Karnataka govt school eco club's QR code initiative brings flora to life

The Eco Club of Government High School, Badaga Yekkar, has launched a unique initiative of placing QR codes on plants and trees within the school premises.

This initiative, undertaken as part of World Earth Day celebrations, was implemented under the guidance of Eco Club convener Ramya and school headmistress Indira N. Rao.

Currently, QR codes have been installed for 10 plants and trees, including Renje, guava, jackfruit, mango, neem, fig, and banana. Scanning the codes provides detailed information about each plant, such as health benefits, cultivation tips, uses, and suitable weather conditions.

Teachers said that, as part of the project, students gathered information on the plants and trees found on the school campus. They used a web portal to generate specific QR codes based on their research. These QR codes were then downloaded, printed, and displayed on the respective plants and trees. The initiative has been documented and uploaded to ecoclub.education.gov.in under the school’s login, within the sub-theme “QR Code for Flora” under the broader theme “Adopt Healthy Lifestyle.”

Teacher Ramya said, “Eco Clubs play a significant role in promoting environmental awareness among students. These clubs have now been rebranded as Eco Clubs for Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), aligning their activities with the seven themes of Mission LiFE—adopting healthy lifestyles, adopting sustainable food systems, reducing e-waste, minimizing waste, conserving energy, conserving water, and saying no to single-use plastics. This initiative is a crucial step toward sensitising children to environmental and climate issues and nurturing environmentally responsible behaviour.”

She further emphasised that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 encourages the integration of environmental awareness and sustainability into the school curriculum, aiming to instil ecological consciousness from an early age. “Eco Clubs can play a vital role in promoting the goals of Mission LiFE and in shaping students into ‘pro-planet’ individuals,” she added.

Teacher Anith Kumar, who prepared the blueprint for the project, told Deccan Herald that students have also been encouraged to create similar QR codes for the plants and trees in their home surroundings. “These QR codes will help people unfamiliar with certain plants to learn more about them,” he said.

Balakrishna Nayak, Secretary of the Karnataka State Government Employees' Association and a teacher at Karnataka Public School, Muthur, praised the initiative, calling it innovative and valuable for helping students gain knowledge about the flora in their environment.