Green Terre’s NetZero campaign spreads its roots to north India
Green Terre partnered with University of Delhi to organise a workshop which was attended by representatives of over 30 universities and 45 colleges from the northern region
Over a year after it launched the U75 movement for NetZero campuses and to instill a sense of climate responsibility among Indian students, Pune’s Green Terre Foundation has now set its sights on the northern part of the country.
In this context, Green Terre partnered with University of Delhi to organise a workshop which was attended by representatives of over 30 universities and 45 colleges from the northern region.
According to a press statement by Green Terre, former environment minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the workshop to flag-off the national movement titled ‘U75’ to make the university campuses Carbon neutral, Net Zero.
The workshop attracted a number of students as well
“Skilling the youth in the Universities for Net Zero is the mantra to contribute to PM Narendra Modi’s vision of Net Zero India,” Javadekar said on the occasion.
The statement adds that U 75 is the Net Zero movement started in the first year after 75 the anniversary of India’s Independence. “Net-Zero Uprising in the University Campuses is not just a tagline; it is a national intent to implement Sustainable Development Goals and to meet the pledges of Paris Climate Agreement,” said Professor Yogesh Singh, Vice Chancellor of Delhi University who was the host of the workshop.
He emphasised that the partnerships and dialogue among the students and Institutes have power to accelerate the action on climate change. The workshop was also attended by 350 students and faculties and it provided the guidance and tools to initiate the net zero activities in their campus. The interaction during the workshop was youthful and exuded promise of transformation, say the organisers.
Rajendra Shende has been at heart of a unique campaign, the U75 movment
They add that distinguished figures including former UN Under-Secretary-General Erik Solheim, Tim Curtis, Director and UNESCO Representative, New Delhi and Mamata Rani Agarwal, Advisor, All India Council of Higher Technical Education inspired the students with their speeches. They emphasised the urgency of localising Net-Zero global climate action in educational campus and the pivotal role of youth in shaping a sustainable world.
The organisers say that unlike a conference, a symposium or a seminar, the U75 was a workshop of bottom-up approach to engage the enthusiastic youth by providing the practical guidance on starting the action for Net-Zero by making their campus as living laboratories. Rajendra Shende, Founder Director of Green Terre Foundation & Former Director UNEP, emphasised the importance of universities should not be limited to conducting research but they should cross borders in acting as catalysts for behavior change in students and communities.
The statement adds that the workshop was a treasure trove of insights, covering various practical aspects of Net-Zero campuses. Sessions by experts from UNESCO, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ministry of Energy, ASSOCHAM provided comprehensive steps for developing the roadmap for Net-Zero campuses to the attendees. The U75 workshop facilitated connecting the institutes from northern region of India to share their best practices, exchange ideas, and gather inspiration from like-minded peers.
The organisers say that Green Terre Foundation along with University of Delhi would now help the other universities in the northern India to measure baseline emissions, roadmap for net zero campus and initiate the emission reduction for a Net-Zero climate resilient future.
