The Green IIT Initiative

DeltaClimate join hands with Green 1.0

2008-07-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Making a collective effort towards a Green future, Green 1.0, a non profit organization working for the cause, has initiated the International campaign to save electricity. The campaign, which is being called "Pledge for Green" is encouraging individuals and organizations to come together on August 15, 2008 by switching their electric appliances off for two minutes at 2000 hrs local time.

The campaign, still in early stages, is already gaining attention of organizations working on similar causes as well as of motivated individuals.

Delta Climate also supports this noble cause and urges everyone to endorse the campaign. Green 1.0 can be visited at http://www.pledgeforgreen.com/ .

INDIAN YOUTH DECLARATION @ IYCN

2008-07-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

We are a young nation: Almost 50% of India’s population is below the age of 20, and 70% below the age of 35. Yet we, the youth had no say about our very own future that according to some has already been burned away by the generations preceding us. We must have our voices heard by our parents, teachers, politicians, business leaders & religious figures: all who mould our very future. We need to secure our own future.

Our nation is at the crossroads, while we must demand climate equity at an international level, we cannot go down the pathway of the industrialized nations who have created this climate calamity.

We already see the impact climate change is having on India. Go to the rural areas and ask the struggling farmers whether they have noticed a change in the weather patterns within the past 10 or more years and the answer is always yes. Look to our cities, they too are choked with fumes from the growing number of cars in the back drop of a rapidly expanding concrete jungle and a decreasing green cover. In the past 10 years we have seen increasingly recurring extreme weather events that have impacted tens of thousands.

The lives of hundreds and millions depend on an increasingly erratic monsoon and on waters sourced from the retreating glaciers of the Himalayas, we must arise to address this looming crisis of global proportions and unimaginable local implications. Its ecological implications are so far reaching that it is a problem that will cross-cut generations and be magnified for our generation.

Some will argue of poverty and education being bigger priorities for our growing nation. Others will point at the US and the industrialized nations claiming they should take action, not us. This is true, but won’t our abject poverty make us even more vulnerable to the changing climate? Shouldn’t we as Indians redefine the concept of “development” which we always associate with the West? Where do we begin?

Lets begin here.

As youth from India, we will make our presence felt. Climate change is the biggest challenge any generation has had to face in the history of the planet. We have a right, along with all species, to a sustainable future and a liveable planet. This right carries on to our children and grandchildren.

Are you ready to take up this climate challenge?

Visit our partners IYCN at http://www.iycn.in

Socially responsible IITians!

2008-07-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

The Launch Pad

2008-07-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

The Green IIT Initiative went online on 22 April 2008, the Earth day! Please read below to understand what the campaign is all about:

"As a member of the IIT fraternity , I am writing to you to request you to strongly consider the possibilities of turning all 7 Indian Institute Of Technology campuses viz. Bombay, Delhi , Guwahati , Kanpur , Kharagpur , Madras and Roorkee into green , sustainable and carbon neutral campuses .

In the following paragraphs , I would like to elaborate upon the logic and intent of my proposition:

The IIT s are global institutions which contribute to the environment and human well being in a significant manner. The IIT faculty and student body has a renowned presence amongst Indian and global university systems, and has been ranked 3rd in the world . As a result, the IIT system has and is being emulated worldwide , which reminds us of the fact, that with great power comes great responsibility . It is an implicit responsibility for us to set as high standards of leadership, human well being and environmental score as we do of academics. Also, the IITs shape the behavioral patterns and tendencies of its students in a big way, who go on to become major decision makers globally. If only, we can influence these few thousand decision makers, to make environmentally conscious decisions, it is a monumental success in mitigating and adapting to climate change consequences.

India is a signatory to the Kyoto protocol , and with its rapid industrialization and energy intensive growth , it will soon be under pressure to cut down its green house gas emissions. The Green IIT Initiative can prove to be an opportunity for the Indian government to prove its commitment to the Kyoto principles.

I also believe that a Cost Benefit Analysis with a long term horizon in mind, will show that the energy efficiency and lifecycle costing approach gains can outrun investments(if any) required. Summarily, I endorse and whole heartedly support the idea of green IIT campuses in the near future and am willing to support the initiative to the best of my capability.

Signed by :

A concerned member of the IIT fraternity "

Thank you for signing our campaign . Will keep you posted on future plans.

webmaster@deltaclimate.com