An Environment Cell has been formed in 2019 for initiating a formal Green Audit of the
expansive campus. Eminent environmentalists, Mr. Santanu Chakraborty and Mr.
Debapriya Mukherjee, visited the campus and completed the preliminary survey for this
venture.
The Cell, along with the IQAC, plans, initiates and sustains new and existing eco-friendly
measures in the college. It also plans events and practices that help towards students’
informed awareness and their involvement in environmental activism.
The members of the Environment Cell (2020-21) are:
Conveners: Dr. Chaiti Mitra, Smt. Bisaka Blone
Members: Pr. Ishtatmaprana, Dr. Sanghamitra Mukherjee
Initiatives taken by the College to make the campus eco-friendly
The College has a number of intrinsic everyday practices and measures that ensure
preservation and enhancement of our green and eco-friendly campus. Some of the green
initiatives undertaken by the College are:
Energy conservation
Rooms are spacious and well ventilated so that enough daylight and air make
the rooms bright and cool.
Students are made acutely aware about the proper use of electrical lights and
fans and are trained to switch these off when rooms are unoccupied.
Low energy bulbs are used. Plans are on to completely switch over to to LED
bulbs in near future as part of the College’s energy conservation efforts.
In the air-conditioned rooms, the doors and windows have tight seals to
prevent wastage. The doors of the air conditioned rooms are attached with
elbow hinges to minimize leakage.
Printers, copiers, laptops and desktop computers are turned off or put into
sleep mode when not in use.
Hostel students are encouraged to study collectively in the hall till 10 p.m.
under the guidance of a monastic member so that lights and fans in hostel
rooms are not required during these hours.
Equipments are checked regularly for proper operation and maintenance.
Use of Renewable Energy
The College has a strong focus on alternative energies awareness, especially
on the role and importance of solar energy as the greatest renewable and
sustainable form of energy available to cope with the escalating demands of
modern life. As the first step towards harnessing larger benefits of solar
energy, the College has initiated solar heating facility in the hostel. At the
cost of Rs 3,50,000 (Three lakh fifty thousand) the College has installed two
(1500LPD+ 500LPD) evacuated tube Solar Water Heating System to fulfill
the demand of hot water among the hostel boarders during winter season.
Moreover, a plan to install 3KWP Grid Tied Solar Roof Top Power Plant in
the main College building is also being considered.
Organic Farming Practices
The College makes a conscious effort towards using non-chemical and ecofriendly
pesticides and insecticides as far as viable. An important and unique
institutional feature is the use of natural fertilizers. There are carefully set up and
well-maintained compost-pits that supply organic fertilizers and also recycle
organic refuse.
Efforts for Carbon Neutrality
The vast green campus is itself a low carbon area, which preserves a rich biodiversity.
Regular plantation of trees & maintenance of adequate greenery in
the College campus is a prime focus.
All cars and vehicles belonging to the College pertain to anti-pollution
standards. Recently the College has acquired a battery-operated E-Rickshaw
as an eco-friendly vehicle for internal use within the campus.
Waste Management and Segregation
A) Segregation at Source
The College is virtually a plastic free zone and students are advised to restrict
the use of plastic bags within campus. Sustained campaigns are carried out to
make students aware of the harmful effects of plastics in order to reduce its
use and to initiate a practice of recycling.
Throughout the College, wastes are separated into biodegradable and nonbiodegradable
bins. Hazardous metallic and glass wastes like discarded tubelights,
bottles, glass and other metallic wastes are kept separately and handed
over to the itinerant waste-collectors or kabariwala from time to time.
B) E-waste Management
The College has an annual contract with Maple Technologies for regular
maintenance of all computers in College, Office and Library and to reduce ewaste.
Computers are upgraded regularly. E-wastes are preserved separately
to avoid environmental hazards and the college occasionally goes for
exchange offer with Maple Technologies for outdated machines.
Other Green Practices
The College periodically organizes different events and awareness programmes in
order to make the students and staff aware of the importance of preservation of the
natural environment.
Vriksharopan
Vriksharopan or a ceremonial planting of saplings is held in the College campus
every year to create a carbon neutral atmosphere, as well as to instill a sense of
environmental consciousness among the students.
The Medicinal Herbarium
Herbs like Tulsi, Bhringraj, Turmeric, Calendula, Indian Aloe Vera are grown in
the medicinal herbarium of the campus – a special patch allotted solely for
medicinal plants and herbs. Recently, this patch has been put under the
supervision and care of the NSS wing of the college, aiming for greater student
involvement in growing and maintaining medicinal plants.
Some Sensitization Programmes carried out in the past years:
A UGC sponsored state-level seminar on Environment, ‘Contested Spaces’
was organized by the College on 14th March, 2015. The students, guided by
faculty members, put up well-researched and thought-provoking poster
presentations as part of this state-level event.
In July 2017 an awareness programme was organized by the College, where
Smt. Amrita Pramanik, Head of the Department, Geography, talked
extensively on different kinds of environmental pollution and possible ways
to rectify them.
On the occasion of World Environment Day, a programme titled ‘Plastic
Pollution and the Future’ was held in August 2019 for students and faculty of
the College. Causes and effects of plastic pollution, its hazardous impact on
the global environment and possible remedies were elaborately discussed in
this event.
A students’ workshop on Plastic Pollution was held on 29th September, 2019.
Environment activist Smt. Somasree Basu facilitated the interactive
workshop, which focused primarily on ways of preventing plastic waste.
