St Aloysius (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru, is rooted in a legacy of environmental awareness and has transformed into a model of sustainability, growing from scattered environmental efforts into a campus-wide movement. The work is guided by the Jesuit value of cura personalis — care for the whole person — and by Universal Apostolic Preference 4, Caring for Our Common Home, and it brings solar energy, waste management, eco clubs and biodiversity conservation together under one programme. These efforts are closely aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — particularly climate action, quality education, clean energy and sustainable communities — and reflect a deeper commitment to social responsibility and ecological justice, shaping students into global citizens who live consciously and serve the greater good through education that reaches beyond the classroom.
The University backs that commitment with infrastructure rather than slogans: a 605 kW rooftop solar plant across four campuses, a 1.5-acre arboretum, an eco-park and a herbal garden, campus-wide rainwater harvesting, wastewater recycling and on-site composting. This work is coordinated through a dedicated Centre for Environmental Concern and a student movement more than a hundred strong. This page is the hub for that work: it brings together the University's green initiatives, the courses and campaigns behind them and the recognition these efforts have earned, while linking to detailed pages on individual projects. It is written for prospective students and their families, researchers, and the accreditation bodies that assess universities like St Aloysius.
605 kW rooftop solar plant across four campuses, built from 1,300 panels
1.5-acre Al-VANA Arboretum with 150+ native plant species
Coordinated by the Centre for Environmental Concern (2021) and 100+ Eco Warriors
Rainwater harvesting, on-site composting since 2019 and a 100 KLD sewage treatment plant
Independent green, energy and environmental audits, plus an eco-park and a herbal garden on campus
National recognition, including a first-place ranking in Karnataka in the 2018 Swachh Campus Ranking
The University's environmental work is institutionalised rather than ad hoc. The Centre for Environmental Concern (CEC), established on 15 March 2021 under the leadership of Rev. Dr Praveen Martis SJ, was created to institutionalise environmental action, awareness and education, and it serves as the hub for sustainability efforts across the University. Alongside it, the Eco Warriors — a student movement that began in August 2021 with 15 volunteers and now numbers more than 100 — conduct awareness drives, beach clean-ups and plantation drives, carry out green projects, and undertake community engagement for sustainable development and ecological integrity. They also receive regular training from experts. Much of the University's environmental teaching and fieldwork also runs through the Department of Zoology, so a great deal of this work doubles as hands-on learning for students.
A 605 kW rooftop solar plant, inaugurated in 2021 and described as Mangaluru's largest educational solar installation, spans four campuses and comprises 1,300 Mono PERC panels. It is monitored through SCADA and connected to the grid under a net-metering arrangement with MESCOM. Under net metering, the campus exports surplus electricity to the grid, and the resulting credits offset electricity drawn from the grid when solar generation is lower. Together, the solar plant and the net-metering arrangement lower energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions while helping to power classrooms sustainably. Biogas and campus-wide LED lighting improve energy efficiency and add to the savings. The University also teaches what it practises: its UGC-recognised BVoc in Renewable Energy Management, launched alongside the solar plant and run as a Kaushal Kendra (skill centre), is open to students from any stream and blends theory with hands-on training (HoT) and on-the-job learning (OJT), preparing them not only to understand renewable energy but also to become leaders in India's growing green economy.
Sustainability at St Aloysius is also about the living campus. Three major green spaces — an arboretum, an eco-park and a herbal garden — help turn the grounds into an open-air biodiversity laboratory.
The 1.5-acre Al-VANA Arboretum preserves at least 150 native plant species, including rare, endangered and threatened flora. Developed by SACAA and alumnus Arjun Mascarenhas, it features a butterfly garden, apiculture, organic-farming plots and a Miyawaki forest. Built using 60% recycled materials, it serves as a hands-on biodiversity learning centre for students and the public.
Al-Kshema Dhama was created in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Centre for Environmental Concern and student volunteers transformed a barren dump yard into a thriving eco-park. It now features aquaponics, organic farming, vertical gardens, pollinator zones, composting units and a meditation-friendly infinity walk. Eco-brick seating and upcycled installations reflect the park's strong emphasis on waste-to-resource innovation. It serves as a model for experiential environmental education and sustainability in action.
Inaugurated in 2025, Al-Aushadhi Vana is a medicinal-plant garden containing more than 100 species used in traditional Indian medicine, including rare and endangered herbs. Built by students and faculty as an open-air laboratory, it features QR-coded information about its plants and links ancient herbal knowledge with modern scientific learning, promoting hands-on research, sustainable healthcare awareness and the conservation of India's medicinal biodiversity.
