LIVE COVERAGE OF RV DEBATING TOURNAMENT ON ROAD SAFETY & SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY

The RV Debating Tournament 2012, conducted with the support of Michelin India, is one of the biggest tournaments in India that will focus on issues long championed by Michelin. RV college who is soon to be hosting the largest annual student competition in the world ,WUDC where more than a thousand university students aggregate in places across the world and participate in a week long competition .

The current debate which will happen over the weekend covers many intuitive topics on issues that affect our lifestyle, some of which Michelin has championed for long. Issues such as policies on road safety that needs to be tackled through innovative ideas, Sustainable mobility which is fast becoming a buzz word for most manufacturers as well as government policies. Also new progressive ideas that may very well become tomorrow’s policies such as tax rebates for contributions to road safety raises a number of interesting issues that will be debated by among the best debaters in the country.

These tournaments are a great place for students to get acquainted with the issues of road safety and sustainable growth and take the first step to having a tangible understanding of these issues that will be affecting them in their day to day lives.

You can catch the knockouts of this event live on our Blog at 1^st October 2012 – 2pm onwards

Shell event: ECO TITANS 2012

In a context marked by the emergence of new fuel and vehicle technologies, innovative urban design and sustainable infrastructure solutions, different ways to address the growing challenges of urban transportations are being explored. The main goal is to use renewable energies to enhance sustainable mobility. India is one of the largest energy consumers in the world and its energy demand continues to rise. As vehicle ownership expands and oil demand in the transport sector is expected to grow further, the big challenge ahead for the country is to reduce both carbon emissions and the consumption of non-renewable energies. The Shell Eco Marathon, a global initiative promoting fuel-efficient transportation research, suggests that the involvement of talented youth may bring the solution.

Each year, the Shell Eco Marathon challenges millions of engineer students from all over the world to design, build and test ultra-energy efficient vehicles capable of traveling the farthest using the least fuel. Running on energy sources ranging from diesel to solar, participants compete in a car designed purely for ultra-energy-efficiency or one that also considers the practical needs of everyday drivers. In 2012, the race started in the United States, with 68 teams competing in Huston from 29th March to 1st April. On May 17th, the contest moved to the "green city" of Rotterdam and saw the participation of three thousand students from 24 European countries. From July 4-7, 2012, 1,500 students from 18 countries across Asia came together for the third time at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, to compete in stretching the limits of energy efficiency.

Vellore Institute of Technology'steam, Team Eco Titans participated from India, co- sponsored by Michelin. The team is composed of 12 undergraduates with different engineering background who started their project in August 2011 spending all their free time to work on it. The car they have designed tackles about 150-200 km per litre of fuel while producing polluting emissions which do not exceed the levels allowed. 90% of the chassis is made from aluminium, aero-dynamically designed and eco-friendly materials have been chosen as many alternatives.

Little drops make an ocean. Here is the simple but powerful idea which inspired the VIT team. Why couldn't we follow their example?

#support them at www.facebook.com/teamecotitans

India on the road to Rio: New leadership for a greener future

The fast-approaching Rio+20 Earth Summit should be a critical moment in the construction of a greener future. It is actually a replay of the 1992 Conference on the same topic, twenty years ago. Bringing together more than 172 countries, the 1992 UNCED (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) is still considered as a landmark event in the development of global environmental governance, with the introduction of the broad concept of ‘sustainable development’ for the first time, the signature of two major conventions (on Climate Change and Biodiversity) and the rollout of an action plan (Agenda 21).

Though the legacy of the first Rio Summit is hardly rosy (or, more appropriately, green), it addressed issues that have become increasingly relevant over the past two decades. However, while the issues are still the same overall, the situation has changed dramatically, especially in the matter of international governance. Twenty years ago, developed countries were the growth engines, while developing countries were the growth seekers. This situation has now virtually been reversed. Then the United States and Europe were spearheading negotiations, now China and India are looked upon as key decision makers.

Among emerging countries, India has stepped up, asserting itself as a lead figure for the conference. Just last year, at the Durban Climate Change Conference, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan’s role proved instrumental in concluding a new deal. For the Rio+20 Summit, India is expected to play an even greater role. The country has already conducted some preliminary work. In October 2011, it hosted the New Delhi Ministerial Dialogue on Green Economy and Inclusive Growth, raising several points that have already found their way into the ‘zero draft’ that will serve as a basis for Rio+20 discussions.

The situation is interesting not only because new voices should be leading the debate, but also new outlooks on the problem of global environmental preservation should emerge. India’s main focus has already been stated, hinging on holding developed countries accountable for their ecological footprints and urging them to reduce it, while leaving enough room for developing countries to grow. With this shift in the balance of power and fresh outlooks, the new summit will certainly be a defining moment for the environment as great, if not greater, as the last summit.

Event: India CSR Mega Conference in Mumbai

Although it has gained in popularity over the past years, only few companies systematically incorporate CSR into their strategic vision.

The one-day quality-driven conference to be held on May 9 in Mumbai invites you to be part of a meaningful conversation about embedding corporate citizenship into the core of companies’ quest for competitiveness. This captivating forum will bring together global issues of corporate citizenship, ecological sustainability, dimensions of human resource management and community renewal and will be a rare opportunity to engage with industry experts.

Are you interested in the CSR and Competitiveness Conference? You can find more details at:
http://conference.indiacsr.in/index.php

CII-ITC rewards best practices in corporate-led sustainability efforts

Sustainable development is not only a matter of consumer awareness and policy initiatives, but is also a matter involving industrial movers’ efforts. Not only because providing products compatible with a sustainable development increases their value for consumers, but also because achieving sustainability will ensure better long-term perspectives for industry.

With this in mind and for the sixth time since its creation, the CII-ITC (CII-ITC website) has handed out its Sustainability Awards for sustainable industry efforts. The grand winner of this year’s ceremony was Tata Steel, which won the Sustainability Prize in Category A for Large Business Organizations for the fourth time since the award’s creation. The prize rewards leadership and excellence for work to improve economic, environmental and social performance.

Aside from acknowledging best efforts in sustainability, the advantage of the CII-ITC Sustainability Award is that, during the process, the center conducts a thorough due-diligence, provides extensive feedback to participants, thus allowing them to improve their existing model. Not only does the center spotlight best examples of sustainable industrial developments, but it also provides a platform for sharing best practices, enabling other companies interested in sustainable development to implement the most effective processes easily. This has made the award a cutting- edge tool in promoting sustainability, raising the bar year after year while sharing key knowledge. We tip our hat to this remarkable initiative.