World Earth Day (April 22): Universal Business School installs roof-top and carport solar panels, aims to generate 4000 kWh worth renewable energy annually

Mumbai’s Universal Business School (UBS), popularly known as India’s first Green Business School, has now taken one more concrete step towards sustainable living.

The B School that is based in the outskirts of the city, surrounded by nature, recently installed 355 kWh (kilowatt-power) roof-top solar panels and carport solar panels across its large campus spread over 40 acres. The solar energy generated by the 912 solar panels is helping power the entire campus- including lighting up classrooms, auditoriums, playground, canteen and so on.

“We hope to produce more green power with the help of this initiative. As we go about celebrating International Earth day on 22nd April, it’s important to reflect on how we survived 2020 with the monstrosity of the pandemic and the warnings from environmentalists about the dangers of climate change that have become louder over the past few years. UBS has already taken a leap forward by creating India’s first green business school that is not just energy efficient but also sets an example of sustainable living for its students,” shares Tarun Anand, Founder and Chairman of Universal Business School.

Staying true to its commitment towards environment conservation with innovation, UBS in the last few years has adopted several initiatives such as rain water harvesting, garbage recycling through sewage treatment plants, planting 7000 trees across the campus and even keeping electives like Green Financing and Green Manufacturing and Sustainability Management for the students.

Talking about the solar power panels prof. Sriram Ramnarayan says,” We require 4000 kWh of energy in a year. By switching to a renewable resource such as solar power, the B-school is consuming enough power to comfortably meet its energy demand and also able to shrink its carbon footprint.”

According to a recent survey by World Resources Institute India and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the existing climate commitments of just 50 leading Indian companies can reduce the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions by almost 2% below national projections for 2030.

Green initiatives @ UBS

· The main academic centre and library have double heighted ceilings to allow for the wind tunnel effect to flow through allowing for reduction of cooling needs and reduction of energy

· UBS wall cladding has been done with space between the exterior and interior surface to ensure that the heat from outside does not penetrate inside to ensure that the cooling requirements are down to the minimum and saves tremendous energy.

· UBS has used double glazed glass, with two sheets of glass pressed together to ensure that external heat is not transmitted internally, thereby reducing the cooling requirements and making it a climate friendly building

· Rain Water Harvesting by UBS ensures that water is conserved and reused, given Karjat gets plentiful rain. Retaining walls and mini-dams have been created to conserve water.

· All the garbage is recycled effectively with two sewage treatment plants at either ends of the campus to cater to the student and faculty.

· UBS has planted over 7000 trees with an objective to plant 10000 trees in the campus. Each student will plant a tree and thereby, is connected to mother earth and their alma mater.

· Green thinking is integrated into each and every subject whether finance, marketing or production to be able to resolve the cost and execution dilemmas that exist in making green decisions. The implications of each green decision is actively debated allowing for students to get a better understanding and making more effective and sustainable decisions.

· The B school has electives like Green Financing and Green Manufacturing and Sustainability Management with professors from Harvard Business School Research Centre imparting learning of practical and successful models of leading companies who have built excellent models.

· UBS has kept the original flora and fauna intact and has enhanced it in many ways.

· UBS has brought material like bricks, stone; from the local villages reducing the need for transportation and thereby contributing to less carbon emissions.

· UBS classrooms have the ability to have video conferencing and live debates in an interactive fashion with professors internationally to ensure that minimal travel is required and virtually information can be imparted. Given, UBS is a fully residential campus; it ensures students do not have to take public transportation, reducing carbon emissions.

· Each student will have a Societal causes Management and Responsibility Training (SMART) project where they will have to adopt the nearby villages and implement the green thinking ideas thereby learning by doing.

· UBS is ensuring that 40 percent of the campus will have no construction and will create organic farming to allow for farm fresh and healthy living for the students.

· UBS has started with electric mobility on campus and will increase this initiative in the coming years as the technology improves.

Universal Business School, Mumbai.

Universal Business School (https://universalbusinessschool.com/) is ranked among the most innovative business schools in India. As a premier management college offering pioneering programs, entrepreneurial experiences at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, its pedagogic innovation and pioneering tie ups with Cardiff Met. University, UK, Swiss School of Management, Italy, INSEEC Business School, France, University of Economics, Bulgaria and Lincoln University, USA have made it one of the top BBA and MBA institutions in terms of alumni performance and industry demand. The B School has a sprawling 40 acres’ campus in the Green Karjat valley, offering a second home to the brightest young minds. Campus placements are top-notch with the school being the first in Asia Pacific to have an exclusive Thomson Reuters Cross Asset Trading Room. Universal Business School Alumni are leading professionals across twenty different nations. UBS follows the 3E Model of Ethics, Environment and Experiential learning, making sure that its students hit the ground running. “Our students placed across 20 nations can connect the dots looking forward”, sums up Tarun Anand, Founder and Chairman.

The 2020 placement season saw a 22% increase in the median salary for the flagship PGDM batch. UBS attracted a record 310 companies to participate in campus recruitment for final placement and the summer internship process.

For more information please check: https://universalbusinessschool.com/