Green Campus Initiative

International Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience Program (ICCARP)


Other Sustainable Transformation Initiatives


 

Sustainability is a theme for today, and sustainable development is a goal for tomorrow, where universities and other higher educational institutions including schools have a critical role to play as change agents. With higher education institutions being locally rooted and globally connected, they offer significant opportunities to deliver complementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Higher education can help shape new ways for the world, tackling the grand challenges of our day as reflected in the SDGs through International declarations or charters.

“International declarations are significant because they symbolize the prominence of the sustainability movement, aid in the communication of major ideas to universities around the world, and implore those who have not committed to any sustain-ability initiatives to ‘get on board”.

Since universities and colleges are an integral part of the global economy and prepare most of the professionals who develop, manage and teach in the society’s public, private and non-governmental institutions, they are uniquely positioned to influence the direction we choose to take as a society.

Many universities are providing great examples of how to combat climate change through vision-mission statements, pledging, symbolic commitments and arming students with the green initiatives, knowledge and necessary skills to make individual changes, under the umbrella ‘green campus’.

“Green Campus Initiative is a program that plans, formulates, designs and implements a package of sustainable solutions by the campus community to reduce the environmental impact, enhance the campus sustainability and to protect the health and well-being of the surrounding community & ecosystems, implemented through selfless cooperation and coordination, by involving all stakeholders” - APSCC

The Green Campus concept offers an institution the opportunity to take the lead in rethinking its environmental culture and developing new paradigms for solving problems that are local, national, and global. It also presents a review of the approaches, methods and tools to inform, communicate and educate university students and the public on climate change being used by universities around the world.

The United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) look to tackle some of today’s biggest climate issues (SDG 13) through partnership and cooperation (SDG 17), thereby catalyzing the implementation of almost all goals. Against this backdrop, ‘Green Campus Initiative’ - an awareness and symbolic commitment program by the universities and colleges (Top-Down Approach) is featured with a three-pronged approach, in the line of Talloires Declaration (commitment), Green Protocol Compliance (baseline mapping) and Sustainability Literacy Test (literacy quotient assessment), as recommended by the UNEP - ‘Transforming universities into green and sustainable Campuses: a toolkit for implementers.

Talloires Declaration (implementing ten-point action plan)

The first official declaration integrating sustainability into education, research, campus operations and outreach made by twenty-two University Chancellors, Rectors and Vice-Chancellors was the Talloires Declaration. This historic document was composed in 1990 at an international conference on “The Role of Universities in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development,” held in Talloires, France, and has the Secretariat, University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) in the USA. The Talloires Declarations paved the way for the formation of sustainable university alliances and is considered to be a preliminary step towards ensuring sustainability research and education are included in the agenda of The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the 'Earth Summit 1992’. The Talloires Declaration is a ‘ten-point action plan’ for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities. It emphasizes more on expanding and strengthening their civic engagement and social responsibility work through teaching, learning, research, and service. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the Earth Summit 2012 or, Rio+20, reaffirmed sustainable development as an international framework for action and cooperation. Target 4.7 of the SDG agenda also aims to “ensure all learners acquire knowledge and relevant skills needed to promote sustainable development” by 2030.

 

Green Protocol Compliance (Baseline mapping tool )

The Green Protocol is a comprehensive document that includes a guide to plan, formulate, implement and measure the result through factual means, and was grouped under seven heads such as:

  •   water management
  •   soil conservation & sustainable food production
  •   clean air
  •   energy conservation
  •   sustainable management of waste resources
  •   sustainable use of natural resources &
  •   others

Principles for the green protocol were adopted partially from UN Conference on Environment and Development - The Rio Declaration (1992) and Sustainable Development Goals (2016-2030). It was drafted by the Association for Promoting Sustainability in Campuses and Communities (APSCC) in partnership with Pondicherry University and Government of Puducherry Departments: Department of Science, Technology and Environment and Puducherry Pollution Control Committee. In this program, the green protocol is used as a tool to map the existing scenario as the baseline of the respective campuses to watch, strategize and plan for campus sustainability, in all walks of life.

Sulitest (basic sustainability literacy level assessment)

Sustainability Literacy Test (Sulitest) was created in France after the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Cop21) and designed to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. Sulitest is designed as an initial platform to foster the mission to, “support expanded sustainability knowledge, skills and mindset that motivate individuals to become deeply committed to building a sustainable future and to making informed and effective decisions”. The Sulitest initiative benefits from the support of a wide range of United Nations entities, renowned national and international academic institutions, and the trust of hundreds of contributors around the world. Sulitest was recognized in 2016 as one of the first featured initiatives of the UN Partnerships for Sustainable Development Goals, and in 2017 as a contributor to the review of the 2030 Agenda through the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

In the 1st phase, reaching out to the entire country (India), the National Level Green Campus Initiative Awareness Program (NLGCIP) is planned with the anticipated outcomes: symbolic commitment of the administration and the implementation of the ‘Ten Pont Action Plan’ of Talloires Declaration will make the universities or colleges to enter the International commitment for climate change, followed by the baseline mapping of the existing campus resources with the tool, Green Protocol, to watch and strategically plan for sustainable operations and campus resource conservation. In addition, the students and staff sustainability quotient would be assessed by the Sulitest and the gap will be filled through environment education. Finally, it evaluates and recognizes its position in the regional and global rankings and accreditation: Times Higher Education (THE), Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)

