On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, Oberoi International School (OIS) along with its students initiated a drive to spread awareness among the general public about the importance of ‘going green’ while celebrating the most famous festival in Maharashtra.
 
OIS students launched ‘Ganesha Sustainability Project’, wherein students sculpted Lord Ganesh idols made out of eco-friendly materials at the school premises. Through this initiative, OIS took a local festival such as Ganesh Chaturthi as a tool to convey solutions to global ecological issues so that students could learn and understand the impact of their actions on the world around them. The school believes this will help the younger generation to become a part of creating a sustainable world.
 
As many as 421 students from grades 6 to 12 participated in the Ganesha Sustainability Project. Various bio-degradable materials like ‘Shaadu’ (eco-friendly clay), veg dye, dry flowers, dry twigs, newspapers, etc. were used to sculpt eco-friendly Ganesha idols. The eco-friendly Ganesha idols sculpted by the students will be displayed at School celebration assembly on 20th September 2013.
 
Speaking on this noble initiative, Dr. Vladimir Kuskovski, Head of school, Oberoi International School, “One of our Core Values is Social Responsibility, which is very acute here in India. Also being an international school, we do as much as we can to incorporate in our teaching and learning various customs, festivals and traditions from all over the world. Of course, we focus on our host country culture also and use every opportunity to enrich the educational experience of our students. Ganesha festival is a very important one for our local culture and has been celebrated here for centuries. As times changed, the significance of the festival did not decrease, but what comes along with it now represents a real danger to our environment. So, our Secondary School students endeavoured on the quest to find ways of celebrating this festival in a more sustainable way. In other words, to keep traditions and its importance intact yet find ways to protect our surroundings from additional pollution. That is how the idea of eco-friendly Ganesha was born among our students and they enthusiastically carried it out.”

Dr. Vladimir also explained that despite the growing awareness, there is still a large segment of people that remains unacquainted with the eco-friendly Ganesha movement. It is necessary to maintain the momentum of spreading awareness among the common masses. People need to be educated about the importance of Green Ganesha movement through various mediums.

OIS students will also conduct a clean-up drive at Aksa beach, Mumbai, on the morning of September 21, 2013 after Ganesh Visarjan. Environmental pollution is one of the most crucial concerns today and marine life, especially in and around Mumbai, is deteriorating at an alarming rate. OIS has conceived the clean-up drive to spread a strong message on ways to save water, which is being contaminated due to our imprudent behaviour. This will also expose the students to ecological concerns and awareness in terms of marine pollution.