“Cocopeat Production”
Date: 28 November 2022
The Centre for environment and sustainability accomplished an activity on the production of cocopeat, an organic, sustainable and eco-friendly approach to replenish and conserve soil. Cocopeat is an environment-friendly medium for root growth, aeration of the soil, retention of soil moisture and also as a component of organic manure. Cocopeat blocks are useful in soilless and hydroponic farming. The activity was carried out by the Botany students of I and III Sem BSc under the guidance of Dr. Indira M.N., Faculty Coordinator of CES. The entire process of cocopeat production was done on the premises of Kristu Jayanti College by using the waste coconut husks derived from the coconut trees on the campus. Ms. Sandra Devassy, the student coordinator of CES, welcomed the audience after which, a short video on the making of cocopeat was projected. Dr. Indira spoke about the relevance of soil and the initiative undertaken.

Principal Fr. Dr. Augustine George released the cocopeat blocks made by the students in the college. The students also welcomed him with a seedling germinated in cocopeat. Fr. Principal was delighted to see the outcome of the initiative and appreciated the efforts put in by the students and faculty of the Centre for Environment and Sustainability and further suggested the team take this initiative forward on a bigger scale. He also suggested that a project can be done in this regard.

Ms. Sangli Keerthi, a student of III Sem BOBT, shared her experience with her involvement in the entire process of this activity. This was followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Mr. Vijay, student Coordinator of CES.

The event concluded with a photo session of the entire team of CES in Chavara square.

Expert Talk on “One Life One Planet”
Date: 24 September 2022
The expert talk on One Life One Planet started off with arrival of the keynote speaker Shri Anil Kumar, a renowned philanthropist and environmentalist. Principal Fr. Augustine George briefed the speaker about the environment initiatives in college and appreciated the great work done bt Shri. Ag Anil Kumar. The real back stage preparation began way before his arrival under the able guidance of the staff coordinators of Centre for environment and sustainability Dr Priya Josson and Dr Indira MN.

Ms Sandra Devassy, student coordinator of CES, did the anchoring on the dais. Mr Ashwin V, student of 3rd year Bsc BBB provided a radiant overture on the resource person. Dr Calistus Jude, Dean of Faculty of sciences welcomed the guest with a sapling.

Then the chief guest enlightened the audience with his escapade into the world of philanthropy. He shared multitude of his experiences on how he helped his village, Ananthapuram, overcome the horrors of the COVID pandemic. He also voiced his appreciation to Mr Vijay, Coordinator CES for his immense contributions to animal welfare back in his home town. He motivated students to do their little towards the society and environment. He inspired the audience with his Heal Ananthapur, Green Ananathapur, Green army and Home for Birds campaign. The audience gave their undivided attention to the guest of honour which was clearly evident in the interactive session that followed.A video was played on the environmental activities of Shri. A G Anil Kumar.

Mr Vijay Narasimha P, proposed a very evocative vote of thanks as a token of gratitude to the guest of honour. In honour of the chief guest, Dr Calistus Jude, bestowed a momento to Shri Anil Kumar. The event concluded with the college anthem. Shri. Anil Kumar went around the campus and was impressed by the green practices of the college including medicinal garden, rain water harvest and landscaping with trees. He identified the spots where home for birds could be implemented in Kristu Jayanti College campus.

The session motivated students to be part of the home for birds campaign to bring the urban sparrows back to city and to plant more saplings and to save trees. It also inspired students to spend a part of the time for the well being of the community and environment. He gave away the message that one person taking even one step can save this planet reverberating with the title of the talk, One Life One Planet.

Visit to Biodiversity Park and Participation in Inauguration of Biodiversity Park, NAAC Office, Jnana Barathi Campus, Bangalore
Date: 20 September 2022
Biodiversity parks are unique landscapes which consist of the form of diverse communities and provide ecological, cultural & educational benefits to the urban society. This diverse community of living organisms keeps the soil healthy and fertile. Because of natural calamities and destructive acts by humans, the biodiversity is depleting. It is therefore imperative to adopt sustainable methods to preserve and replenish the nature.

