Mumbai: Some of us have always thrived on sustainability, despite the modern world’s pressures. To mark World Environment Day today, the Free Press Journal met Dr Sirajuddin Chougle, the principal of Maharashtra College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai Central, whose vision transformed the college into a self-sufficient institute.
Associated with the college for the last 33 years, Dr Chougle became its principal in 2015. Ever since, he has been continuously working on projects, along with his students and teachers,to make the institute a model of sustainable living.
The unique idea of solar panels in a college was propelled by you. What was the thinking behind it?
We noticed that the college was receiving a massive electricity bill. After some research, we came up with the idea of installing solar panels. I requested the management, got the approval and installed the panels in two phases in 2017 and 2019.
Now, we are 100 per cent solar powered and have been achieving net zero status since 2019. We were the first college in South Mumbai to do so.
How beneficial have the solar panels been?
Since the installation, our power bill has become negligible. These solar panels have a lifespan of up to 25 years and within the first five years itself, we have recovered the amount of capital invested. I encourage all institutions and housing societies to switch to such environment friendly and cost effective alternatives.
What measures has the college taken towards water conservation? Especially within the college, where students tend to leave taps running and waste water, we installed a special nozzle in all taps after which the flow of water was minimised to save around 50 per cent every day. We first ran a pilot project in our staff room without informing our staff and observed if there were any complaints regarding less flow, but there weren’t any. Considering it a successful initiative, we implemented it for all the taps in the college.
Any initiative towards increasing the greenery in and around the college?
Yes, although the college compound is comparatively small, we have taken quite a few initiatives regarding tree plantation. A small botanical garden is being set up in the free space area of our annexe building which will be taken care not by gardeners but by our own botany department staff and students. This will help them in their studies and they will also gain a sense of ownership. We are also installing a vertical garden with fragrant flowering plants on our entrance compound wall, which will be completed after the renovation work gets over.
What is your vision towards the development of your college?
I always believe in giving back to society. We need to think out of the box and undertake sustainable initiatives that will not only benefit us but also the future generations. I also want our college to become an example for all other colleges in the city so that students benefit and learn from it. When they go out in the world, they will carry these teachings of sustainability and love towards nature with them.
What are your plans for the college?
We have started renovating our entire college in which we are making decorative improvements on the front wall made up of sustainable material. We have already undertaken one pilot project involving automation sensors for lights and fans in some of our classrooms and washrooms, which has been fairly successful. We will implement it for the remaining rooms of our premises. We are also installing two electric vehicle (EV) chargers as per the vision and guidelines of Maharashra state EV policy. Apartfrom these, we are always open for guidance, inviting students from other colleges to visit our premises to study our initiatives and implement them or seek help from our teachers and students in their projects for sustainability. We have been doing this on a smaller scale, but look forward to involving and interacting with more colleges and professionals and make Maharashtra College a hub for discussion, promotion and implementation of green initiatives.
