Green Campus
Sri Sri University is a premier institution serving as a beacon of knowledge. The ideology where the best of the East meets the best of the West, be open to innovation and also has a sustainable approach to our development.
The campus is a treat to the eye, which has been transformed from a barren, arid land to a green heaven. The green stretches complement the serene breeze of the Kathajodi river, which is a tributary of the Mahanadi, on whose banks the campus is located.
Running a university comes with numerous operations, that consume a lot of resources. But as an effort to create a sustainable future, we have imbibed the philosophy of optimal resource utilization at our core, for which we have undertaken diverse methodological steps to curate resource conservation.
The university has identified 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we are continuously striving to achieve them. Even though the goals are represented with a global perspective, we believe our concerted efforts would drive significance at the local and regional levels.
Our goals are motivated to reduce carbon footprints, energy consumption, waste management, and transforming the university landscape into a greener campus.
We realize that as the world goes higher up the ladder of evolution and technological innovation, its development spree starts to consume the resources endowed upon by nature.
Sri Sri University has devoted its commitment to a sustainable future, that is equal and resource-abundant for everyone. Being endowed with the power, to create a positive impact in society, we believe the projects and the initiatives that we undertake, would also enlighten our students, who would carry forward the practices of sustainability from their individual capacity.
As part of Sri Sri University’s commitment to a sustainable future, the last academic year of 2019-20 has seen 16 events of National importance, to integrate the concept of sustainability in the university’s motto. In line with our vision of sustainability, we have also integrated a task force with a designated action plan for 2020-2021.
While Sri Sri University’s objectives are aligned with global sustainability, we have actively participated in community engagements, student activities on corporate social responsibilities, and so on.
As a promise to imbibe sustainability, Sri Sri University aims to engage with policymakers, industry leaders, businesses, NGOs, media, students, and academic scholars to find and implement collaborative solutions and innovations to deal with climate change and hence work towards sustainable world order.
The university has collaborated with The India Office of Nobel Peace Laureate Vice President of USA Al Gore’s The Climate Reality Project (TCRP), USA and Sparsh Foundation, JK Paper Mills Ltd, Odisha, with inspiration from Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, whose work and initiatives are taken at the global stage by the Art of Living Foundation and the local point by the Sri Sri University in areas of river rejuvenation, solar power, green campus, organic farming, and efficient use of energy, etc.
Our dedicated efforts have made us to the 7th All India rank and 1st in Odisha in UI Green Metric World University Rankings. With these, the university has deliberated 16 green events on the campus with active student participation in all our green ventures. Moreover, our MBA students have presented on Corporate Environment Responsibility and Sustainability paper in their first Semester, during July-November, 2019
Sri Sri University Objectives for Green Campus Initiative
- To include the environment, climate change, and sustainability in the syllabus of UG and PG programs
- To review relevant literature and hold monthly interaction sessions and workshops to train young minds on climate and sustainability
- To identify best practices in climate change interventions and promote Green Champions.
- To institute awards to felicitate policymakers, legislators, business leaders, philanthropists, and climate activists.
- To develop executive courses in the areas of climate change and sustainability.
University Action Plan for Green Campus Initiative
- Include climate change, environmental studies, and sustainability in all courses offered by the university
- Creating a climate-resilient community on campus and in Odisha
- Developing climate and sustainability literacy not only among our students, faculty, staff in Sri Sri University but also in and across the state of Odisha
- Shifting the campus dependence from thermal power to solar power
- Developing a 100% green campus with green energy, water harvesting, and organic farming
- Adopting nearby villages and undertake energy audits and recommend renewable energy sources.
Inculcating Sustainability in Academics
Understanding sustainability comes with the understanding of our environment. In light of this, each student at the university studies at least one paper on “Environmental Science” as a part of the curriculum. In addition to that, we have several workshops and research projects aligned with Sustainability in our doctoral program. Students are the future of the nation, and believing this ideology we try to inculcate the value of caring for our environment in the students. Our curriculum is designed in such a way that it meets the need for the practical and theoretical implications of a sustainable environment.
Building up Eco-friendly Infrastructure: Our Green Projects
While our infrastructure resonates with the finest designs of the world, it has all the modern amenities as well as the touch of ancient Indian universities of Nalanda and Takshila. Each of our building projects is in line with eco-friendly guidelines as rolled out by the Government of India. We have also collaborated with L&T (Larsen and Toubro), to put in place solar panels, which are a brilliant source of renewable power in tropical Odisha. Our entire campus architecture has in place, greenhouses, and floral gardens in place to replenish the usage of natural resources. In addition to that, we have also facilitated organic farming inside the campus, in order to be self-sufficient as well as resource-efficient.
Timeline of Collaborative Activities
Imbibing Green Values
Our students, faculties, and staff are at the heart of every green step taken by us. The university has come a long way in maintaining ecological balance and engaging local communities in creating a sustainable approach to everyday carbon consumption. We believe that our efforts greatly impact our students and the way they perceive the pollution problem. The university molds its students in such a manner, that even when they graduate from the university, they carry with them the green habits in their individual lives, impacting different organizations or businesses they startup.