Edu-leaders

The IIMB campus at Bannerghatta Road is abuzz with preparations for the start of one of the biggest business fests in India - Vista 2010. With a theme that will seek to explore the many options that India has over the next decade, this business fest hopes to be the place where the ideas which will drive the next generation of CEOs germinate. The Mahindra group is the title sponsor for the festival.

The fest itself is full of new ideas - from a green initiative to using social networks for publicity. The Vista team has created an addictive game on the popular networking site Facebook, and is using its popularity to spread awareness about the festival. Using social networks also reduces the amount of publicity material that needs to be sent out using paper, which helps in making Vista a green fest. Over 600 people have played the game in the last week, and have been redirected to other Vista events and competitions.

Most of the posters have been printed on recycled paper and the number of posters actually printed, reduced to 1000. Reva, the electric car makers are partnering with IIMB to provide local transportation through electric cars in a conscious effort to promote better management. A significant number of events will be hosted outside in the open air - to reduce the carbon cost of indoor lighting and air-conditioning. The savings are being measured by NextGen, an entrepreneurial venture working towards environmental sustainability. So far, the estimated savings are over 2000 kilos of CO2 emissions, equivalent to the CO2 emitted by 10,000 kms of car travel - or 10 flights between Mumbai and Bangalore.

Says the team lead Vishwanath S, "We are spending a lot on the green initiative because we believe in it, and want to inspire every person who attends the fest to pay attention to the environment. We don't just want to buy carbon credits, but make a conscious effort to reduce emissions."

The fest also has a number of events organised around the environment. Lectures by eminent personalities like Meera Sanyal (Chairperson, ABN AMRO), Chetan Maini (Deputy Chairman of Reva Electric Car Company) and Ravi Singh (Secretary General of WWF India) will underline the Green message. The Climate Project (founded by Nobel laureate Al Gore) will conduct workshops on how to take action at the personal, work, community and government levels. Competitions like 'Prakriti', organized in conjunction with the WWF will also promote environmental sustainability.