The prestigious International Green Gown Awards have recognised Amrita’s “Nurturing nature – holistic pathways towards nature positivity”. Regularly and wholeheartedly, students and faculty participate in tree planting drives, seed ball campaigns, public trash collection, bee conservation, and more to support the local environment.

The honour was bestowed in the category of Nature Positive, highlighting how the university has made dedicated efforts in conservation since its first campus began in 2003 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Located in the foothills of the Western Ghats, the area was barren at the time with global temperatures on the rise and increasingly dry land cover. Biodiversity in the region was on severe decline.

Recognising the urgency to cultivate a harmonious relationship between the residential community and the natural environment, the campus initiated multi-stakeholder projects aimed at ecosystem restoration and support for the local flora and fauna.

Today, the results are remarkable with an oasis of lush greenery serving as a rich biodiversity hub. The sprawling 4-acre area has recorded a drop in average temperature by 5°C. The tranquil surroundings now host an array of exotic birds, alongside numerous indigenous plants and species rare to the region.

The Green Gown award remarked upon how afforestation has inspired hope among community, faculty, and students for a brighter world future. Through such multi-stakeholder partnerships and community participation, a sense of stewardship can be fostered, which helps in sustaining the natural surroundings.

As well, a sense of gratitude and reverence towards nature has been brought in among the students, faculty and community, thereby improving their overall health and improving spiritual and cultural benefits. With the learnings imbibed, all nine of Amrita’s campuses are taking action to make their local eco-systems beautiful, abundant, and self-sustaining.

The Green Gown award also noted some of Amrita’s other accolades for environmental conservation. In 2017, Amrita’s Coimbatore campus was first rank in the technical institutions category in the Swachhta rankings by Govt of India. Amrita’s Amritapuri campus has been recognised as Kerala’s first bee-friendly campus.