Environment Consciousness:
PRACTICE I:
- TITLE OF THE PRACTICE:
‘Go Green and Keep Green’: Towards Building a Sustainable and Clean and Green Campus.
- OBJECTIVES OF THE PRACTICE:
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The college has emphasized to build a green campus with an objective to foster a culture of eco friendly practices and making the entire campus environmentally sustainable. With a view to achieve this, a plastic free zone, tobacco free zone, conservation of energy, produce from the wastes, protection of bio-diversity by providing Bird Houses etc,practice the use of less electricity, by installing solar panel in the college campus, maintaining the water bodies and cleanliness in the campus are adopted. This effort is made collectively by our students, staff and neighboring community to realize our sense of responsibility for preserving and protecting our nature.
- CONTEXT:
The Environmental Committee and Eco Club were established in 2013 and 2016 respectively, by a group of teachers to motivate students to build a clean and green environment by using eco – friendly practices.
The campus can be categorized as playground, lawns, floriculture and herbal garden .The variety of species of trees, herbs, shrubs and medicinal plants are planted sufficiently to create a green environment of the college to face the challenges of global warming and climate change. The rate of environmental degradation caused by industrial emittance is now alarming for all.Duliajan Girls’ College has been constantly working together, creating and maintaining aeco- friendly and clean and green campus.
- THE PRACTICE:
The Eco Club and Environmental Committee undertake various activities like lectures and talks on various environmental issues as mentioned below:
Tree Plantation Drive:
Every year the college organizes a tree plantation drive on the 5th of June by observing the World Environment Day, in and around the campus and in the adopted village. While cutting of trees in the campus is strictly prohibited, bird watching and tree identification walks are often carried out. The members of Environmental Committee maintain a Herbal Garden on the premises and a flower garden is cared and manicured by the Student Union Members. For creating awareness and educating the students on the importance of herbs and plantation of trees. It also maintains the Vermi compost pit through which recycling and waste management is taught to the students.
Installing bird houses on the trees of the campus help to eliminate unwanted pests and make the campus free from using harmful pesticides as birds eat insects, weeds, seeds etc.
Conservation of Resources:
The college focuses on minimizing the wastage of resources like water by preventing its overflow from the tank. It maintains rain water harvesting tanks for collecting rain water that is utilized for irrigating the gardens both floriculture and herbal, and recharge the ground water. The college uses solar energy which is environment friendly and is energy saving for the electrical appliances. We have facilitated with the 95% of CFL and conventional light sources with LED lighting, MCBs and electric feeder station for the campusis set up by Oil India Limited. We have uninterrupted electrical power and water supply in the campus.
Waste Reduction and Management:
The college has made strict prohibition on use of plastic bags and plastic items in the campus as the campus is single use plastic free. Use of steel crockery in the canteen is mandatory.
Swachha Bharat:
Monthly cleanliness drives of public places like schools, markets, bus stops etc. including the removal of litter and plastic waste, beautifying vacant plots and creating awareness among public about cleanliness through STREET PLAYS which has deeper meaning and understanding of cleanliness.
Awareness Programmes and Campaign:
It includes various activities on environmental issues to educate students, the people of the neighbouring areas of the adopted villages about the re-use of waste materials, adopting and sustainable lifestyle and for managing natural resources. The Eco club and Environmental Committees also organize various environmental related activities on some special days like Foundation Day, World Environment Day and in many other occasions.
- Evidence of success:
Thecollege has a variety of ornamental plants, fruit trees, wild varieties of trees, several herbs, shrubs in the college campus. More than 50% of the total area of the college is under the green cover. Tree plantation drives are carried out on various occasions. . Recognizing the Green and Clean Campus of the college, an appreciation certificate has been awarded from Brand Ambassador, Swach Bharat Mission (Under NAMASTE INDIA). This drive and awareness programme on resource management and recycling have limited the use of plastics within the colleges. The use of plastic utensils in the college canteen has been replaced by the steel utensils. On various occasions, like ‘World Environment Day’ ‘International Water Day’ etc. talks are delivered by the Resource Persons on various environmental issues and this motivates the students to get deep knowledge about the natural world and the planet we live in.
- PROBLEM ENCOUNTERED AND RESOURCES REQUIRED
- Due to heavy academic workload and time constraints, faculty and students face difficulty in sustaining the integrity of the activities of academic schedule with the environmental activities.
- The Pandemic has adversely affected the ongoing green initiatives. Maintenance of the garden and lush green cover has been difficult to be managed due to the non availability of man-power that was affected by the lockdown.
- Due to heavy rainfall during summer, over flooded water has damaged many plantations as the water logged for long days causing root damage for which some trees become wilted.
- Due to construction of new building in the college campus, growth of some plantations has been hampered.
- NOTES:
Some suggestions for future green initiative in the college the IQAC has made:
- Initiative for creating eco-friendly interior space,
- Working for vertical garden,
- Creating a student’s team working for beautification of the college garden ,and
- Organizing healthy competitions between the departments based on Green and Clean Campus.