Tag: GCI

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Event Projects

Sustainable Management and Promotion of Territory-2015

APSCC team was invited as a Committee Member for the round table in the “Sustainable Management and Promotion of Territory”-SIS-GPST-SMPT Summer School held at the University of Perugia, Italy. The School’s aim is to improve the management methods ability to safeguard – through the constant monitoring – the development of good quality of life, and the protection of environmental resources, especially landscape and biodiversity. This is to direct the processes of growth and innovation, aimed at safeguarding sustainable development which is repeatable and transferable. In this sense, science must facilitate the removal of barriers, which often imprisoned and overshadowed the ancestral values of the ancient societies, not to be approached as if they belonged to a museum, rather with the revival and rediscovery spirit: a kind of science that awards humanity. The growth of university research centers will characterize them, even more, as a window of consciousness together with their spirit of analysis, and the skills brought by all the autonomous self-decision-making people of the world society.

The participation in the SIS-SMPT gave the opportunity for everyone from all over the world to learn and touch directly the high level of theory and practice of the Strategy of Sustainable Development, jointly to the positive atmosphere, history and culture of Umbria.

APSCC team discussed Green Campus Initiative as a catalyst for the sustainable Management and Promotion of Territory

Over the period of time due to rapid urbanization and consumerist lifestyles, the natural resources are over exploited resulting in depletion and disruptions in natural cycles. The challenges are immense and complex. It was unanimously agreed that education is the most effective means to address the challenges the society faces today to create a better world tomorrow.

Universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) are responding to these issues in a number of ways, from research to retro-fitting, to recycling and raising awareness, technically called as Green Campus Initiative (GCI).  Over a period of time these initiatives become well rooted and pave way for a green campsis2015us (GC) or sustainable green campus (SGC). The focus of the GCI is to reduce the University’s and HEI’s water footprint, energy footprint, ecological footprint and environmental impact through resource recycling, etc… Most of the actions are guided by the Green Campus Action Plan involving cooperation between students, professional and academic staff.

“The drive to attain the GREEN CAMPUS status is to serve as a model for global environmental sustainability where all the processes and operational functions of the campus are closely knit, providing educational and practical value to the institution and the surrounding environment”

We believe that the green initiatives will impact on the learning environment positively, and such measures will help the campus community to value nature and take care of it, by conserving it for the future generations.

 

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Activity

Green Campus Initiative as a cooperative Movement

Although the term ‘Sustainable Development’ goes back to many decades, it was substantially enhanced since the Brundtland Report (1987), which is also known as Our Common Future. Following this event, India became part of 187 countries agreeing on carrying out an important commitment towards SD by signing the Rio Declaration during 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development. The Government of India’s sensitivity and commitment to sustainable and inclusive growth is reflected in its major policies and also specific initiatives and programs adopted through its Five Year Plans to realize the MDG’s/SDG’s. This goal became finer when India became part of UN General Assembly resolution for establishing the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UN-DESD, 2005-2014) in the year 2005, emphasizing Agenda 21, that education is an essential tool and an indispensable element for achieving sustainable development.

The Association for Promoting Sustainability in Campuses and Communities (APSCC) is founded to serve as an impetus, not-for-profit, and voluntary organization for sustainable development among the educational institutions and local communities in India. We do this by providing resources, organizing events, conducting training sessions, initiating and promoting sustainable solutions at grassroots level in collaboration with a network of eminent sustainability professionals. More importantly, we believe that sustainable development is not only limited to ecological/ environmental considerations but also the economic, social and cultural dimensions as well. In view of this, the APSCC team has planned a time bound mass co-operative movement named “Green Campus Initiative Co-operative Movement (GCICM)” for promoting Campus Environmental Sustainability and UN SDG’s in all Educational Institutions of India.

The GCICM acts as a convener, catalyst, and communicator consisting of individuals, organizations and institutions dedicated to the advancement of education for sustainable development in India. It is also an historical initiative in India, characterized by a new dynamic paradigm with a wide belief that not only governments, but also each individual, institutions and businesses has to play a major role and need to commit themselves to SD. It is therefore expected to provide an additional momentum to the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, with a greater focus on what higher educational institutions can achieve in this regard for the region/ country and also for their campus environment sustainability. The Green Campus Initiative is a golden opportunity to develop and implement tailor made programs with an integrated approach encompassing rainwater harvesting and reuse; reclamation and recycling of grey water; sustainable management of solid and hazardous wastes; energy efficiency and bio-energy generation; vermi-compost and organic kitchen garden, soil and biodiversity conservation, pedestrian and sustainable transportation, etc.. Students involvement and staffs orientation is the heart of Green Campus Initiative program.