Complements the following SDGs

Student Drawing Competition on “Wetlands & Water”

APSCC is organizing a Drawing Competition for students on “Wetlands & Water” marking this years theme on World Wetlands Day ...
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Pollution Prevention, Topsoil Ecology & Ecosystem Restoration, for Soil Sustenance and Organic Food Production

According to FAO, soil is a natural body consisting of layers (soil horizons) that are composed of weathered mineral materials, ...
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Cotton Bag Drive at NSS Camp

APSCC promotes cotton bag drive at the 7-day special camp of the National Service Scheme (NSS) conducted at the Kamban ...
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Rally to save Wetlands

APSCC in partnership with State NSS Coordinator and Indira Gandhi College of Arts and Science organized a state level rally ...
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Going Green in College

According to Affordable Colleges Online, Going green in college usually isn’t a solitary pursuit; there are plenty of other students ...
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2016 Schools Sustainability Challenge

The Trust for Sustainable Living organized the 2016 Schools Sustainability Challenge Trophy in Dubai on 18-21 April 2016. Javahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, a ...
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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 ...
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Green Campus Initiative at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya – Puducherry

Full Pdf: APSCC – JNV – Book – GCI_compressed ...
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UNEP – Nature Based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience

We are happy to announce that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk ...
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APSCC partners with Economic Times for the SDG Summit 2021

A thriving society in a dynamic environment! ...
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World Environment Day 2021 #EcosystemRestoration

APSCC partners with “The Green Institute” for the World Environment Day Virtual symposium themed “Nature is Calling,” that will take ...
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Student Induction Programme @ KMCPGS

Kanchi Mamunivar Centre for Postgraduate Studies organized Student Induction Programme cum Week of Welcome for First-Year PG Students as stipulated ...
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Seminar on ‘Good Health and Well Being – SDG 3’

APSCC along with Prof. A. Chella Perumal, Pondicherry University, India and Prof. Andrew J Russel, Durham University, UK and a ...
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International Seminar on Eco Conscientious Reflective Practices

APSCC partners with the Bharathidasan Government College for Women in organizing an International Seminar on Eco Conscientious Reflective Practices. The ...
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Rally to save Wetlands

APSCC in partnership with State NSS Coordinator and Indira Gandhi College of Arts and Science organized a state level rally ...
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APSCC partners with Economic Times for the SDG Summit 2021

A thriving society in a dynamic environment! ...
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APSCC partners with Sustainability Literacy Test

Created following the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20 and built to further and contribute to the Sustainable Development ...
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APSCC partners with ULSF

New partnership between the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) and the Association for Promoting Sustainability in ...
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IIT-Madras and APSCC partners for Sustainability Network Summit – 2014

The S-Net team at IIT-Madras in collaboration with APSCC had organized the yearly summit in 2014 that consisted of a ...
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The Role of Universities and their Leaders Facing the Grand Challenges of Climate Change and Sustainability

This research project investigated the role that higher education can play in addressing the challenges of sustainability and climate change, ...
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Comprehensive Green Protocol

To overcome the ever-increasing shortage of natural resources and unsustainable waste management practices, a ‘comprehensive green protocol’ was required. In ...
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SLAPSWM – Souvenir

As we embark on the Sustainable Development Goals, we are reminded that awareness education is central to UNEP’s mandate of ‘inspiring, ...
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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 ...
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The Role of Universities and their Leaders Facing the Grand Challenges of Climate Change and Sustainability

This research project investigated the role that higher education can play in addressing the challenges of sustainability and climate change, ...
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Green Protocol Compliance at the Chief Secretariat

Under the direction of Mr. P. Jawahar, IAS, Secretary to Government (Smart City) & Mr. P. Parthiban, IAS, Secretary to ...
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Plants to Mitigate Indoor Air Pollution

The research team of APSCC (Association for Promoting Sustainability in Campuses and Communities) was honored with an invitation to conduct ...
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Comprehensive Green Protocol

To overcome the ever-increasing shortage of natural resources and unsustainable waste management practices, a ‘comprehensive green protocol’ was required. In ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities – A Parallel Event to Rio+20

APSCC participated and presented in the World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities – A Parallel Event to Rio+20. Forty ...
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APSA Conference at University of Tokyo

APSCC presents at the 11th APSA International Congress held at the University of Tokyo. The event attracted 297 participants from ...
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Environment Award – 2016

The Department of Science Technology and Environment, Govt. of Puducherry, confers the “Environment Award – 2016” for the individual category ...
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Green Campus Champion Award

The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Alumni Association (JANVAA) honored the APSCC founders for promoting ‘green campus’ strategies. The school’s concept of ...
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VIT bags award at the Green Campus Summit

VIT University, Vellore, has bagged the Campus Challenge 2013 Award conferred by the Association for Promoting Sustainability in Campuses and ...
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Look beyond campus greening: Chief Minister

Emphasizing the need for people to play an active role in increasing the green cover in Puducherry, Chief Minister N ...
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Clarion call to protect green cover

Exhorting industries and educational institutions to play a leading role in environmental protection, former Chief Minister N Rangasamy said people ...
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Campus communities have the opportunity to showcase thought leadership on sustainability

Green Campus Summit 2013 gets underway this week. We spoke with Organizing Committee Chairman, Mr. Nandhivarman Muthu, about the pivotal ...
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