An Eco-Friendly Green Campus

The idea of an "Eco-Friendly Green Campus" aims to establish environmentally friendly, sustainable living practices in educational establishments all over the world. Supportable climate in college campus influences students' lives emphatically consistently also. Students who attend campus with active green spaces have been shown to have better capacity for knowledge retention, environmental behaviors, community solidarity, and other traits.

VMTW College has its own aesthetic beauty. The college welcomes every individual who enters the gateway with its concealed lush green surroundings. Endeavors are being made to foster the grounds on green concept, particularly focusing on water conservation, use of alternative sources of energy, solid waste management, vermin composting, green belt development and sustainable architectural designs of buildings.

1. Objectives of the practice

• To protect and conserve ecological systems and resources within the campus
• Encourage and promote green building practices.
• Reduce waste generation and promote the reuse and recycling of waste products
• Enabling college and communities to make a meaningful environmental impact
• Defined construction methods relating to site conditions (NO to cut a tree).
• Inspiring students to adopt sustainable values within their own live
• Reduce air toxics emissions and greenhouse gas production
• Water conservation, Minimum energy use, Recycling, Lush green trees and indoor environment, which promote the health and well-being of Students and Personnel.
• Minimize material use and waste production
• To constantly improve our contribution to environment protection, climate change adaptation, and resource conservation within the campus.
• Conserve natural resources and energy

2. The Context

An Eco-Friendly Green Campus is a place where environmental friendly practices and education combine to promote sustainable and eco-friendly practices in the campus. A green campus is a clean, Safe and Healthier place to Live and Work and also a place where environment friendly practices and education combine to endorse sustainable and eco-friendly practices. The following are the few green practices that are initiated on the campus to promote eco-friendly practices in the campus:

• Restricted Entry of Automobiles.
• Pedestrian Friendly Pathways.
• Ban on Use of Plastics.
• Landscaping with Trees and Plants. Other Green Initiatives
• The Environmental Science (ES) course is introduced to address the issues relevant to Environment and Sustainability.
• This course focuses on the natural resources conservation measures to create awareness about the various environmental problems, environmental sustainability, and conservation of biodiversity.

The VMTW College collects rainwater and uses solar energy. Another of the most efficient and environmentally friendly methods to minimize trash and benefit the environment is recycling. A nearby garden uses food compost. Change to LED bulbs to save more energy and extend their lifespan. When no one is around, VMTW uses an automatic on/off mechanism (Infrared/Sensors) to avoid using the light. Water collection is done for the reprocessing. Recycling of sewage water for the Garden is another innovation. Reusable bags are permitted on campus, and plastic is not allowed. Steel utensils are kept in the canteen. Reverse osmosis (RO) wastewater is channeled to the restrooms and to the trees. VMTW has both an ISO 50001-2018 and an ISO 14001-2015 certification for environmental protection.

"An eco-friendly green campus" is a location where sustainable and eco-friendly practices are promoted through education and environmental friendly practices by establishing sustainable solutions to the environment, social and economical requirements of the humanity. The green campus concept gives an institution the chance to take the lead in reinventing its environmental culture and generating new paradigms.

VMTW took part in the effort to promote a green campus. The college launched a green campus initiative. The primary goals of the green campus program are to encourage environmentally friendly and protractible behaviors on campus.

3. The Practice:

The VMTW College uses solar energy and practices rain water harvesting. Recycling is another one of the most effective and sustainable practice to reduce waste and help the environment. Food compost is used in a local garden. Switch to LED bulbs that save more energy and last longer. VMTW practices an automatic on/off system (Infrared/Sensors) so the light is not used when there is no one around. Water harvesting is practiced for the reprocess. Another breakthrough is sewage water recycling to the Garden.

Campus is plastic free and recyclable bags are allowed. Canteen maintains steel crockery. Waste water from Reverse Osmosis (RO) channelize to the washrooms and to the trees. VMTW boasts an ISO 14001-2015 certification for Environment protection and an ISO 50001-2018 certification for energy conservation. Campus observes restricted entry for the automobiles and upholds Pedestrian-Friendly pathways.

The educational institutions are crucial in addressing environmental problems. The drive to promote a green campus was supported by the faculty, staff, and students. VMTW observes a number of programs and events. The following are the actions planned for this Practice:

• Plastic free campus: This campus-wide initiative strives to lessen plastic pollution on college campuses, with a focus on reducing and doing away with plastic bottles, straws, and other utensils, as well as plastic food packaging. The college put together a number of initiatives, including a plastic-free campus initiative program for recycling plastic. Educational sessions observed for World Environment Day, World Wildlife Week, and World Ozone Day.
• Waste reduction: The College has programs in place for composting and recycling. For the purpose of recycling their solid waste, colleges installed biogas generators. Garbage was collected in separate dust bins for biodegradable and non biodegradable materials.
• Sapling trees on college campuses: As part of this program, sapling are planted on every occasion of the college with guest.
• Water use: Facilities for collecting rainwater were built.

4. Evidence of success:

The institution VMTW and its students have joined the program towards an ecosystem and green grounds. This served to reduce ecological issues. The college turned into a plastic free climate because of a campus reusing effort. The concept of the green campus program and environmentally friendly campus practices led to the creation of a clean and green campus. Power utilization decreased by using LED bulbs and tubes in place of CFL bulbs and tubes.

Recharge and other water-related purposes benefited by collecting rainwater and rerouting waste. Separating garbage into dust bins for non-biodegradable and biodegradable materials simplified waste management. The use of conventional electricity was reduced, solar panels to produce green energy. The evaluation of green audits provided feedback on the green campus program and suggested remedial measures to deal with any problems that surfaced throughout the program's activities.

• VMTW initiated Sewage to convert into water.
• Solar water heaters produce 6000 Liter water per day.
• Solar energy generates 50KW of power to support the electricity needs.
• VMTW boasts an ISO 14001-2015 certification for Environment protection and an ISO 50001-2018 certification for energy conservation.
• Reverse Osmosis (RO) waste water properly used for trees, gardens & for washrooms.
• Water Harvesting bears direct collection of rainwater from the catchments to be stored for direct use or to be recharged into the groundwater.
• Restricted entry to the automobiles ensured pollution free campus.
• Sign-Boards and Roads are well maintained for the Pedestrian-Friendly pathways.

5. Problems Encountered and Resources Required

Several obstacles prevented the green campus program from being implemented. The entire prohibition on plastic on campus was a laborious task. Faculty and students' attitudes towards making the campus a plastic-free zone were not entirely favorable. The process of recycling non-biodegradable garbage is very time - and money - consuming. Climatic conditions adversely affected the survival of tree saplings planted by green campus volunteers. Maintenance of solar panel is very expensive.

• Insufficient solar power production, need more solar energy.
• Scarce supply of plastic alternatives.
• Man power lacked to up hold lush green campus particularly at the Pandemic time.
• Students and Staff need motivation to maintain the Eco-Friendly Green Campus.