More than 250 trees across the campus have been geo-tagged and linked to QR codes in a "Digital Garden", giving students and visitors instant species information and helping them learn about native and exotic flora. The campus is surveyed for animal life as well as plants: an insect inventory has recorded 37 species of butterflies, 41 of moths and 12 of wasps, and birds are counted every year through the Campus Bird Count.
Rainwater from the rooftops of all blocks is collected and directed to recharge wells, boosting groundwater levels. A dedicated groundwater-recharge learning setup, installed in 2022 with SACAA's support, combines physical recharge infrastructure with a QR code. It enables students to learn about water conservation and study aquifer restoration first-hand, thereby blending physical infrastructure with digital education.
Organic waste is composted on site through the Eudricompost initiative, launched in 2019, which uses the earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae to turn campus waste into nutrient-rich compost for organic farming, with surplus shared with local communities. This also promotes sustainable waste management. The Department of Zoology supervises the vermicomposting units, runs a regular Vermitech Diploma Course and promotes the use of portable vermibins among various institutions, extending the practice beyond the campus. At the AIMIT campus, a 100 KLD (100,000 litres per day) sewage treatment plant recycles wastewater for irrigation and recovers nutrient-rich sludge for use as manure, ensuring water efficiency and reducing the campus's environmental impact. Waste is segregated at source into wet and dry categories, food waste is composted, and single-use plastics such as straws, cutlery and plates have been banned.
The University's environmental claims are independently verified rather than self-reported. Green, energy and environmental audits are carried out by external agencies, including EnvOne Technologies, MARS and Green Xpert, each of which examines energy and water use, waste handling and emissions before setting out recommendations on which the University then acts. These audits are what the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) expects of higher education institutions under Criterion 7 (Institutional Values and Best Practices), and their results feed into the overall NAAC grade — St Aloysius is accredited by NAAC with a CGPA of 3.67.
The University's environmental commitment runs through its teaching. In line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and UGC guidelines, Environmental Studies is a mandatory course across all undergraduate programmes. The course is intended to foster ecological consciousness and responsible citizenship. It contributes directly to several Sustainable Development Goals — including SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) — reinforcing the University's commitment to shaping environmentally responsible graduates. The UGC-recognised BVoc in Renewable Energy Management, open to students from any stream, adds practical depth by blending theory with hands-on training and on-the-job learning for the clean-energy sector.
That teaching has also reached beyond the campus walls into the Mangaluru District Prison. On 2 October 2023, St Aloysius College launched a unique four-month Diploma Course in Integrated Agriculture and Organic Farming Methods at the 164-year-old District Prison in Mangaluru. This hands-on, practical course aimed to rehabilitate inmates by equipping them with sustainable farming skills for self-employment. The course was successfully completed and brought about visible positive changes among the participants. It also included the development and maintenance of a one-acre organic farm within the prison. This model of education behind bars set a benchmark for meaningful rehabilitation and reintegration through skill-based learning. In August 2024, the University launched its second prison-education initiative: a Diploma in Herbal Medicine and Disease Prevention at the District Jail, Mangaluru. Conducted in collaboration with the District Legal Services Authority, the programme built on the success of the first initiative and aimed to equip inmates with practical skills for sustainable self-employment upon release. The programme was completed in 2024. A dedicated plant sales centre, Sasi Marata Kendra, was also inaugurated within the prison. By combining education, livelihood training and mental wellness, both programmes represent significant steps towards correction, reformation and reintegration, helping to turn prisons into centres of second chances.
The University's environmental work reaches well beyond its gates. The Hejje footwear-recycling campaign, launched on 1 February 2024 in collaboration with the Green Soles Foundation, collected more than 5,000 pairs of discarded footwear from homes, schools and churches. The footwear was refurbished and donated to underprivileged communities. The Fruit City campaign, begun in August 2024 with support from civic leaders, healthcare institutions and the university community, is an urban greening mission that aims to transform Mangaluru into "India's first Fruit City" by planting fruit-bearing trees across public spaces and distributing over 10,000 saplings in its first phase. From 13 to 15 September 2024, the University hosted the JHEASA South Zone workshop, "Caring for Our Common Home". The workshop, rooted in the philosophy expressed in Pope Francis's Laudato Si', brought together 55 students from 15 Jesuit institutions in South India for marine-conservation activities at Bengre, biodiversity treks and organic-farming demonstrations. This outward-looking commitment also led to the deployment of electric patrol bikes at Bandipur Tiger Reserve in 2024 and continues through the Sarpamithra snake-awareness campaign.
The University's environmental record has been recognised nationally and internationally.
