Green podium for IIM-C festival

Updated on: Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Kolkata: If you take part in Intaglio 2010 organised by the students of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, be prepared to walk that extra mile for the green cause.

Touted as one of the country’s first green fests, Intaglio 2010 will go slow on the use of energy-guzzling cars, airconditioners and heaters. The event from January 7-10 will focus on reducing carbon footprint.

In tune with their green plans, the organizers of Intaglio 2010 will put a ban on random travel on cars and bikes. Students of the country’s premier B-school say they will urge participants to walk to different venues within the campus or cycle their way around instead of kick-starting a bike for a quick, albeit carbon-laced ride.

“We will use airconditioners sparingly and there will be no heaters to keep the fest arena warm. With so many participants and guests staying on the campus, we will try to optimize the use of electrical gadgets,” said Abhejit Agarwal, a second-year student and a core team member of Intaglio 2010.

Other environment-friendly measures include the use of recycled and bio-degradable paper. “We have tried to use fewer ad posters this time. Instead, we are advertising through email and even sms. We have also tried to cut down travel by introducing online audio and video submission for several events. So, participants won’t have to come down to the city. The Great Innovation Challenge — a business plan event — will also be conducted online this year. We will ask everyone to reduce food wastage too,” added Agarwal.

The campus will be turned into a no-plastic zone. “Answers in an Uncertain World” is the theme chosen for this year’s edition of Intaglio. “We are pioneering a carbon-neutral Intaglio in partnership with Emergent Ventures, a climate change consulting company,” said another member of the team.

Ashutosh Pandey, CEO, advisory business of Emergent Ventures India Pvt Ltd, said: “For every litre of fuel burnt, 3 kg of carbon dioxide is emitted. And, for every 1,000 units of electricity generated, 8,000 kg of carbon dioxide is produced. We will avoid emitting around 300-400 tonnes of carbon dioxide if this event is made carbon-neutral, marking a reduction of around 8% to 10% from what is emitted normally.”

Pandey said participants will be encouraged to come in groups by hiring buses. He added, “We are proud to come on board as climate partners for the event.

Green podium for IIM-C festival

More Education news