Sustainability to be the mantra at IIM-B biz fest

The premier management institute will play host to around 11,000 students and professionals from 170 colleges and 80 corporate houses this year.

The fest is going to be on the theme ‘Scripting the Future’, and the organisers plan to showcase different aspects of the theme through various events. One of the focus issues will be sustainability, as it is expected to be a key factor in the future.

Vista had ‘gone green’ last year itself and the organisers plan to continue and enhance the idea this year as the “necessity for green action and awareness is only increasing”.

“Students of IIM Bangalore,” they say, “are well aware that their careers, society and everything else in their lives will be dependant on how we use our limited resources in the coming decades.”

Ishira Bhattacharya, one of the core members of the organising committee explained further saying: “A lot of people in India think that environmental initiatives are luxuries only rich countries should look at. But on the contrary, it is primarily developing countries that will be unable to cope if resources start depleting.”

The idea they hope to emphasise on is that rich countries will still be able to buy commodities from a shrinking market, build necessary infrastructure using their store of capital and remain fairly prosperous, while countries like India and China have to get it right the first time and cannot afford to let growth be unsustainable, especially since large populations have to be supported.

The fest aims to showcase an ongoing initiative at the IIM-B campus as an example for going green. Along with their technical partners - Emergent Ventures India Pvt Ltd., IIM-B will estimate and reduce its environmental impact through in-house activities including the usage of eco-friendly products, recycling waste, carpooling, open air events, video conferencing etc.

This will be the first time an Indian institute is undertaking such a large ‘green’ audit and naturally the students are very excited.

“IIM-B is designed to be close to nature,” said Purnima Gopalakrishnan, a first year student, adding: “The campus is built like that. It’s great that we’re now taking the next step.”