In the 2018 MHRD Swachh Campus Ranking, St Aloysius was placed third in the country and first in Karnataka among nearly 4,000 institutions. It was honoured for excellence in cleanliness, waste management, green initiatives and community participation, solidifying its status as a sustainability role model. In 2019, it received the Green Institutional Mentor Award from MGNCRE (MHRD, Government of India), in recognition of its professionalism and capacity building in water and sanitation management on campus. In 2024, the Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Dr Praveen Martis SJ, received the Environmental Peace Building Education Award from the International Association of Educators for World Peace (affiliated with the United Nations ECOSOC), a recognition that highlights his visionary leadership and the institution's global commitment to peace, sustainability and environmental education.
St Aloysius keeps environmental awareness on the calendar throughout the year. Its World Environment Day programmes and the Vrakshanjali environmental-awareness programme address climate change and ecological restoration, bringing together faculty, students, NCC cadets, community partners and other stakeholders. These events sit alongside the University's wider climate action — the rooftop solar plant that lowers greenhouse gas emissions, the plantation and clean-up drives led by the Eco Warriors, and the independent audits that track progress — keeping environmental stewardship part of everyday campus life. Together, these events and initiatives align the University's work with national and global climate goals — from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to the Paris Agreement's push for a low-carbon economy — and reflect the science-based thinking that shapes credible climate action today.
St Aloysius maps its environmental work directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The 605 kW solar plant and the BVoc in Renewable Energy Management advance SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy); mandatory Environmental Studies and the two prison diploma courses advance SDG 4 (Quality Education); rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and the sewage treatment plant advance SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation); the arboretum, eco-park, herbal garden and annual wildlife surveys advance SDG 15 (Life on Land); and campus-wide composting, waste segregation and the ban on single-use plastics advance SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Taken together with the plantation drives, audits and awareness events, this work also supports SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). This alignment turns individual projects into a coherent institutional sustainability strategy and provides a useful framework for sustainability reporting and accreditation documentation.
These initiatives deliver benefits beyond lower costs and a stronger accreditation score; their central purpose is to support learning. Students take part directly by running surveys, managing the composting programme and the eco-park, and helping with audits. Through this participation, they gain first-hand experience of environmental practices. For students in environmental science, zoology, engineering and beyond, the campus itself works as a living laboratory, shaped by the Jesuit conviction that education should form citizens who live consciously and serve the common good.
The University has set out a further programme of environmental and social initiatives, several of which are already in preparation.
Animal Welfare Society — a dedicated platform for animal welfare, awareness and rescue, developed in collaboration with local shelters. It will provide students with volunteering opportunities that help cultivate compassion and responsibility.
Green Legacy Project / Green Guardians Programme — every student will plant and care for a tree during their studies. Each tree will be tagged with a QR code to monitor its growth and maintenance. Students will submit updates to the CEC, and successful participants will receive a certificate upon graduation.
Plastic Garden — an awareness space built from collected plastic waste, teaching students and visitors about plastic's harmful impact on ecosystems and promoting a reduce–reuse–recycle mindset.
Indian Knowledge Systems and Sustainable Agriculture — new academic programmes drawing on Indian ecological wisdom, organic-farming techniques and conservation practices to enrich students' understanding of traditional and modern sustainability models.
Plant Breeding Centre — a dedicated research and training centre for breeding essential crops such as pepper and medicinal herbs, supporting agricultural innovation with a particular focus on climate-resilient varieties.
Adoption of a city ward — systematic tree planting and maintenance by students and faculty in collaboration with the Mangaluru City Corporation to create a model green zone.
Campus waste-recycling plant — a centralised facility for plastic, paper and organic waste that will double as a demonstration unit for environmental science and sustainability students.
Digital examination system — a transition to digital examinations and assessments intended to reduce the institution's carbon and paper footprints while enabling paperless operations, improving accessibility and increasing data-management efficiency.
Individual initiatives — including clean energy, the eco-park and the Eco Warriors — will each have a dedicated page as the Green Campus section grows.
St Aloysius has a 605 kW rooftop solar plant across four campuses, a 1.5-acre arboretum, an eco-park (Al-Kshema Dhama), a herbal garden (Al-Aushadhi Vana), campus-wide rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge, on-site composting, a 100 KLD sewage treatment plant, a ban on single-use plastics, and independent green, energy and environmental audits. The work is coordinated by the Centre for Environmental Concern and the student-led Eco Warriors movement.
The rooftop solar plant has an installed capacity of 605 kW across four campuses. Inaugurated in 2021 and described as Mangaluru's largest educational solar installation, the plant comprises 1,300 Mono PERC panels. It is monitored through SCADA and connected to the grid under a net-metering arrangement with MESCOM. The system also helps to power classrooms sustainably.
