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A Convening Of Changemakers: Mumbai’s top minds working on building a more climate-resilient planet were at The Free Press Journal’s first conclave on sustainability, titled ‘Changemakers: Driving A Sustainable Maharashtra’. Organised as part of The Sustainability Network of the FPJ, the conclave comprised three panel discussions, on infrastructure, energy and circularity in cities.
To look at highways, bridges, expressways, industry parks and technology as conduits of economic development that leaves nobody behind is to align physical infrastructure-building with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
That was the message from the first panel discussion organised as part of the Free Press Journal’s Changemakers’ Conclave on Friday, 23 August, at the Taj Mahal Palace & Hotel, Colaba.
Speaking about envisioning a low-carbon future for Maharashtra that also records high growth, Manuj Jindal (IAS), joint managing director of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), said it was time to look at growth not merely as GDP figures but about connecting people and places in a way that gives an impetus to local economies. “Our plan to develop small economic hubs along both sides of the 700-km Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg, to transform the rural economy by giving employment to youth and women from the villages and give platform to display what the rural economy has to offer,” Jindal said.
In order to meet other SDGs on environment and wildlife, this expressway will also have a green cover of 33 lakh shrubs. Jindal said, “The idea is not only to plant trees but do it in a sustainable manner. We took guidance from the Botanical Survey of India to decide the type of plants that should be planted in each part.” He also spoke about the wildlife passages with sound barriers along the highway.
“We are also working on involving self-help groups to initiate bamboo plantation alongside the highway. The entire plan including a 20 megawatt solar park is to have a net zero carbon emission highway,” Jindal said.
Talking about the importance of infrastructure development, Prabodh Acharya, chief sustainability officer of the JSW Group, said infrastructure can bring equity among people. “Everybody has the right to a better quality of life. The nation’s primary objective is infrastructure development and we deliver the ingredients like steel and cement required for it…but there is a need for balance between growth and sustainability. The challenge is how to grow while not growing in carbon emissions,” he said. He said solutions must also be financially viable.
The JSW Group has moved towards renewables very rapidly, and now uses renewables for up to 70% of its needs, he said. “Our cement has the lowest carbon footprint among manufacturers across the world, which helps build infrastructure in a sustainable manner,” he added.
Dr Anantharaman Subramaniyan, Head of Strategy, Sustainability, CSR and Skilling at Siemens Limited, focused on how digital technologies and platforms provide scalable solutions to counter climate-related challenges confronting industry and cities, citing examples such as chiller plant optimisation software.
“Of the properties where we have implemented the solution, on full scope basis, about 8 million units of annual savings in electricity, and about 8 kilotons of carbon dioxide equivalent are being achieved. The best part of technology solution is its scalability across enterprise. Our message is that sustainability is a topic that does not rest with only government nor only infrastructure companies — everyone part of economic activities needs to act towards reducing emissions, today.”
Alok Shrivastava, vice-president and corporate head (Health, Safety & Environment) at Shapoorji Pallonji And Company Private Limited, stressed on the need of leadership at the top level in companies to empower workers on safety-related issues. “As a nation, we have to grow but while balancing it with conservation of our resources. We are proudly a sustainable company which cares for workers as well as the environment,” he said, adding that all labour camps at the company’s sites have solar-powered lighting, the company is also moving towards bio-toilets at these camps, while workers are empowered to refuse to work if the work sites are not safe.
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