KATHMANDU, JUNE 29 A team of students from Kathmandu University has developed Nepal's first school-level carbon footprint calculator, a bilingual digital tool designed to help schools measure and monitor their greenhouse gas emissions as part of efforts to build a climate-smart education system. The tool was developed during 'Hacking for a Carbon-Neutral Future,' a three-day youth-led hackathon organized by the Shequal Foundation in partnership with UNESCO in Dhulikhel from June 24-26. Designed to align with Nepal's Green School Quality Standard (2024) and the draft Green School Implementation Standards being prepared by the Centre for Education and Human Resource Development (CEHRD), the calculator is capable of operating offline and is tailored to the country's diverse school settings. A total of 28 youth teams from across Nepal initially participated in the competition, with seven finalists advancing to the final hackathon after rounds of mentorship and prototype development. Team Harit, comprising Kathmandu University students Shova Gelal, Bisesh Marasaini, Bhawana Ojha and Jayed Alam Mansur, emerged as the winner. Their solution enables schools to calculate carbon emissions using data already available to them, including electricity bills, fuel consumption and waste records, presenting the information through a simple Nepali-language interface. The winning team will receive an impact grant and work with UNESCO over the next four weeks to refine the software before piloting it in three schools representing private, community and institutional education sectors. According to the organizers, the calculator incorporates Nepal-specific emission factors covering energy use, transport, water consumption and waste generation while allowing schools with limited internet access to use the platform offline. Prakriti Gurung, Programme Officer for Natural Sciences at UNESCO Kathmandu, said the hackathon demonstrated that young people are capable of creating 'practical, locally relevant solutions to the climate crisis.' 'The creativity and technical ability demonstrated by youth show that they are not only learners, but also innovators,' she said, adding that the initiative would encourage schools to better understand and reduce their environmental footprint. CEHRD Director Shyam Prasad Acharya described the initiative as more than a hackathon, saying it would help schools become more resilient to climate change. 'The reality of climate change has become a form of disaster. To make our schools resilient, adaptive and sustainable, programmes like this are incredibly important,' he said. The initiative forms part of the project 'Strengthening a Climate Smart, Green, and Resilient Education System in Nepal,' jointly implemented by UNESCO and UNICEF with financial support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy. Organizers said the calculator is expected to be officially handed over to UNESCO after pilot testing for wider adoption in schools across Nepal, supporting national efforts to integrate climate education and sustainability into the country's education system.