Instagram Live with Ms. Chetna Verma
- ruchira nigam
- May 23
- 3 min read
Blog No. 1625/PI - Written by -
Ruchira Nigam, Project Coordinator, Prithvi Innovations &
Ms. Anuradha Gupta, Founder General Secretary, Prithvi Innovations
Bioscope – “Aashayein” | Episode 6#VoicesOfMotherEarth
Date: 4th May 2025
Guest Speaker: Ms. Chetna Verma, 2nd BEST Green Teacher Awardee, Eco-Club Incharge, S.D. Public School, Delhi
Moderated by: Ms. Anuradha Gupta, Founder, Prithvi Innovations
1️⃣ Green Games to Combat Food Waste 🥗🎲
As Eco-Club Incharge, Ms. Verma introduced innovative “green games” that teach students to estimate portions, cook mindfully, and play engaging quizzes around meal planning.
Students compete in “Zero-Waste Plate Challenges,” where they plate meals with no leftovers, turning conscious eating into a fun, interactive activity.
These games have reduced cafeteria food waste by over 30% in just one semester—proof that learning through play can spark real behavioral change.
2️⃣ Three Pillars of the Eco-Club 🌿🏫
Ms. Verma reiterated the club’s three foundational pillars:
Paper Recycling: Students collect used worksheets, notebooks, and scrap paper every Friday. They set up campus-wide bins labeled “Reuse,” “Recycle,” and “Compost,” ensuring segregation at the source.
Growing Air-Purifying Plants: Every classroom now boasts its own pot of Snake Plant, Spider Plant, or Aloe Vera—chosen for their ability to filter indoor air. Students take turns watering and logging plant growth in a shared “Green Journal.”
Composting: Kitchen scraps and garden trimmings go into brightly painted compost bins behind the school garden. Over 200 kg of organic waste per month transforms into nutrient-rich soil, used in the school garden and shared with neighborhood households.
3️⃣ How the School Follows Up on These Initiatives 📈💚
Monthly “Eco-Audits” are conducted by student volunteers who measure paper consumption, count the number of thriving indoor plants, and track compost output.
Results are displayed on a large “Eco-Meter” board in the main corridor—visible to all staff and students—fostering healthy competition between classes.
Every term, the school publishes a short “Eco-Report” newsletter, highlighting success stories (e.g., Class 7B’s paper usage dropped 40%) and featuring tips from the Eco-Club.
4️⃣ Views on Frog Conservation 🐸🌍
Ms. Verma emphasized that amphibians are early indicators of ecosystem health and spoke passionately about the local pond restoration project where students monitor frog egg clutches each monsoon.
She highlighted how the club organized “Pond Patrols”—guided field trips where students learned to identify frog species, record sightings, and note any signs of pollution or habitat disturbance.
By linking frog conservation to water-quality tests students perform (pH, nitrates, turbidity), they see firsthand how human actions affect these sensitive creatures.
5️⃣ Two Decades of Green Teaching Innovations 📚🌱
“Grow-Your-Own Greens” Program: Under Ms. Verma’s guidance, every student plants a kitchen herb or vegetable sapling (spinach, coriander, mint) in the school garden. They maintain weekly growth charts, learning responsibility and the science behind food cycles.
“Ek Pedh Maa Ke Naam”: A heartfelt initiative where students, along with their parents, dedicate trees to their mothers. In 2024 alone, over 150 Moringa, Neem, and Peepal saplings were sown—with parents volunteering to nurture them at home.
Parent-Student Green Workshops: Monthly weekend sessions invite families to learn vermicomposting, organic pest control, and seed-saving. This has strengthened the school-community bond and ensured eco-friendly practices extend beyond campus.
6️⃣ Unique Approaches to Traditional Knowledge 📜🌾
The school organizes “Global Platform Programs,” where students present on Old Stories and Traditional Knowledge—for instance:
Indigenous farming techniques (e.g., millets, rainwater harvesting).
Folklore about monsoon and biodiversity, connecting ancient wisdom to modern conservation.
These sessions are live-streamed, inviting alumni, local elders, and environmental experts to share insights—bridging generational gaps while celebrating cultural heritage.
7️⃣ Feedback on the Insta Live Experience 📲💬
Ms. Verma described the live session as “incredibly energizing,” noting how the real-time questions from viewers across India inspired impromptu demonstrations—like showing students how to make a simple kitchen composter on camera.
Students Kanishka, Mohit, and Prince shared that speaking live felt “empowering”—they loved answering audience queries about seed germination and crop rotation.
The interactive format, with on-screen polls and Q&A stickers, kept everyone engaged. Many viewers messaged later to say they tried growing basil at home or started small compost bins—proof that the conversation sparked action.
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