OTBL Campus Impact Challenge: A Youth Initiative for Creating Positive Spaces

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in partnership with ONGC TERI Biotech Limited (OTBL), launched a project , ‘OTBL Campus Impact Challenge’ – an initiative for the youth and by the youth for creating positive spaces. OTBL CIC was based on the belief that young people must be engaged in ideation, innovations, and action that will ensure the nation's holistic development and contribute to SDGs locally.

Colleges and institutes of higher learning from Assam were shortlisted to participate, showcasing their commitment to sustainability by implementing innovative ideas that have driven impactful and transformative changes on their campuses. The OTBL CIC journey encompassed a series of activities, including an orientation webinar, development and submission of physical setups by participating institutes, online progress discussions, personalized interactions, expert-led sessions, mentoring support by TERI, jury visits, and comprehensive evaluations. The campaign ideas were:

• Menstrual Hygiene and Health of the Adolescent Girls in the Neighbourhood by Assam University, Silchar
• Protecting the Bird Species of Cotton Campus by Cotton University, Guwahati
• Developing Mosquito Repellent using Natural Plants by Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh
• Recycling and Reuse of E-waste using Green Technology by Sibsagar University, Sibsagar
• Waste-Free Campus: Pioneering the Path to Sustainability by Swahid Peoli Phukan College, Sibsagar
• Again - Peel to Appeal: Transforming Fruit and Vegetable Peel Waste into Sustainable Solutions by Tezpur University, Tezpur

The outcomes of the CIC were:

• Development and dissemination of best ideas striving towards achieving locally relevant SDGs
• Identification of 60 Youth Ambassadors
• Designing of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials by institutes
• Implementation of 6 best sustainability setups across Assam by
  • Setting up sanitary napkin vending machines
  • Creation of bird nesting habitats on campus using sustainable materials like wooden blocks, earthen pots, and branches
  • Infrastructure lab setup in the Plant Tissue Culture laboratory
  • E-waste collection drive in Sibsagar town
  • Setting up of benches made up of plastic bottles, display boards, vermicomposting unit and dustbins
  • Creation of handicrafts, incense sticks, plates made from waste materials
  • Reached out to approximately ~ 4 Schools, ~ 3000 Students & ~ 1700 community members across Assam educating students on SDGs and their applications

The winners of the OTBL Campus Impact Award were felicitated in the presence Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI; Dr Banwari Lal, Senior Director, Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology Division, TERI; Dr Dipankar Saharia, Senior Director, Social Transformation and Strategic Alliance and Administrative Services and Regional Centers, TERI and Dr Livleen Kahlon, Associate Director, Environment Education Awareness Division, TERI during the celebration of TERI’s 50th Anniversary in Guwahati, Assam. The names of the winners are:

• First Position: Swahid Peoli Phukan College, Sibsagar for their ‘Waste-Free Campus: Pioneering the Path to Sustainability’
• Second Position: Tezpur University, Tezpur for their ‘Again - Peel to Appeal: Transforming Fruit and Vegetable Peel Waste into Sustainable Solutions’
• Third Position: Assam University, Silchar for their ‘Menstrual Hygiene and Health of the Adolescent Girls in the Neighbourhood’