This will launch the first of its kind conservation based certificate in India. The 'Green Thumb Certificate' will recognize and acknowledge the conservation efforts of a company.
SP Jain students Rahul Ramchandani, Ravish Ralhen and Siddharth Natarajan have been working with AERF for more than a month to further the cause of conservation, increase awareness and most importantly, bring corporate participation.
Rahul Ramchandani, Ravish Ralhen and Siddharth Natarajan, students from the flagship two-year PGDM course of SPJIMR, are helping develop a corporate marketing strategy for the NGO. Along with the AERF management, they have helped design a Corporate Conservation Programme (CCP), which would help Indian companies turn green. Around the world, companies are taking pride in turning green. The trio hopes to bring about a positive change in the Indian industry too. They have been visiting various industrial houses, and the response so far has been very encouraging.
SPJIMR, one of the leading business schools in the country, has been running a unique program called the 'Development of Corporate Citizenship' (DOCC) for seven years. Under this program, which is in line with the institute's philosophy of `value based growth' and `influencing practice', participants are required to undertake a social project with an NGO. DOCC endeavours to work as a medium between the NGOs and the Indian Corporate sector and strives to bring them together towards the cause of contributing to society. In this process, it manages to sensitize India's future managers to the softer social issues, and also gives the NGOs an access to managerial talent, that otherwise may not be so affordable.
"The overwhelming initial response from the corporate sector to our DOCC is yet another testimony of our successful innovations in management education," says SPJIMR.
Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF) has been working for more than 14 years in biodiversity conservation using sound scientific research. Its efforts in saving biodiversity and in promoting rural development by establishing bio-fuel resource centres around Maharashra have earned many international awards and worldwide acclaim. The 'Green Thumb Certificate' is a part of the Corporate Conservation Programme. Such programmes would go a long way in establishing the eco-friendliness of Indian business houses.
