In May, MITCON Consultancy began auditing the energy-use patterns in the campus.

Though the B-school goes through an energy audit every three years, this is the first time that an IGEA has been undertaken, said Prof Amit Garg, who teaches carbon finance and heads the Sustainable Campus Initiative.

IGEA is an auditing method that calculates energy consumption and conservation efforts to draw a picture of just how profitable mitigating costs can be.

To this end, the administration has begun replacing the low-energy efficient light-bulbs with expensive LED lamps. Despite the high capital cost, the eventual cost in terms of electricity bills will be lower.

The B-school is also contemplating on improving or replacing old gadgets and their usage patterns, especially the AC system which contributes a major chunk of the energy load.

Other measures have been initiated for efficient water conservation; a dozen percolation tanks were operational prior to the rains and by the time the monsoon set it, the groundwater recharging system was fully operational.

“The institute uses a lot of groundwater because the municipal supply is inadequate. So this has been one of the most effective efforts,” Prof Garg said.

He said a number of water and waste treatment plants will be built on the campus. The locations have been identified and finalised; designs completed, and tenders for their construction will be floated in a month or two.

Steps have been taken to

involve students in the initiative too. The students' nature club – Prakriti – has been allotted space in front of the mess area for setting up a garden by the name of “Nature Point”, which was inaugurated by Prof Garg and Prakriti co-ordinator Sudeshna Dey last week as part of the Van Mahotsav celebrations.

Besides, a system was introduced wherein interested students are provided potted plants from the nursery, which they can take care of as long as they reside in the campus and return after the end of their tenure. So far, there has been a demand of 150-odd potted plants.

On July 12, when the state government took part in a massive tree plantation drive – aimed at a Guinness World Record – inmates of the campus planted 50 new trees.