Students, parents and teachers joined hands to contribute to the restoration of the ecosystem on the occasion of this year’s World Environment Day, sharing their green initiatives and motivating more people to contribute to a greener world.

Forty-six students, 16 parents and six staff members participated in the event and sent pictures of their personal gardens - the green spaces they started in their own homes and spaces. They were adding to the United Nations initiative of ‘Ecosystem Restoration’, which encourages the society to assist in the recovery of the ecosystems which are depleted due to greenhouse gases and overconsumption.

The initiative is part of GIIS’s 9GEMS holistic development programmes, under which students are asked to participate in activities for the community and social improvement, teaching them to care for the environment and be equal participants in the sustainability of the planet. 

Students, parents and teachers posted pictures of their favourite plants and home gardens and showcased their contributions giving space to their inner environmentalist and helping conserve what can be salvaged. They also actively planted more saplings on a small scale.

Speaking on this initiative, student Afifa Mahmood of Grade 8, CLSP said she did not know much about the occasion until her teacher introduced her to the concept. "I decided to research more, and realised that the drastic changes to the environment are due to many disasters, pollution, and other factors". Participating in this initiative taught her to spread awareness of the need to plant more trees, and do something for the environment. 

"I can use my research and thoughts to make the world, my school, my community, and my neighbourhood a better place," she said. 

Another student Ridhima Bajpai observed how strange it is that we are destroying the things we need so much. "The air we breathe is the same one we pollute. The soil we walk on is the same one that erodes. The plants we harvest are the same we cut and the animals we love are the same we kill," she wrote in an essay. 

"I think that we should work as individuals to end pollution and save ourselves, by protecting the environment," she wrote.