Innovative ways to combat climate change

Tamil Nadu suffers from the effects of climate change. Drought, soil erosion and water depletion are the main evidence of this. Monsoon rains matter for crop irrigation and water supply, and people and livestock suffer heavily when the monsoon fails or is delayed.

Sustainability is at the heart of all that we do

We run the following sustainable development schemes:

• Tree planting – around 200,000 seedlings are being planted each year including indigenous trees. So far nearly 60 lakh trees have been planted. Our nurseries provide saplings every October.
• Organic farming using bio-fertilisers.
• Water supply management – 140 Ooranies (reservoirs) have been restored and a further 120 rainwater reservoirs built.
• Wind energy – we have a 250 kilo watt wind turbine and 250 kilo watt that produces electricity to sustain our energy needs
• Waste separation & composting

Innovative projects include:

• Biodigestion – the first biomass composter had been piloted at the Cheranmahadevi campus. It has been composting waste generated from all of SCAD’s colleges.
• Biochar – a method of soil conditioning used by farmers to generate heat for cooking and by-products for soil conditioning.

• Microbial technology for soil improvement – SCAD-Nirman has initiated two Effective Micro Organism Brewing Units. Various trials are conducted at  farmers’ fields and also at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra science centre; More than 100 farmers are trying this out in more than 500 acres of land. Further, Effective Micro organism is also being used to clean bathrooms and toilets besides being used in farms and kitchen garden.