June 2025 | 483 words | 2-minute read
The term “agents of change” is a powerful one—though not typically associated with children. However, in 2007, Tata Power challenged that notion by launching its flagship CSR initiative, Club Enerji. The programme empowers young minds to lead environmental initiatives by distilling big ideas into practical solutions. The initiative has, over time, evolved into Club Enerji EcoCrew, India’s largest energy literacy movement, reaching over 1.5 lakh children across 500 schools.
With a focus on energy conservation, resource management, and sustainability, the campaign equips children with the knowledge and tools they need to become catalysts for transformative action. EcoCrew was born from the insight that students are natural influencers within their homes and communities—and have the power to make a difference.
Making sustainability fun
EcoCrew delivers over 50,000 minutes of learning on global warming, solar power, and energy conservation, and has been implemented in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand for now. A structured, outcome-driven approach is used to track both knowledge retention and behavioural change.
At the heart of EcoCrew’s design is the goal of making sustainability personal, fun, and hands-on. Every student receives an EcoCrew booklet filled with interactive activities, such as building a solar oven, solving energy-themed crosswords, and reading the Globey comic series. The 21-day challenge is gamified with points, leaderboards, and digital badges to keep students actively engaged and help translate abstract concepts into everyday actions.
While the 21-day online sustainability challenge provides real-time insights through metrics like task completion, energy-saving pledges, and creative submissions, the data points serve as indicators of mindset shifts and long-term habit formation. Pre- and post-programme assessments with students and teachers is used to evaluate conceptual understanding.
To establish on-ground school connections at scale, Tata Power partnered with a regional media platform spanning print, radio and digital. The latter’s reach, credibility, and cross-platform presence enabled effective outreach, coordination, and extensive school participation.
Taking it to next level
EcoCrew aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasises experiential and value-based learning. To ensure effective implementation, experienced partners with a strong presence in school ecosystems have been onboarded. These partners are trained using a comprehensive suite of EcoCrew-specific content, including workshop decks, activity guides, and engagement playbooks developed by Tata Power’s core team. Regular check-ins, field visits, and feedback mechanisms ensure consistent quality and alignment with the programme’s sustainability vision.
Looking ahead, Tata Power aims to expand into new geographies with vernacular-language content to ensure deeper penetration. Upcoming enhancements include a digitised dashboard to track student engagement, modules promoting rooftop solar adoption, and partnerships with ed-tech platforms to deepen digital learning.
—Anju Maskeri
