Addressing Climate Change through Sustainable Practices

The Climate Smart Green Campus Clubs (CSGC) initiative by IECA empowers students to become environmental leaders. The initiative contributes to building eco-friendly campuses, reduces the overall carbon footprint, and provides hands-on experience in environmental conservation. It encourages community engagement, collaboration, and partnerships with local organizations and governments. CSGC fosters responsibility and global awareness. By focusing on sustainability, the CSGC initiative empowers the next generation to become leaders in the fight against climate change.

In order to promote an environmentally conscious Ganesh festival, students across educational institutions in Telangana made a commitment to making clay idols and promote clay idols for installation in public areas and households. IECA facilitated this commitment by conducting awareness campaigns involving faculty and students. This clay idol making workshops sought to resurrect the longstanding practice of employing Ganesh idols crafted from natural clay. Students also made a solemn commitment to submerge the idols in their homes as a means to mitigate pollution in aquatic bodies.

The objective of the clay idol making workshops was to raise awareness among students about the critical problem of increasing pollution in water sources. Idols crafted from Plaster of Paris are relatively more affordable, less delicate,and convenient to transport, however, they lead to extensive water contamination when submerged. In addition to its delayed dissolution in water, the PoP has the effect of raising the acidity levels in water sources. Furthermore, when the idols are adorned with chemical paints, the metallic components of the paint infiltrate surface water, therefore presenting a significant hazard to the aquatic ecosystems. Clay idols biodegrade rapidly after immersion and result in minimal or no contamination.