Four schools from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh win Wipro earthian Awards 2025

JAMMU: Wipro Limited, a leading AI-powered technology services and consulting company, today hosted the 15th edition of the Wipro earthian Awards 2025 at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. The annual program promotes integrated sustainability education and recognizes schools and colleges across India that demonstrate meaningful and enduring engagement with sustainable practices and principles.

The 2025 Wipro earthian program saw over 2,000 submissions, with an independent jury selecting 25 winning teams. The projects showcased fresh insight into biodiversity, waste, and water, combining hands-on activities with reflective written work. Among these winners, four schools from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh were awarded for their exceptional work.

Winners from the region included:

• Druk Padma Karpo School, Shey, Leh, Ladakh: Students from the renowned “3 Idiots Rancho School” investigated Ladakh’s growing waste crisis through research, field visits, and creative outputs. They examined urban and rural waste systems, engaged with NGOs like PAGIR, and practiced segregation, composting, and zero‑waste initiatives at school. Their study highlighted rising threats from plastic pollution, tourism, and changing lifestyles affecting the environment and public health. Interviews with authorities, waste workers, community members, and His Eminence Thuksey Rinpoche helped them understand both operational and cultural dimensions of waste management. The project culminated in impactful learning artifacts—comics, data visualizations, essays, a school magazine, and a waste‑themed ramp walk—turning environmental awareness into action.

• Government Girls Higher Secondary School Nishat, Jammu & Kashmir: The team documented biodiversity on their campus and conducted detailed surveys in Dachigam National Park to understand the role of sustainability in maintaining ecological balance. The project highlights how human activities—deforestation, pollution, resource overuse, and climate change—are driving biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. It explains the interdependence of organisms and ecosystems, emphasizing biodiversity’s role in food security, climate regulation, soil health, and clean air and water. The study promotes sustainable practices such as resource conservation, waste reduction, recycling, afforestation, and wildlife protection, while underscoring the responsibility of individuals, communities, and governments in safeguarding biodiversity. Overall, it reinforces that preserving biodiversity is vital for ecological stability, economic progress, and the well‑being of present and future generations.

• Government Higher Secondary School, B.K. Pora, Jammu & Kashmir: The student team conducted a biodiversity survey around their school, identifying wild edible plants, insects, and bird species while documenting changes through interactions with local farmers, beekeepers, potters, nursery owners, and others. They built an insect habitat, deepening their appreciation for small but vital organisms and highlighting the ecological value of even small green spaces. The project revealed how seasonal shifts and human activities influence local biodiversity. Participation in the Wipro earthian initiative helped students develop ecological awareness, responsibility, and compassion, inspiring them to make sustainable choices in their daily lives.

• PM Shri Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Leh, Ladakh: The team conducted a field-based study of traditional and modern water‑conservation systems in Ladakh, focusing on Nubra and Zanskar. Through interactions with villagers and local leaders, they explored how communities manage water scarcity in the cold desert. The project highlighted Ladakh as a model of climate resilience, documenting traditional practices like chures (community water turns) and zings (meltwater reservoirs), along with innovations such as artificial glaciers. Their research included case studies, glacier‑water harvesting analysis, and climate‑resilient farming methods. The final documentation showcased how indigenous wisdom combined with modern solutions ensures sustainable water management and strengthens community survival in a harsh environment

Anurag Behar, Chief Executive Officer, Azim Premji Foundation, and Narayan P. S., Global Head of Sustainability and Societal Initiatives, Wipro Limited, and Managing Trustee, Wipro Foundation, presented certificates and cash prizes to the winning teams.

“The strength of the Wipro earthian program lies in grounding sustainability in lived reality, helping students understand water stress through nearby lakes and rivers, biodiversity through neighborhood species, and waste through everyday community practices,” said Narayan P.S. “Across regions and schools, students have moved well beyond awareness to sustained engagement, approaching real environmental challenges with curiosity, rigor, and empathy. Their work reflects a deep understanding of sustainability as a shared responsibility. At a time when global crises can feel distant or overwhelming, it reinforces an essential principle that meaningful care for the planet begins at home.”

Since its inception in 2011, Wipro earthian has engaged with more than 51,000 schools, 210,000 students, and 41,000 teachers. Its impact has grown through collaborations with partners such as CEE (Center for Environment Education), CPREEC (C.P.R. Environmental Education Center), Wild Ecologues, IIT Madras, IIM Bangalore, state governments, and educators in the Sustainability Educators Network.

The full list of winners for Wipro earthian Awards 2025 is available here.

The earthian Awards reflects Wipro’s commitment to progress fueled by purpose, translating its sustainability focus into consistent, on-ground engagement with communities. Through such initiatives, Wipro aims to drive long-term impact by building awareness and action on critical environmental challenges.