Goa Institute of Management's 50-acre campus in Sanhakli has several green initiatives related to energy, water, waste and biodiversity through which it has always strived to reduce its carbon footprints.
Recently, the students and faculty of the GIM organized a 'Sustainable Expedition', an educational walk through this campus, to spread awareness about these sustainable initiatives.
Through measures like rainwater harvesting, solar-powered street lamps, treatment of water for reuse, tree plantation drives and more, the institute has expressed its commitment to the philosophy of sustainability.
The GIM campus has gained global recognition for these measures adopted by its students to meet the UN sustainable development goals.
“Initially, we focused on documenting the existing biodiversity on the campus with the help of Goa State Biodiversity Board and other local experts in the field. This year we plan to focus on developing awareness and creating a plan to not just manage, but increase the biodiversity on the campus,” says Arpita Amarnani, Chair, Centre for Excellence in Sustainable Development (CESD), associate professor at GIM.
According to GIM Director Prof Ajit Parulekar, higher education institutes can play a significant role in the green transformation of all human activity and contribute towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
“Over the last couple of years, we have taken initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint significantly, and installing solar roof-top panels is one of them. We are very proud that over the last year, we have generated more than one million units of power using renewable energy, which accounts for around 40 percent of our consumption,” he said.
On World Environment Day on June 5, the institute also organized an interactive session on environment, focused on reptiles, particularly snakes, through an awareness-cum-demonstration by Charan Desai, a wildlife rescuer who sensitised the attendees about snakes.
He also advised about precautionary measures which need to be taken in order to avoid encountering snakes and suggested measures to be adopted in the event of a snakebite.
The snake show was specially organized this year in order to wean students and faculty from their fear of the reptile species, apart from creating awareness about the importance of snakes to a habitat and the environment.
A team of ten Forest Department officials headed by Range Forest Officer Sangam Desai also interacted with the students and shared tips on sustainability, while later disbursing saplings to the faculty and staff.