Campus_sustainable - Vidyashilp University

Campus sustainable energy management initiatives at Goa Institute of Management, Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, DOI 10.1108/EEMCS-05-2022-0171 VOL. 14 NO. 1 2024, pp. 1-27. Scopus index

Abstract :

On 31 July 2020, Dr Ajit Parulekar, director at Goa Institute of Management (GIM), Goa, India, was trying to look over the past few years to understand how much they had achieved in terms of sustainability, specifically with respect to energy management at GIM, and how his agenda of transitioning into a carbon neutral institute could be taken forward. Three years back, in 2017, when he took charge as the institute’s director, he decided to make the institute one of the most sustainable in the country. He believed that environmental sustainability should be a critical dimension for corporate decision-making and that business schools could play an important role in training future managers for this transition, especially in a developing country like India. He wanted his institute to take the initiative to develop expertise in this field and lead by example. The fact that sustainability was very close to his heart, made this one of the essential agendas in his tenure as the head of the institute. During an interview, he said, “Every additional day with environmentally unfriendly operations had costs for the planet and all living beings on it, and hence it was imperative to take decisions on this aspect without delays. We do not have the luxury of time.” There were two things on his mind as he sat in his office: firstly, to identify the optimal solar power project for the institute, and secondly, to chart the way forward for making GIM more environmentally friendly, specifically with respect to energy consumption for the next few years. The maintenance and operations team had submitted proposals from three different vendors on solar rooftop power project. A pre-feasibility study had already been conducted, and the Campus Development Committee (CDC) had in-principle approval from the board. Parulekar wanted to select a project with the help of the maintenance and operations team and recommend it to CDC. He also needed to present a plan at the board meeting to reduce the energy consumption for the institute for the next few years. The CDC and board meeting were scheduled to take place over the next couple of days.