SarSubz LUMS: Putting the green back in the environment

Through Campus-Bike Sharing, tree plantation, research, discussion and now SarSubz Semester and SarSubz graduation pledge, Lahore University of Management Sciences is bringing humanity a huge step closer to being in harmony with nature

Being the pioneer it has always been, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) planted a seed of instilling the values of environmental sustainability amongst its students earlier this year which has already started bearing fruit. The autumn semester, officially christened the SarSubz Semester (green semester), has begun with many new programmes, ideas and initiatives in store.

Realising its role as one of the leading institutions of the country, LUMS took upon itself to inculcate a ‘green’ sense among its students on issues related to environment protection not only through the curricula, intellectual activities, discussion and research, but through actions which produce long term results and can help the students and the community at large to understand the consequences of ‘green’ habits.

Beginning from March, the university-wide SarSubz LUMS Committee, which is being headed by VC Adil Najam himself and includes other faculty members and students, has held various events including the Campus Bike-Sharing Programme, Neem Tree Plantation, discussion by Nobel Laureate andIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chairman Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, Workshop on Climate Adaptation in Pakistan hosted by LUMS and a panel discussion titled ‘Environment@LUMS: An Exposition of Environmental Research’ in which distinguished panellists discussed various aspects of environment protection and the role of developing countries.

These efforts did not go unacknowledged and LUMS became the first university in South Asia to become a member of the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS®) which is administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which is an international rating and action programme to encourage sustainability in all aspects of higher education. Not only this, LUMS also became one of the only ten schools currently participating in the International Pilot Program.
“STARS is an excellent opportunity for us to showcase all the exciting things we have going here at LUMS. It will be an honest representation of things we’re doing well, and even things we need to improve on,” said Dr Najam, LUMS VC, said, adding that LUMS’ participation in the STARS demonstrated its serious commitment to these issues and its aim to be a leader in sustainability.
In the upcoming SarSubz Semester, LUMS aims to introduce a SarSubz graduation pledge ‘that will allow graduates of 2013 to commit to living green in their lives beyond LUMS.’ According to the VC, “Naming this SarSubz Semester is a small but important way to get the entire LUMS community involved, especially our students, in making our own campus an example of good environmental stewardship.” The university will also continue working on its three-year climate change research project titled “The Determinants, Impact and Cost Effectiveness of Climate Change Adaptation in Indus Ecoregion” which a joint research initiative between LUMS and World Wide Fund for Nature and is being funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
Faculty members from various departments, including, Dr. Abubakr Muhammad in Engineering, such as Rafay Alam in Law and Dr Irshad Hussain in Chemistry will also conduct different research projects related to environment sustainability.
LUMS will also complete a report for STARS and the bike and tree plantation drive will also continue.
“We are looking forward to setting an example for other universities. Walks, placards, banners do play a role but what the environment sustainability needs right now is a solid, action-based initiative and this is what our SarSubz theme is based on,” said a LUMS official.

“Trust LUMS to make something as boring as switching the light off fun. Everyone on the campus is involved in making LUMS, and eventually the country and the world ‘SarSubz’ and this for me is one of the greatest achievements of this initiative. We are not just empty slogans, or a once-in-a-year environment day. This is an every minute of every day of an entire life’s initiative and when all this effort is pooled in, only then will we be in true harmony with nature,” said Ali Murtaza, a student.