Saarang launched ‘Urjam’. It emphasized the urgency of adopting sustainable practices in our daily lives. This campaign went beyond mere awareness creation, it actively involves students in identifying and addressing issues related to energy consumption. Through collaborations with various organizations, Saarang strives to make a lasting impact on the mindset and behavior of the youth, paving the way for a more energy-efficient and environmentally conscious future.
Understanding the everyday energy needs on campuses, from sustaining extracurricular activities to charging electronics, ‘Urjam’ seeks to link sustainable practices with students’ immediate experiences. By highlighting minor yet significant adjustments, such as shutting off lights and adopting energy-saving devices, the campaign motivates students to actively participate in environmental preservation. With the screening of the ‘Urjam’ launch video to signify the official launch the social campaign, the fun-filled night came to an end on a somber note.
Teach For India is dedicated to changing lives through education. Through a program called the Teach for India Fellows, where passionate individuals spend two years in underprivileged schools, their fellows shape young minds and create lasting change. Teach For India also advocates for systemic change and collaborates with government schools to improve education for all.
‘Urjam’ aims to develop kids into proponents of environmentally friendly behaviors, and make them mindful that decisions taken in this stage have the potential to influence and mold future leaders. Hence, through this collaboration, students from the Saarang, IIT Madras team visited several Chennai schools and conducted engaging and informative sessions with the students about the importance of energy conservation. Through fun interactive activities, they navigated through the fundamentals of electric energy and fuel, gradually addressing their environmental impact.
Teach For India also conducted a workshop during Saarang where the focus was largely on the power of leadership and voicing one’s opinion about energy conservation. It included interactive activities and daily scenarios in which your decisions have a massive, compounded effect on the environment, thus encouraging the attendees to alter their lifestyle to use electricity and fuel more judiciously.
Spotlight, a lecture series that hosts esteemed personalities during Saarang, showcased Suraj Vallamkonda, a distinguished IIT Madras alumni and head of Ather Energy’s Battery Engineering team, as a featured speaker. His spotlight, specifically a part of the social campaign ‘Urjam’, provided insights into Ather’s transformative journey in the electric vehicle sector. The lecture highlighted Ather’s technological milestones, including the Ather Grid charging network, emphasizing sustainability with 86 patents, 169 trademarks, and 150+ Indian and International design registrations. By offering intelligent electric vehicles and a wide-ranging charging network, Ather actively promotes energy-saving practices and contributes to reducing carbon footprint.
The ‘How to Come a Grassroots Entrepreneur’ seminar organized by SustainabilityNext
The panel of speakers included Nagaraja Prakasam, who offered invaluable guidance on navigating the entrepreneurial geography. Sanjeeta Kumar spoke of the transformative power of sustainable husbandry and empowering pastoral communities. Manjula spoke about sustainably growing mangoes and without using harmful chemicals. Benedict Paramanand, the founder of Sustainability Next, moderated an engaging dialogue that reverberated with every attendee. Tech workshops seamlessly integrated technology and sustainability, offering participants a unique opportunity to explore innovative solutions for environmental challenges.