APSCC-GCICM-ConceptNote

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Partnership

APSCC partners with ULSF

New partnership between the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) and the Association for Promoting Sustainability in Campuses and Communities (APSCC), working in India to promote the Talloires Declaration at higher education institutions.
The Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) is the Secretariat for signatories of the Talloires Declaration (1990), which has been signed by over 400 college and university presidents and chancellors worldwide. ULSF supports sustainability as a critical focus of teaching, research, operations and outreach in higher education through publications, research, and assessment.

RECOMMENDATIONS of ULSF
University presidents must take action to focus university attention on environment, population, and development issues. They should:
1. Use every opportunity to raise public, government, foundation, and university awareness by publicly speaking out on the importance of environmental concerns.
2. Seek large increases in the funding of interdisciplinary, environmental research. Research funds are often earmarked for traditional disciplines, resulting in the continuing compartmentalization of problems and solutions. The funding available for research on population, environment, and sustainable development is a tiny fraction of that available for basic science, defense, and aerospace.
3. Encourage outstanding scholars who engage in research and teaching on environmental topics, and help them lead other scholars in this direction.
4. Establish programs in all major disciplines to teach about environment, population, and sustainable development in the context of these disciplines.
5. Work with faculty to change tenure and promotion requirements to reward interdisciplinary work on environment, population, and sustainable development issues.
6. Set aside funding and create positions for interdepartmental and interschool faculty who will research and teach population, environment, and sustainable development topics.
7. Appoint a special adviser, an environmental programs dean, or faculty group to promote environmental programs within the university.
8. Encourage multidisciplinary thinking with the use of internships, capstone and integrating seminars, work study, and case studies.
9. Establish a university environmental policy to engage faculty, staff, administration, and students in activities such as energy and water conservation, and recycling. Encourage vendors who supply schools with products and services to act in an environmentally responsible manner when manufacturing their products and delivering their services.
10. Develop cooperative programs with universities in other countries to promote faculty and student exchanges, collaborative research, and education programs that develop international understanding.
11. Establish multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary structures, such as “centers of excellence” for research, education, and policy development within the university.
12. Establish partnerships with primary and secondary schools to enhance the capability of their faculty in teaching about population, environment, and sustainable development issues.

Download Signatory Form Here
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Projects Resources

Implementing Campus Greening Initiatives: Approaches, Methods and Perspectives

As an objective of the Green Campus Summit, the team published the book titled “Implementing Campus Greening Initiatives: Approaches, Methods and Perspectives” with Springer Publication. Firmly rooted in the theory and practice of sustainable development, this book offers a comprehensive resource on sustainability, focusing on both industrialized and developing nations. The book is an attempt to promote and disseminate the work being done in this field by universities around the world. The need to integrate the principles and concepts of green campuses and sustainability into the core of students’ educational experiences, from high school to college or university, has now been broadly recognized. By doing so, we can ensure that the students of today and tomorrow will acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to create a more sustainable economy and social environment.

  • Contains a comprehensive list of initiatives on campus greening around the world
  • Embeds various case studies from industrialized and developing countries
  • Provides an account of issues, problems and opportunities

Buy Book at http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319119601

Table of Contents:

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Event

IIT-Madras and APSCC partnered for Sustainability Summit – 2015

Sustainability Network IIT Madras in association with Association for Promoting Sustainability in Campuses & Communities (APSCC India) had organized the Sustainability Summit during second week of March. The main events of the summit were:

Panel Discussion

An expert panel discussion was conducted as part of the event on Sustainable Designs for Chennai City. The discussion was held in the Central Lecture Theatre at IIT Maras. The panelists for the event are

 

  • Nandhivarman, General Secretary of APSCC India.
  • Raj Cherubal, Director of Projects, Chennai City Connect.
  • Varun Sridharan, Founder Greenvironment India Ltd.
  • Deepthi K Sugumar, Research Scholar in Environmental Engg & Sustainability, Harvard University

The discussion was about the importance of innovative and efficient designs to make Chennai a Sustainable City.

Mr. Nandhivarman, has been working as an environmental researcher and activist for the past two decades and is working on projects to convert educational institutions into Sustainable Green Campuses. He discussed about Sustainable Solid Waste Management practices at educational institutes and industries. Mr. Raj Cherubal has been working to promote efficient designs in transportation systems in Chennai and his talk was on how efficient designs can improve transportation and livability in Chennai. Mr. Varun Sridharan, has been working in the field of water and waste water treatment for many years. He shared his experiences in the field and how technology can enhance treatment systems and associated challenges. Ms. Deepthi also an alumnus University of Texas, Houston spoke on sustainability and life cycle analysis of Water Treatment systems.

Case Study Challenge

The topic for case study challenge was “Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Chennai”. Participants formed teams of 2 – 4 members and presented their cases in IIT Madras in front of judges.

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