Mumbai campuses turn over a green leaf

In a bid to drive home the point and set up an example for their own students, more and more educational institutes across the city are rediscovering their love for environment, with the St Xavier’s College at Dhobi Talao becoming the latest to adopt green measures.

Since the beginning of this year, the cyber lab in the south Mumbai autonomous college has completely been working on solar energy, while last week its hostels and canteens were also equipped with solar geysers. To add to its green endeavours, the college also started vermipost to utilise wet garbage generated in its canteen and the mess, while bore-well water has been piped for use in hostels and gardens. All ideas have primarily come from undergraduate students studying one comp ulsory module of Environmental Science.

Stressing the need to use clean and reusable energy, Principal Fr Frazer Mascarenhas said, “Considering that the entire world is running short on energy, our next step would be to use solar energy for all the classrooms and offices on the campus.”
Institute of Chemical Technology at Matunga, which uses a variety of chemicals and solvents and traces, has decided to not allow the residue of their experiments leak into the drains. While stating that the institute is already using biogas plants for the past five years, a professor told DNA, “With efforts on to make zero-discharge campus, we have installed recycling plants that collect all the solvents and convert them into reusable form.”

While Ramniranjan Jhunjhunwala college at Ghatkopar has only a few months ago installed a rain-water harvesting plan, the clean garbage disposal system installed by the Sharda-ashram school at Dadar has attracted many a campus. The school, which has the famed Sachin Tendulkar as its alumnus, will soon start a vermicompost too.

Actually, IIT-B has set this trend by adopting many eco-friendly techniques for optimum energy consumption. “We have been using the heat generated by air-conditioned computer lab to heat water in the girl’s hostel. The students use only cycles and campus vehicles work on rechargeable battery. Solar panels are used for geysers and lighting,” said Shyam Asolkar, Professor of Environmental Engineering, IIT-B. India’s premier Institute is working on lots more to go greener further and become model campus.