Technopark has always strived to live up to its name, individually and collectively, as the ‘greenest IT park’ in the country, through green initiatives such as improving the tree cover, managing e-waste, efforts at water conservation and rainwater harvesting and even the drive for paperless offices, most of which have turned out to be successful campaigns.
Now, it adds another feather to its green cap with its decision to ban vinyl flex boards and banners inside campus. The ban came into effect this week and most of the plastic banners, used mainly for advertising and publicity, which used to hang on lampposts on campus, especially those on the main road leading into it, and those at the so-called ‘banner hotspots’ [near the Nila roundabout and near the water tank at Park Centre], have all been removed. Only banners made of cloth remain, according to authorities.
“It is an extension of the Kerala government’s decision to ban vinyl flex boards and banners. Technopark decided to take the bull by the horns and go ahead with the ban, knowing that we would get the whole-hearted support of techies. By doing so Technopark continues to be the model for such green initiatives,” says Abhilash D.S., head, HR and administration, Technopark.
“This particular initiative is also part of a series of eco-friendly projects that are in the works, which we will roll out in phases. Following this, we also hope to start a waste management plant on campus within a month or so,” he adds.
Needless to say, most techies are thrilled with the decision. “The ban’s been a long time coming; a much-awaited and much-appreciated move by Park authorities, given that there was a definite overuse of plastic banners, especially on the main avenue,” says Zafer Ameer, a software tester at an MNC on campus and an eco-entrepreneur who makes cloth bags under the label Sangi.
Techie Anoop Varghese Kuriappuram, an executive member of Prathidhwani, a socio-cultural organisation on campus, too welcomes the move.
“We have given it a warm welcome and I think that Technopark is setting an example with the decision. Not only are these banners and flex boards that are made of poly vinyl chloride non-recyclable, but they are also said to be carcinogenic. I now hope that Park authorities will also ban all manner of plastic waste, particularly bags, cups and plates from the many food counters on campus,” he says.
However, there are a few dissenting voices against the ‘arbitrary’ ban. “Banners and flex boards are one of the most effective means to get the word out there, especially about a particular event that is happening on campus. Since most of the people who work on campus travel the main road either to Nila or up to Park Centre on a daily basis they would see the hoardings and be appraised of the events. Emails, on the other hand, are actually not as much effective.
“The system in place now is that an event organiser sends a common email to the HR departments of companies and it’s completely under their discretion whether to forward the email to their employees. Plastic banners are also cheaper than cloth banners and a cost effective options for techie-driven organisations. Also, from now on, will companies be able to put up vinyl flex boards of their own on their own campuses within Technopark?” asks a corporate communications executive on the condition of anonymity. “While I do welcome banning advertisement banners, we hope authorities will show a bit of leniency in such cases,” he adds.