To commemorate the 12 year of its existence in Bangalore, the NAAC office organized a function to inaugurate the biodiversity park in its campus. The park was inaugurated by Honorable minister of state Shri. V. Sommanna along the director and office bearers of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

The students of Kristu Jayanti College along with two faculty members attended the inauguration function and also visited the biodiversity park. They were fascinated to see the various kinds of fruit trees and herbs that were planted in the park. All plants were labeled for easy identification by the visitors. Many ornamental and plants of medicinal importance were also seen in the park. The students made careful observations of the diverse flora.

There were about 50 students along with the faculty coordinators from the Centre of Environment and Sustainability who visited the campus. The Biodiversity Park with its rich flora and fauna are ideal instruments for promoting conservation education that ultimately will have positive impacts on environmental quality and conservation ethics.

Cleaning of Public Park in Commemoration of World Clean-up Day
Date: 18 September 2022
Department of Life Sciences and Centre for Environment and Sustainability organized a Clean-up of public park at Byrathi Cross, Bengaluru in commemoration of World Clean-up Day on September 18, 2022. 15 student volunteers under the guidance of Dr. Hanumanthappa cleaned the park and cleared the litter and disposed it in the specific waste bins. The park was made clean and the daily visitors to park were happy. The student volunteers spread the message of keeping our surroundings clean and tidy.

Poster Awareness
Awareness was created among the students, faculty and general public by creating poster on environment commemorative days and sharing in social media. The posters of commemorative days which fell in September are attached below.

Commemoration of World Biofuel Day 2021
World Biofuel Day is observed on August 10 and the day is set aside to raise awareness about unconventional fuel sources that can serve as an alternative to the more traditional fossil fuels. The emphasis is on the usage of non-fossil fuels or biofuels that enable cleaner consumption patterns.

An extension activity to share knowledge on biogas plant, installation and working was organized with the teachers Mrs. Neeraja Sharma and Mr. Prashanth of Vishwa Vidyapeeth School. The teachers were greeted and briefed about the college by Dr. Calistus Jude, Dean, Faculty of Sciences. The teachers took a video of the demonstration on working of Biogas plant and shared it with the high school students of Vishwa Vidyapeeth School, Honnenahalli, Bangalore on August 10, 2021 to spread awareness on non-fossil fuels. Mrs. Priya Josson, Assistant Professor, Department of Life Sciences and Coordinator of Environment Club explained the working of Biogas plant and green practices in Kristu Jayanti College. Dr. Hanumantappa B Nayaka, Assistant Professor, Department of Life Sciences explained about setting up of vermicompost plant and the process of recycling waste. A walk through the Medicinal garden and awareness on the need to preserve biodiversity was emphasized.

The students of Vishwa Vidyapeeth School prepared a beautiful handwritten creative art message as a token of their love to Principal Fr. Augustine George who spread the message of inculcating environment consciousness and sustainability amongst students.

International Plastic Bag Free Day
International Plastic Bag Free Day is dedicated to raising awareness about the very real and pressing issues of plastic pollution. We need to think it through when using plastic bags in regard to what it does to our environment and how it will wreak havoc in the coming years.

Kristu Jayanti College is aiming at a plastic free campus which is being implemented in a phased manner. We have already started the process. It is our individual responsibility to take alternate measures to avoid plastic and save the earth from the hazards of plastic pollution. International Plastic Free Day was commemorated in Kristu Jayanti College by the Environment Club through the following activities

• Students and faculty posted their resolution on International Plastic Free Day on Instagram/ Facebook/ Twitter/ status in whatsapp.
• Students and faculty made a 20 seconds video on your ideas in making the environment plastic bag free and shared in known whatsapp groups.
• Students and staff to support the college in its no plastic initiative- Carry your food, water in ecofriendly containers and bags to college. Never carry plastic bags to campus
• Students and staff to be part of the initiative by participating in pledge taking ceremony to make our campus and environment plastic free.

Fr. Emmanuel P J, Director Kristu Jayanti College of Law and faculty Dept.of Psychology gave an inspiring message on how each and every small initiative by each one of us can make a huge difference in making a plastic free world through a short story. The International Plastic Bag Free Day was commemorated in the online mode where students and faculty participated to take the pledge which was led by Fr. Emmanuel P J. As the pledge was taken, all took a resolution to try to cut plastic from our everyday life and make our environment plastic free. Mrs. Priya Josson, Coordinator, Environment Club quoted that plastic pollution free world is not a choice but a commitment to life - a commitment to the next generation

We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.

