Founder

 

A note from the founder​

“The Green School Bangalore did not begin as an institution or a project. It began as a question I carried with me in the early 2000s,“what could education look like if it truly honoured the child, the earth, and the future we are shaping together?”

During my travels, I encountered learning spaces that felt radically different from the schools I had known. Places like The Green School in Bali showed me that education could exist in deep dialogue with nature – where classrooms breathed, walls dissolved, and learning unfolded through experience, not instruction alone. These spaces stayed with me, quietly reshaping my understanding of what a school could be.

I dreamed of creating a school in India that was not merely inspired by sustainability, but
rooted in it. A place where sustainability was not taught as a concept, but lived every day, in
the way the campus was designed, in the way resources were used, and in the way children
learned to observe, care, and take responsibility. I imagined open classrooms, learning that
flowed outdoors, and an environment that encouraged curiosity, reflection, and connection.

The Green School Bangalore was founded on the belief that education must go beyond academic success. It must help children grow into thoughtful, grounded individuals, young people who understand their relationship with the world and their role within it. Here, learning is experiential, slow where it needs to be, and responsive to the natural rhythms of childhood. We value questions as much as answers, and process as much as outcome.

Building TGSB has been a journey of patience, courage, and faith, in children, in educators, and in the idea that schools can be spaces of beauty and integrity. What began as a personal dream has grown into a living community, shaped every day by the students who learn here, the teachers who guide them, and the families who share this vision.

The Green School Bangalore continues to evolve, but its heart remains the same: to nurture green leaders, conscious citizens, and compassionate human beings, rooted in the earth, and open to the world.

This school is my way of giving shape to a hope I have carried for years, that education can be gentle, meaningful, and deeply transformative.”

Usha Iyer
Founder, Director
The Green School Bangalore & The Bangalore School

About Ms. Usha Iyer

Founder-Director | Educationist | Sustainability Advocate | School Leader

Ms. Usha Iyer is a distinguished educationist with over 41 years of extensive experience in the field of school education. Renowned for her visionary leadership and commitment to transformative learning, she has worked across leading curricula including ICSE, ISC, CBSE, IB (PYP & DP), and Cambridge (IGCSE, AS & A Levels). Her academic and professional journey reflects a deep engagement with school transformation, curriculum innovation, and building learner-centric ecosystems across India.

Professional Journey & Leadership Experience

Over the course of her career, Ms. Iyer has served as a consultant to numerous CBSE, ICSE, and IGCSE institutions across the country. Her expertise has been instrumental in guiding schools to develop progressive, inclusive, and experiential teaching-learning environments. Her leadership approach integrates academic rigor with innovation, enabling institutions to evolve into future-ready learning spaces.

She served as the Head of India International School, Bangalore, a prestigious day-cum-residential institution, for a tenure of 10 years. Under her leadership, the school emerged as one of the leading residential schools in the country, known for its strong academic systems and holistic development practices.

Founder of Transformational Educational Institutions

Ms. Iyer is the Founder-Director of The Bangalore School (TBS), established in 2012 with the vision of offering high-quality early childhood education supported by contemporary infrastructure at an affordable cost. The institution is widely recognized for its unique curriculum design and learner-focused philosophy, positioning it among the leading preschools in Bangalore and India.

Expanding her vision further, she founded The Green School Bangalore (TGSB), a pioneering K–12 institution located in Whitefield, Bangalore. Built entirely on green school principles, TGSB is designed around the vision of achieving zero energy, zero waste, and zero carbon operations, aligned with UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The school emphasizes:

  • Sustainability and environmental stewardship
  • Experiential and inquiry-based learning
  • Systems thinking and interdisciplinary education
  • Student agency and real-world problem solving


Under her leadership, TGSB has been recognized as:

  • No. 1 SDG-committed school in Karnataka and India (EducationWorld Grand Jury Rankings 2023–24 & 2024–25)
  • No. 1 Experiential School in India (2024) by DIDAC

Sustainability Initiatives

Ms. Iyer has been a strong advocate for environmental responsibility in education. She initiated the “Bamboo for Bengaluru” campaign in collaboration with the Bamboo Society of India. The initiative addresses urban ecological challenges such as water conservation and climate resilience through large-scale bamboo plantation and ecosystem restoration.

This initiative contributes meaningfully to multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly:

  • Climate Action
  • Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Life on Land
  • Clean Water and Sanitation


Awards & Recognitions

Ms. Usha Iyer has been recognized nationally and internationally for her contributions to education and sustainability:

  • Only Indian speaker at the Science Summit, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78), 2023
  • Exemplary Leader Award, Universal Mentors Association (2023)
  • Exemplary Leadership Award, VDM India on the Move (2023)
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, Manipal Educational Global Alliance (2022)
  • Most Compassionate Leader Award, Brainstorm International (2022)
  • STEM Ambassador Certification, STEM.org (2021)
  • Planet For Her Award, Green School Conference, New York (2021)
  • Change Maker Award, Tech Avant Garde & Microsoft (2021 & 2022)
  • Outstanding Educational Leader, DK Education (2021)
  • Recognitions from Education Today and Dewang Mehta for educational excellence
  • Felicitated twice by the British Council
  • Invited by the Canadian High Commission for a study visit to eight Canadian universities (2011)