Eco-warriors in school playgrounds

With the world facing a climate crisis, the need for environmental awareness and education is more pressing than ever. That's where the Green Medal Initiative comes into play – a unique program that uses sports to drive behavior change among school kids and teach them about waste, recycling, and sustainability through playful experiences.
The program focuses on key areas such as climate change awareness, impact on oceans, animals, planet, waste segregation at source, recyclable materials, 3-bin approach, overflowing landfills, sustainable everyday practices, know your possessions, and recycling vs upcycling.
To make it engaging, the program includes physical activity lesson plans that combine play and learning, such as the Ball Toss Challenge. Round 1 involves children aiming all the balls at the goalpost labelled "Landfill".
In Round 2, kids throw balls with different stickers like plastic bottle, toothpaste, food, in different labelled baskets. This challenge helps kids understand how segregation leads to lesser time in managing waste and efficient recycling.
As part of the Green Medal Initiative, kids are encouraged to get creative and build a DIY upcycled car using waste materials they have at home. Once the cars are built, children get to race them and winners are chosen based on the distance their car travels and how innovative their use of waste materials is.
This fun and interactive activity not only teaches children about sustainability and recycling, but also encourages them to think creatively and take action towards a greener future. As a special reward, all participants receive a Green Medal made from recycled plastic.
It's incredibly important to teach children from a young age about recycling and sustainability, and the role they play in shaping our future. By integrating environmental literacy into the curriculum, we can create a generation of eco-warriors who understand the impact of their actions and are committed to making a difference.
The Green Medal Initiative is not just about educating kids on environmental issues, but also about inspiring them to make a change. By combining sports and education, we can create a fun and engaging learning experience that promotes a healthy lifestyle and a sustainable future.
The Green Medal Initiative is designed to be integrated with EduSports, a highly-scaled in-school program running across more than 1,500 schools impacting over 700,000 children across over 250 cities in India.
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About the Author
Nupur Gupta is head of LTV Products & Partnerships. Nupur strongly believes in learning through play. At Sportz Village, she has been working closely with schools, brands and other partners to create memorable sporting opportunities for kids.
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