The 9th grade boys at Al-Falah High School in Hyderabad, India started a Clean and Green project to address issues in their community like air pollution. They imagined ways to combat these problems and decided to plant trees at a nearby hospital and on their school grounds. They collected donations from other classes to fund the purchase of plants. They then planted trees at the hospital and had each class plant their own plant at school. They shared the project with other students and staff to encourage continuing the initiative in the future.

1. Design for
Change 2011
Clean and Green Project
9th Class Boys
Al-Falah High School
Lalapet, Hyderabad
Mentor Teacher:
Catherine Appleton

2. Feel
• To start our project, the students were asked, “What is
something in your community, or in general, that bothers
you, makes you upset, or sad?”
• They had many answers such as:
– Poverty
– Traffic
– Sound and air pollution
– Over population
– Child labor
– No proper road and electricity in the villages
– Open drainage systems
• After discussing these topics in their smaller groups, we
tried to focus on specific topics within these larger
categories which were directly related to the students’
community.

3. Imagine
• The students imagined
many different ways to
combat all of these
problems.
• They talked out their ideas
in groups, as well as writing
down all the ways they
could tackle these very
important problems.
• In the end, they decided
they wanted to work on air
pollution and making their •They then had to imagine how to do this.
community cleaner by Where would we get the funding for the
planting trees at a nearby
plants and trees and the tools to do the
hospital, as well as on the
planting?
school grounds.

4. Imagine
• By talking with their teachers, the students found
a teacher who was willing to donate four trees
which had just started to grow near her home.
• Also, the students collected money from each
class, 6th -10th, in order to fund the purchasing of
the plants that would be planted on the school
grounds for each class. This way, students would
be more invested in taking care of their class
plant since they invested their money into the
plant.

5. Do
• Then we starting the “Do”ing. Our first stop was at the nearby hospital.
• The students planted a total of four trees at the hospital, as well as cleaned
up some of the shrubbery.
• They worked extremely hard digging up the soil, planting the trees, and
cleaning the grounds.

6. Do
Our next stop was back at school. We
purchased enough plants so that each 6th – 10th
class could plant their own plant. Each class had
a turn to come on stage and plant their plant,
along with their homeroom teacher.

7. • The 9th class boys were able
to share their project with all
students in 6th -10th grades. Share
• All the students in 6th – 10th
grade are now responsible
for taking care of their class
plant, as well as deciding
where to plant it once it
grows out of it’s pot.
• The principal and office staff
also participated in the
planting and were very eager
to continue the clean and
green project in the future.
• We will also be sharing the
story of our project with the
1st- 5th classes at the school
in order for all students to
understand that they can be
the change.