Sustainability: Norm not Exception

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How do we raise children for a future we can’t fully predict? A future where the careers they follow might not even exist today, where the problems they’ll face are beyond our current imagination, and where the tools they’ll use are still being invented. How do we help them not just survive, but truly thrive in a world that’s deeply connected, and act with integrity and responsibility toward people and the planet? How do we take them on the path of sustainability, making it a norm and not an exception?

The seeds of empathy and awareness towards the environment and all living beings should be planted early on. Schools are spaces where children begin to form lifelong values, and what better place than here to introduce sustainability not as a subject, but as an approach toward life?

The link between sustainability and education is deeply intertwined. It is not just about planting trees on World Environment Day, creating a club, or conducting a one-off cleanliness drive. It is about weaving environmental consciousness into everyday learning. Unfortunately, for decades, sustainable practices have either been absent or have existed as tokenism in our education system. Barring a few exceptions, sustainability has often been treated like a topic, not a thread that ties into pedagogy, values, and everyday behaviour.

Intersectional & Intentional

The World Economic Forum, in a study about skills needed for 2030, highlighted “Environmental Stewardship” as an emerging skill, and “resilience, flexibility and agility” as core skills. That alone should be enough to understand the urgency. Climate change is not a distant reality anymore. In New Delhi, children face school closures due to heat waves. In Gujarat, untimely rains have been affecting mango crops. Financial literacy, emotional intelligence, digital literacy and sustainability are all skills for today’s children.

The approach to sustainability in the classroom must be intersectional: Bringing films to the classroom; fostering emotional intelligence in children; inculcating curiosity and safe spaces to experiment and fail; and thus, building skills to collaborate meaningfully.

Role of Schools

Educators and practitioners play a crucial role in making this shift. Starting with waste segregation into dry, wet, and bio-hazardous categories is foundational. Composting is an activity that not only teaches science but also responsibility. Children must be enabled to deal with waste, rather than be shielded from it. This not only builds problem-solving skills but also removes the stigma around waste. By involving them in these practices, we move from theory to lived experience.

There is an opportunity for schools to position themselves as nurturing, forward-looking spaces, where children are not only informed about sustainability but also participate in it. A low-waste campus is not just an ideal; it’s entirely achievable. Schools can lead by example by initiating pre-loved festivals or thrift events where children experience the joy of reuse. Such initiatives not only reduce waste but also challenge the deep-seated ideas around consumption.

Unlearning for the Future

Our current systems, driven by capitalism and a constant push towards newer, shinier, faster, only reward consumption. Children are born into this loop. But the hope is: they can unlearn, and they can lead the way. Children have the power to influence adult behaviour too. If these lessons are internalised early, they can shift family practices and bring wider change. 

Students should be encouraged to participate regularly in sustainability-related programs—not once a year, but as a part of their evolving journey. Workshops, nature walks, environmental clubs, student-led green initiatives, and leadership programs focused on climate action are great starting points. One could also involve students in eco audits of their schools—assessing energy use, water consumption, and waste patterns—followed by action plans that they themselves help execute.

Homeschoolers and young mothers often lead the way in sustainable living, as their actions are driven by concern and love for their children’s future. Schools must become an extension of this kind of practical, life-based learning.

Challenges

One of the biggest is breaking habits—whether it is the use of plastic, food wastage, or unchecked consumption. Resources and tools are abundant, but seldom reliable and children friendly. Another major hurdle is filling the social gap that children carry with them into classrooms. Not every child comes from a background where sustainability is valued or even understood. Some may be accustomed to scarcity; others to abundance. So, how do we build common ground? Through shared experiences, not lectures. Hands-on activities, collaborative projects, and student-led initiatives that can foster peer learning.

Conclusion

Learning spaces should move towards becoming low-waste campuses. To schools that haven’t yet started on this path: it’s never too late. Begin with simple steps. Start a compost bin. Ban single-use plastics. Set up an annual sustainability festival. Conduct an audit of your campus waste. Plant trees, but also track their growth and upkeep. Don’t wait for a budget or an external consultant. Start with the will to act.

Sustainability shouldn’t be the exception, it should be the norm. We owe it to the children we are teaching today. Let’s give them the tools, the mindset, and the practice to lead us into a greener, kinder, and (hopefully) cooler world (literally)!