JOIN USWhile many environmental drives initiated by government agencies have failed to achieve the desired result, some of the City’s top-notch educational institutions have gone the eco-friendly way to do their bit to reduce pollution.
From making their visitors use cycles to introducing staff to electric vehicles, colleges with vast green campuses are doing their bit for the environment. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), a premier institution, introduced a bicycle-sharing campaign on campus last year.
Through the ‘Namma Cycle’ campaign, more than 600 students use 75 bicycles on the sprawling 400-acre campus. Apart from the staff, faculty and students of the IISc, even visitors to the college pedal their way around here.
Gururaj, a staffer of IISc, explains, “The drive was introduced in June last year. Although we had come up with an initiative for cycling on campus earlier, there was a setback.
While some students took cycles and never bothered to return them for a long time, others just left them in one corner without using them for weeks. Maintenance had become a problem. With ‘Namma Cycle’, the campaign has been revamped.
For the first 30 minutes, cycles are given free of cost. Rs 5 is charged for the next 30 minutes and Rs 10 from then on. By doing this, we ensure that people return the cycles on time. It is easier to track who is responsible if there is a damage. We believe that by sharing the resources, we can get a better result.” The college has 150 cycles and only 75 are operating as there are only five bicycle stands on campus.
However, the authorities plan to expand the campaign shortly. The Indian Institute of Bangalore (IIM-B), which is spread over 100 acres, introduced electric vehicles on campus about nine years ago. The staff and security personnel make use of these vehicles.
Manoj, a staffer at the IIM-B, says, “The idea behind having electric vehicles is to meet the requirements during emergencies. There are four vehicles and all run on battery. We thought why not have electric vehicles instead of the regular ones that cause pollution? As many of the faculty and students reside in the college quarters and hostels, they prefer to walk around the campus. But there are many security staff who use electric vehicles.”
Christ University too has introduced e-bikes and electric cars for its staff and some of the faculty members. Jasel, a final-year BA student at the university, says, “It is a very good way to go green. The college also has a waste management and recycling unit. This initiative is going in the right direction and seems to be very effective.”
Interestingly, the electric cars are also put to use in the case of emergencies. Jasel adds, “When students complain of fatigue or there are elderly people on campus, these cars are used. The vehicles are mostly used by the management.”