New Delhi: On World Environment Day 2026, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) officially launched ‘GREEN Olympiad 2026’, its flagship initiative on environment education for schools, at a multistakeholder consultation convened in New Delhi.
Celebrated every year on June 5, World Environment Day serves as a platform to encourage awareness, dialogue, and collective action towards pressing environmental challenges. This year’s theme, “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future,” echoes the core vision of GREEN Olympiad 2026, which seeks to inspire young learners to become environmentally conscious citizens and future leaders through knowledge, innovation, and sustainable action.
Organized by TERI’s Environment Education & Awareness (EEA) Division, the consultation brought together senior representatives from ministries, education boards, schools, academia, and sustainability institutions to deliberate on strengthening environmental awareness and action-oriented learning among young people.
“More than 25 years ago, TERI recognized that environment education would be critical to preparing future generations for the challenges facing our planet. At a time when sustainability was yet to become a mainstream concern, GREEN Olympiad was launched to nurture environmental awareness and responsible action among young learners. Today, as climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource stress continue to intensify, this mission is more relevant than ever. We are grateful to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Ministry of Education, State Education Departments, national educational boards, and our partner institutions whose continued support has helped GREEN Olympiad grow into one of India’s leading environment education initiatives,” shared Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI.
Welcoming the participants, Dr Dipankar Saharia, Senior Director, Social Transformation & Strategic Alliance, TERI emphasized the growing importance of integrating sustainability into mainstream education systems. “At TERI, our work over the last five decades has been guided by the belief that sustainable development can only be achieved when knowledge is translated into action and individuals are empowered to make choices that benefit both people and the planet. Environmental education has therefore remained at the heart of our efforts, as it provides the foundation upon which future generations can build a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable society,” he said.
The event featured an audio-visual presentation showcasing the journey and impact of GREEN Olympiad since its inception in 1999.
Delivering the Special Address on “Evolving Integration of Environment Education in School Curriculum,” Dr Chong Shimray, Professor, Department of Education in Science and Mathematics, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), highlighted the importance of aligning environmental learning with contemporary educational frameworks and classroom practices. Dr Shimray said, “Following the 1972 Stockholm Conference, several initiatives were undertaken in India. Over the years, environment education evolved through policy interventions, judicial directions, and curriculum reforms. Today, environment education is no longer viewed only as a separate subject but as a theme that is integrated across disciplines and learning experiences. Education in the form of Learning About and Caring for the Environment (LACE) is now being considered a cross-cutting theme and will be included across all stages and grades. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) also recommends a compulsory Environment Education subject at the secondary level. This subject will not only address the science aspects of environmental issues but will be interdisciplinary in nature, helping students develop a holistic perspective and empowering them to take action.”
Delivering the keynote address, Leena Nandan, Distinguished Fellow, TERI and Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India highlighted the importance of youth participation in advancing India’s environment and sustainability goals. “World Environment Day should not remain the one day on which we think about the environment. Sustainability must become central to our actions, behaviours, and choices throughout the year. As we prepare young people to become responsible and environmentally conscious decision-makers, the role of teachers becomes critical in making environmental education relatable and actionable. Climate change cannot remain a concept discussed in classrooms alone—we must help students connect it to their everyday lives and empower them to become agents of change. Continuous collaboration and continuous coordination is the way to go, and I hope that will be the outcome of today’s discussion,” she remarked.
Introducing the roadmap for GREEN Olympiad 2026, Dr Livleen K Kahlon, Director, Environment Education & Awareness (EEA), TERI outlined the initiative’s vision of promoting interdisciplinary and experiential learning on sustainability themes among school students. “GREEN Olympiad is a ‘whole-school’ approach to environmental education. While students are our direct beneficiaries, the impact extends to teachers, school leadership, families, and communities. We are continuously adapting the programme to align with emerging priorities such as climate education, green skills, and Mission LiFE, ensuring that sustainability learning remains relevant, relatable, and accessible to schools across the country. Our effort is to integrate GREEN Olympiad with existing educational ecosystems so that every student becomes aware of the programme, either through participation or engagement. With representation from over 580 districts and participation from more than 1.2 lakh students last year, we are committed to expanding this reach further and ensuring that environment education becomes an integral part of every learner’s journey,” she shared.
A high-level conversational roundtable, moderated by Ms Taru Mehta, Senior Fellow and Associate Director, EEA, TERI, and chaired by Prof Yukti Sharma, Department of Education and Joint Director, Institute of Lifelong Learning, University of Delhi, brought together experts from the National Museum of Natural History, UNICEF’s YuWaah, CSIR-NIScPR, ESRI, and NABET-QCI,.
Discussions explored how environmental education can be strengthened through school curricula, youth-centered programmes, corporate and community engagement, eco-clubs, and collaborative partnerships. Participants also reflected on emerging opportunities to enhance the reach and impact of GREEN Olympiad in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and India’s broader sustainability agenda.
The event culminated with the official launch of the GREEN Olympiad 2026 registration portal, followed by a live demonstration of the platform by Ms Saumya Pant, Project Associate, EEA, TERI, marking the commencement of registrations for schools and students across the country. The registration portal of GREEN Olympiad is https://www.terigreenolympiad.com.
The hybrid consultation extended its reach to partner institutions and schools in India through TERI’s GREEN Olympiad network, facilitating nationwide engagement on environmental education and sustainability among educators, students, and key stakeholders.
GREEN Olympiad 2026 is endorsed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and aligns with the principles of Mission LiFE, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
