The Green Campus Initiative, a pilot programme under the Community Social Responsibility (ComSR) model, was launched at Zunheboto Government College on Wednesday with a focus on environmental sustainability, community participation and conservation.
The initiative was jointly organised by Zunheboto Government College and the Zunheboto Forest Division.
Divisional Forest Officer Obed Bohovi Swu stressed the importance of community participation in addressing local challenges. He said government assistance alone could not provide solutions to every issue and called for communities to take collective responsibility. “The objective should be to find solutions rather than allow issues to become bigger problems,” he said.
Swu highlighted the role of Zunheboto Government College, the only government college in the district, in implementing the initiative. He said the programme would help create a greener campus, enhance the institution’s image and provide students and faculty an opportunity to practise environmental conservation as a form of social responsibility.
Launching the initiative, Deputy Commissioner Zunheboto Dharam Raj described it as an innovative programme and thanked the DFO for conceptualising it. He said the initiative should adopt a holistic approach and should not be viewed merely as an effort to increase forest cover, stressing that conservation and development must go hand in hand.
Citing the Chipko Movement, Dharam Raj said tribal communities had traditionally understood the value of forests and played an important role in their protection. He also called for reduced energy consumption and sustainable lifestyles.
Appealing particularly to the younger generation and Gen Z, he encouraged them to actively participate and make environmental conservation part of their daily lives.
The programme included an invocation by Assistant Professor Everkali W Achumi and a welcome address by Principal Dr. R. Bendangtemjen. IQAC Coordinator Tiasunep Ozukum delivered the vote of thanks.
The programme concluded with a commemorative plantation of native trees, marking a step towards strengthening the college’s commitment to environmental conservation and promoting native species.