Goa Institute of Management, India

Grass is always greener on our side

Goa Institute of Management (GIM) has always been conscious about the impact of its decisions on the ecosystem and has continuously strived to reduce its carbon footprint. Along with measures like rainwater harvesting, solar power, treatment of water for reuse, tree plantation drives and many more, the institute has expressed its commitment to this philosophy also through its mission statement which talks about sustainable business and an inclusive society for India and the world.

At GIM, there is a constant quest for improving campus sustainability, communication of these measures to stakeholders, engagement in national and international sustainability activities and a deep student engagement to groom transformative leaders focussed on responsible, ethical, and sustainable business practices.

Being geographically and philosophically very well placed to work towards environmental sustainability, we at GIM strive to ensure that “the grass is always greener on our side”.

Annual carbon savings achieved with the initiative:
CO2t savings 2020/2021: 94.97 t CO2/year (Estimated) [due to LED lighting and solar streetlights, pooled staff transport]
CO2t savings 2021/2022: 889.61 t CO2/year (Estimated) [due to installation of solar PV system, LED lighting and solar streetlights, pooled staff transport]
CO2t savings over the life cycle of the project: 4448 t CO2/year (Estimated over the next 5 years)

What the Judges Thought

“GIM has always been conscious about its impact on the ecosystem and has continuously strived to reduce its carbon footprint. With the intellectual capabilities we are endowed with, we strive to ensure that “Grass is always Greener on our side”. This Green Gown Award is a reassurance of our collective efforts towards sustainability.”

Dr. Ajit Parulekar, Director

What it Means to Win

The Judging Panel felt this was a very good fit for the category.  The Panel noted the comprehensive programme of activity across most of the sustainability areas of a HEI. The Judging Panel liked the examples of student engagement especially the Sustainability Hackathon.

There is good scope for developing further engagement opportunities. The Judging Panel felt that the outreach activities were notable.

Top 3 Learnings

1. A sustainability initiative should follow top-down approach.
2. Students are embracing the challenge to make the world a better place by coming out of their comfort zones.
3. A pro-environmental change needs both technical and behavioural changes.