GREEN CAMPUS CAMPAIGN

(Green, Greener, Greenest)

Objectives

• To promote sustainable and eco-friendly practices in the campus.
• To develop alternative measures to solve environmental challenges.
• To incorporate green protocol among students and faculties.
• To motivate staff, students and teachers through environmental literacy.
• To establish an efficient way of waste management and recycling systems.
• To promote campus into plastic free manner.
• To prevent wasteful and unhealthy use of resources.
• To ensure waste, water and energy management.
• To decrease energy consumption to enhance energy utilization efficiency.
• To change the campus into pollution free and environmental friendly manner.

The Context

Environmental pollution is one of the key challenges that facing around globe. The campus faces challenges in managing water resources, waste management, conservation of natural resources, eco-friendly buildings, reducing green house gas emission, recycling of waste and preventing plastic pollution, etc. Calicut University introduced green campus campaign in 2017 in the affiliated colleges to impart environmental awareness among students and faculties by conducting different environment protection activities. In this context MES Kalladi College, Mannarkkad also joined in the initiative to implement green campus campaign. The college introduced green campus campaign. The main aim of green campus campaign is to promote sustainable and eco friendly practices in the campus and to make the earth inhabitable for the living beings. The green campus campaign is essential for the fruitfulness of future generation.

The practices

The educational institutions play an eminent role in solving environmental challenges. The students, staff and teachers actively participated in the green campus campaign. The college executed various programmes and activities. The activities organized under this project are:

• Plastic free campus: It is a programme organized in the campus that aims to reduce plastic pollution on college campus with special focus on the reduction and elimination of plastic bottles, plastic straws and utensils and plastic food packaging. The college organized various programmes such as plastic free campus campaign, recycling plastic campaign and awareness classes on world environment day, world wild life week, world ozone day. Instead of buying bottled water student took initiative to buy refillable to carry around campus and also promoted students to use paper pens. By the initiative of Bhoomithra club cloth bags were introduced.
• Waste diversion: The College has implemented composting and recycling programmes. Bio gas plants in college canteen and boys hostel were constructed to recycle the solid wastes generated on the same. Separate dust bins were provided to collect degradable and non degradable wastes.
• Ente Maram Project: It is a green initiative aims at planting sapling trees in college campus under the guidance of botany department. Under this project each student planted one tree in campus.
• Vidyavanam Project: Under this project the college took initiative of afforestation programme in collaboration with the Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement (OISCA).
• Water usage: Rain water harvesting facilities were established for the effective management of water. A water filtration unit implanted in the campus.
• Energy management: Energy management is essential for every institution. The college implemented various methods to save energy. They are; • The cycle club in the campus promoted the use of bicycle by students and security guards. The management committee provided 30 bicycles. • Solar panels were installed in college and hostels to reduce the consumption of electricity. • Instead of CFL lamps LED bulbs were used in hostels and campus.
• Honey Bee farm: Planted honey bee farm in our campus.
• Green campus: Regular garden maintenance was done by green campus volunteers. As a part of this a team of volunteers visiting the garden on a set time nurtured the plants.
• Green auditing: With the initiative of green auditing cell, the awareness programme was conducted on environmental issues. The cell also examined the effect of green initiative campaign in campus and a review was conducted at end every academic year.

Evidence of success

The students and the college has become a part of the green campus campaign. This paved a way in decreasing environmental issues in campus to an extent. Plastic free campaign encouraged students to give up bottled waters and motivated to use paper pens, stainless steel bottles and glasses instead of plastic bottles. The campus initiative of recycling plastic changed the campus into plastic free campus. Use of cloth banners instead of flexes in public function reduced pollution in great extent. The concept of green campus campaign and environmental friendly practices in the campus resulted in developing a clean and green campus. Use of LED bulbs instead of CFL bulbs and tubes reduced the consumption of electricity. Rain water harvesting and waste diversion were beneficial for drinking water and agricultural purpose. The workshop and seminars on environmental issues created awareness among the students. Use of bicycle by the students reduced the air pollution and helpful to physical fitness. Ente Maram project created awareness about nature among students. Disposal of non-degradable and degradable wastes into separate dust bins helped the waste management more easily. Green power generation by using solar panel reduced the use of conventional electricity consumption. The review of green auditing provided feedback on green campus campaign and suggested remedial measures for solving the problems encountered in the campaign activities.

Problems encountered

There were number of barriers in executing green campus campaign. It was a tedious task in banning plastic completely in the campus. The attitude of faculty and students towards changing the campus into plastic free environment were not fully positive. Recycling of non-degradable waste material is very expensive and time consuming. Climatic conditions adversely affected the survival of tree saplings planted by green campus volunteers. Maintenance of solar panel and using cloth posters are very expensive. As the college situates in hill station, replacing motor vehicles with bicycle was not convenient. Yield of honey bee harvesting decreased drastically due to heavy rainfall.