‘The Sustainable City’ is a year-long series of events starting 20 April, 2013. The event initiated by Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS), Bangalore  in collaboration with TiE CleanTech SIG (The Indus Entrepreneurs Cleantech Special Interest Group) is an effort to build knowledge and awareness in the context of sustainable urbanisation

Pic courtesy: IIHS

IIHS intervenes to address the deficit of practice and policy at the administrative level of urban governance and thus the need to make sustainability a necessity at policy levels.  From being accepted as a standard, education in India is now largely debated, discussed and is undergoing transition. This is the right time to analyse the effect that education is having on our natural resources and energy, spaces and our lives.

The first event to be held at RV College of Engineering aims to take stock of current and local issues within the city with academic campuses being the hotspots where these critical issues need to be raised and resolved.

This launch event would focus on ‘Academic Campus Sustainability – an Integrated Approach’. To be held at RVCE (RV College of Engineering) in Bangalore, the event will focus on the role that academic campuses can play in driving urban sustainability. The event will incorporate the following themes:

R V College of Engineering (RVCE) is situated on the banks of the Vrishabhavathy which was once a river and now a sewage line. Arvind Tiwary of SangEnnovate based in Bangalore says, “The sewage filled status of the river is a topical reminder of the need for sustainability”.

Challenges such as the Vrishabhavathy river along with the suggested and practical solutions by the students and management implemented within the campus will be highlighted as a part of an organised campus tour. The event will also feature live demonstrations, panel discussions, interactive ‘City Game’, and ‘Experiential Sustainability Trail’.

The RVCE academic campus will showcase exhibits and projects of campus environmental solutions, clean technology vendors, expert presentations and the audience will get to vote for the best exhibits/projects.

The event will be held between 2 pm and 5:30 pm this Saturday in solidarity with the ‘Earth Hour’ that is observed across the world at the end of March every year.

The opening note will highlight how sustainable cities are perceived internationally. The talk by Ravichander, Chief Evangelist of City Connect will be on the state of affairs in the city, followed by ‘administrative challenges of the city’s pollution control board in the context of sustainability,’ something that the citizens and the BBMP has had to take a crash course on as a result of the recent garbage mess. A panel discussion on ‘the campus’ will follow, and a campus trail where the participants can see some action.

Time line of the events:

2 pm: Introduction and Welcome

Sustainable City – A World View by Satish Selvakumar, Head of Urban Practitioners Program, IIHS
State of Play in Bangalore – by Ravichander, Chief Evangelizer of City Connect, Chairman Feedback Consulting
Sustainability Challenges – by Vaman Acharya, Karnataka Pollution Control Board

3 pm: Panel Discussion – Sustainable Campus

Challenges , Achievements, Opportunities – Kalpana Kar, Convener Bangalore City Connect and Member, Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC), N S Rama, CEO Electronic City Industries Association (ELCIA), experts on waste management, green energy, and mobility

Experience trail:

A campus tour showcasing clean technology solutions, exhibits and prototype projects

4.30 pm: City game
5.45 pm: Awards for best exhibits/projects

The event hopes to open up and support a forum that encourages interactions among government officials, consumers, entrepreneurs and media, over a period of one year.⊕