Schools are also recognized and awarded for their performance.
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