Students of Orchids The International School engage in Horticulture, initiate ‘Care for Soil’ campaign to celebrate World Soil Day

Gurugram, December 7, 2022: Students of Orchids The International School (OIS), Gurugram initiated the ‘Care for Soil’ campaign on World Soil Day to create awareness of the significance of healthy soil and encouraged everyone to initiate small but impactful activities to improve soil health and engage themselves in horticulture. Students from OIS South City 1, Golf Course Road, and Sector 56 participated in the campaign. A workshop on soil conservation, planting seeds of fruits and vegetables and saplings at the school premises, and student-made green wristbands were the highlights of the campaign. 

The students planted saplings at the school premises and created green wristbands from recyclable materials to mark the day. They also planted various seeds across the campuses, including spinach, fenugreek, coriander, and many more.

The students were enlightened on three significant initiatives that help conserve soil during the workshop - plant decomposition, waste segregation, and vermicompost. For the plant decomposition process, the students were given instructions on the layering procedure that must be carried out in a container, wherein first kitchen waste such as fruit peels, vegetable peels, egg shells, etc., will be placed, followed by shredded leaves or sawdust to manage moisture to get the compost pile ready. Students were also given a session on how waste can accumulate into landfills if not segregated as dry or wet and can result in land pollution. An interesting session on vermicomposting, where earthworms are used for decomposing waste to create organic manure, was also discussed during the workshop. 

"Preservation of soil is the need of the hour, and we are happy that the children were enthusiastic about understanding soil conservation and what they can do to help preserve the soil. Horticulture is part of our curriculum at OIS, and we hope to initiate such insightful sessions for our students, which can increase awareness of soil preservation and enhance their connection with nature”, said Dr. Nidhi Duggal, Principal - Orchids The International School, Sector 41, Gurugram. 

"The workshop was quite interesting. I developed a keen interest in plants and nurturing them through our horticulture curriculum at school. The workshop has enhanced my knowledge of the various ways organic manure can be prepared and why and how it is beneficial for the soil. Moreover, I am glad that most of these things are what we can start doing at our homes, and I hope to start a home garden soon”, said Yashika Sharma, Student - Grade 8, South City 1, Gurugram.  

“The campaign was a huge success, and we are glad that the children enjoyed the session. Students received first-hand information on what they could do to preserve and conserve soil. We hope to conduct many such activities and initiatives going forward”, said Renu Singh, Principal, Orchids The International School - Golf Course Road, Gurugram.  

“The wristbands made by the students were innovative and unique. They made a compost pit to recycle food and organic waste and planted saplings across the campus, spreading the word on the importance of soil conservation and horticulture”, said Vibha Gupta, Principal, Orchids The International School - Sector 56, Gurugram.

The workshop was conducted in association with Utthan NGO.