The Centre for Environmental Concern (CEC) was established on 15 March 2021, under the leadership of Rev. Dr Praveen Martis SJ, to institutionalise the University's environmental action, awareness and education. It is the hub for sustainability efforts across the University.
The Eco Warriors are a student movement that began in August 2021 with 15 volunteers and now numbers more than 100 students. They conduct awareness drives, beach clean-ups and plantation drives, carry out green projects, and undertake community engagement for sustainable development and ecological integrity. They also receive regular training from experts.
Yes. St Aloysius was placed third nationally and first in Karnataka in the 2018 MHRD Swachh Campus Ranking and received the Green Institutional Mentor Award from MGNCRE in 2019. In 2024, its Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Dr Praveen Martis SJ, received the Environmental Peace Building Education Award from the International Association of Educators for World Peace, which is affiliated with the United Nations ECOSOC.
Yes. The University has undergone green, energy and environmental audits by external agencies including EnvOne Technologies, MARS and Green Xpert, in line with NAAC Criterion 7.
It is coordinated by the Centre for Environmental Concern and the student-led Eco Warriors, with much of the teaching and fieldwork running through the Department of Zoology.
A green campus is a university or college campus that is managed sustainably — generating clean energy, conserving water, managing waste responsibly, protecting biodiversity and integrating environmental awareness into teaching. At St Aloysius, this takes the form of a 605 kW solar plant, campus-wide rainwater harvesting, on-site composting, three dedicated green spaces and Environmental Studies as a mandatory course for every undergraduate.
A green campus reduces an institution's environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions, protects local biodiversity and gives students first-hand experience of sustainability and climate action. It also supports national and global climate goals and can improve an institution's performance under NAAC Criterion 7.
A green audit independently assesses how an institution uses energy and water, handles waste and manages emissions, and provides recommendations for improvement. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) expects higher education institutions to carry out green, energy and environmental audits under Criterion 7, and the results feed into the overall NAAC grade. St Aloysius's audits are conducted by external agencies including EnvOne Technologies, MARS and Green Xpert.
The University lowers its greenhouse gas emissions through a 605 kW rooftop solar plant, biogas and campus-wide LED lighting. On-site composting, waste segregation at source and the ban on single-use plastics reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, while wastewater recycling reduces freshwater consumption and wastewater discharge. Regular plantation drives and the three campus green spaces contribute to carbon sequestration, and independent energy and environmental audits track progress.
Practical steps include installing renewable-energy systems such as rooftop solar panels, harvesting rainwater and recharging groundwater, composting organic waste, segregating municipal solid waste at source, protecting biodiversity through green spaces and surveys, and embedding environmental studies in the curriculum. St Aloysius combines all of these measures, coordinates them through its Centre for Environmental Concern and has their implementation independently audited.
Environmental Studies is a mandatory course for every undergraduate, and the University offers a UGC-recognised BVoc in Renewable Energy Management. The Department of Zoology runs a Vermitech Diploma Course in vermicomposting, and planned programmes in Indian Knowledge Systems and Sustainable Agriculture will add further options. Two diploma courses, in integrated agriculture and in herbal medicine, have also been delivered for inmates of the Mangaluru District Prison.
Its clean-energy, water, biodiversity, waste and education initiatives map to several SDGs: the 605 kW solar plant to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), mandatory Environmental Studies to SDG 4 (Quality Education), rainwater harvesting and the sewage treatment plant to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), the arboretum and wildlife surveys to SDG 15 (Life on Land), and composting and the plastics ban to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), while the wider programme supports SDG 13 (Climate Action).
An external agency inspects the campus and its records, measures energy and water use, waste generation and emissions, and benchmarks them against environmental and green-building standards before issuing a report with recommendations. St Aloysius's green, energy and environmental audits are carried out by agencies including EnvOne Technologies, MARS and Green Xpert, in line with NAAC Criterion 7.
The seven Rs are refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle, recover and rot. St Aloysius applies several of these principles through its ban on single-use plastics (refuse and reduce), the Hejje footwear-recycling and plastic-collection drives (reuse and recycle), and on-site composting through the Eudricompost initiative (rot).
The University's green-campus initiatives extend across its campuses, including the 37-acre main campus in central Mangaluru and the AIMIT campus at Kotekar. The rooftop solar plant spans four campuses. St Aloysius (Deemed to be University) has run environmental programmes across these sites for many years. Since 2021, these programmes have been coordinated through the Centre for Environmental Concern.
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