Cultivating a Greener Future: Ashoka University’s Commitment to Sustainability

The campus boasts of 1,664 trees, each contributing to carbon sequestration. It is home to a mix of native and exotic plant species, carefully selected to attract local fauna and flora.

Ashoka University is more than just a premier educational institution; it’s a pioneer in sustainable practices and environmental stewardship. Leading the charge in this green revolution is Narender Malik, who heads the Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) department. For the past four years, Malik has been instrumental in measuring and reducing the university’s carbon footprint, ensuring a safe and sustainable campus for students, staff, and visitors alike.

Measuring Our Impact

One of the primary responsibilities of the EHS department is to monitor and manage the university’s carbon emissions. Using the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, EHS team calculates the carbon dioxide emissions produced by various activities on campus. The GHG Protocol offers flexibility, allowing the team to define boundaries and set realistic goals for emission reduction.

The protocol divides emissions into three scopes:

Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources, such as campus electricity.
Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity.
Scope 3: All other indirect emissions, including travel, transport, and other activities.

By meticulously tracking these emissions, Malik has been able to keep Ashoka’s carbon footprint low, achieving a current emission rate of 2.24 tons per capita, with ongoing efforts to reduce this further through various sustainability initiatives.

Sustainability in Action

Ashoka University has undertaken several initiatives to mitigate its environmental impact:

Tree Sequestration: The campus boasts 1,664 trees, each contributing to carbon sequestration. By measuring the girth of these trees at chest height, the university can calculate the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed, helping offset emissions.

Solar Power: The university generates nearly 0.9 megawatts of solar electricity, contributing to a significant portion of its energy needs and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

Waste Management: The campus features composting facilities and waste segregation systems to manage both wet and dry waste efficiently.

Water Conservation and Recycling: The university has borewells for recharging groundwater as a part of its commitment to ensure that the water tables are not depleted because of any of the activities carried out inside the campus. Besides this, all the wastewater is converted into grey water that is used for irrigating the entire green cover, which is 13 acres out of the total 25 acres.

Ashoka University has also mapped and updated the Sustainability report of Ashoka University Since 2021 to spread awareness of sustainability and the best practices that Ashoka University follows.

*Ashoka University was honoured with the prestigious ‘****International Safety Award***’ by the British Safety Council for two consecutive years, in 2023 and 2024, recognising its strong commitment to good health and safety management. The university also won the British Safety Council’s ***Best in Sector Award 2024 (Education)****, making it the first educational institution in India to receive this honour.*

Ensuring Safety and Compliance

Safety is a cornerstone of Ashoka’s operations. The EHS team conducts rigorous risk assessments and critical task hazard analyses to identify and mitigate potential dangers. This includes:

Permits for High-Risk Work: Activities such as working at heights, electrical work, and confined space operations require special permits to ensure safety protocols are followed.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Workers are equipped with the necessary PPE, and all hazardous tasks are supervised and conducted with utmost care.

Emergency Preparedness: Regular fire drills, safety audits, and training sessions for both staff and students ensure that everyone is prepared for emergencies.

AQI Monitoring: The air quality index (AQI) of the campus including PM2.5, PM10, and other pollutants, is regularly monitored and compared with that of Murthal (Sonipat), Panipat, and Anand Vihar (Delhi). This information is managed in a digital AQI dashboard and displayed on the ground floor of the Dining Block.

The EHS department also oversees and maintains the campus fire detection system and the fixed fire-fighting system in compliance with government fire regulations. It also manages hazardous waste and e-waste in accordance with the E-waste Rules 2022 and the Hazardous Waste Management Rules 2016 issued by the Central Pollution Control Board. The EHS department is also filing environmental returns and managing all related records as per CPCB/HSPCB rules.

Nurturing Biodiversity

Ashoka University is not just about sustainability; it’s about fostering a thriving ecosystem. The campus is home to a mix of native and exotic plant species, carefully selected to attract local fauna and flora. The new campus will feature an 85% native species plantation, further promoting biodiversity. In addition, the university is raising its own nursery, a one-acre facility dedicated to growing indigenous species from seed to tree, minimising the carbon footprint associated with transporting plants from external nurseries and ensuring that the flora is well-adapted to the local climate.

Sustainability is not just a practice, it’s a way of life at Ashoka University. The university’s commitment to maintaining its environment, adhering to its sustainability goals, and reducing the carbon footprint is not just about compliance; it’s about creating a greener & healthier future for everyone.