“Build Your Micro Terrarium” Competition in Commemoration of World Environment Day
World Environment Day is celebrated on 5th June every year to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action to improve and conserve our environment. This year the theme for World Environment Day is “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore”. The Environment Club of Kristu Jayanti College, in commemoration of World Environment organized an Intra-collegiate Event “Build your Micro Terrarium” for the students and faculties of the college Day from 1st June to 5th June 2021.

Micro Terrariums are stackable little Ecosystems that add Nature to your desk. The transparent terrarium is designed as a tiny greenhouse that retains moisture. The concept of micro terrarium is to initiate a small ecosystem at our home and workplace. The competition was open to all Jayantians including faculty and students who actively participated and uploaded their beautifully created micro terraria. There were 43 participants from all departments who came up with innovative ideas and techniques of building micro terrariums. The micro terrarium were soothing to eyes and relaxing for the mind.

Grow Your Own Garden Intra-collegiate Competition
Plants support a whole world of creatures in the soil, that in return feed and protect the plants. This diverse community of living organisms keeps the soil healthy and fertile. Because of natural calamities and destructive acts by humans, the biodiversity is depleting. It is therefore imperative to adopt sustainable methods to preserve and replenish nature. The Environment Club of Kristu Jayanti College, organized an Intra-collegiate Event “Grow Your Own Garden” for the students of the college in commemoration of Sustainability Day and Soil Day from 11th November to 10th December 2020. The duration of the event was for four weeks where the students were required to grow their own herbal garden staring from a young seedling/ seed.

The completion was very challenging as the activity had to be monitored through the four weeks taking care to nourish the young plants and periodically take pictures and record the growth pattern. There were about 10 participants from all programs of study. It was quiet pleasant to see more number of male students participate in the contest. The students had displayed their innovative ideas and techniques of growing plants in a sustainable and eco- friendly manner.

Poster Designing Competition
Energy efficiency refers to a method of reducing energy consumption by using less energy to attain the same amount of useful output. To highlight the importance of efficient use of energy and its conservation for a brighter future, the Environment Club organized a Poster Designing Competition on the theme “Conserve Energy Today, Produce Energy Tomorrow” in commemoration of Energy Efficiency Day between 22nd to 29th October 2020. The main objective of the event was to enhance students' knowledge of their creative streak to express their ideas using the colors of imagination. Students had to make handmade posters with a tagline based on the theme of the competition. Total of thirty entries were received for the poster competition. The posters were promoted through twitter handle of the college by the students and likes, shares and comments were encouraged for the posters. The likes, shares and comments were calculated for points and five best posters were selected and announced on KJC Twitter account on 5th Nov 2020.This activity kept the students engaged by exploring and encouraging creativity among the students. It also gave students a platform to showcase their skills and inspired them to think and work creatively to promote artistic excellence. The creativity & innovative ideas to resolve the particular issue were artistically presented and captured through posters. The artistic endeavor of the students was highly praised. Winners & participants were awarded with certificates.

Home Composting: Enriching the soil naturally
World Waste Monitoring Day, September 2020

A practical online workshop cum webinar on Zoom platform was organised by the Environment Club of Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous) on Saturday, 26th September 2020. The session was delivered by the resource person of the day Mr. Vasuki Iyengar. The session was attended by faculty and students of Kristu Jayanti College. The inaugural address was rendered by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel P.J., Director, Kristu Jayanti College of Law, Faculty, Director, Jayantian Extension Services & Jayantian Alumni Association.

Mr. Vasuki Iyengar explained the need to manage garbage and how it is related to soil health to human health. He demonstrated various useful practices that will help in reducing the impact we have on waste accumulation in our environment. He highlighted the need to refuse, reduce and reuse single-use plastic materials including disposable utensils, bags, containers etc. He explained the process of waste segregation which is widely practiced in Bangalore and showed how the wet waste can be used in creating compost at home. Mr.Vasuki also explained different composting methods including zero cost option and minimal cost option and demonstrated garden composting methods and DIY composting. He highlighted the need to switch to using bio-enzymes as natural cleaners instead of chemical ones. The students were encouraged to take this activity as a project or an assignment which could be included as part of internal assessment.