Best Practice I Title of the Project: “Harithamadhavam: a sustainable green campus initiative” Objectives
T. K. Madhava Memorial College is geared-up to create a model of education based on mindful living and compassion in the society. Harithamadhavam aims at fostering a culture of eco-friendly practices creating an environmentally sustainable campus which helps to make a plastic neutral-minimal waste, energy-conserving, biodiversity-preserving and self-sustainable campus in areas of power, water and cleanliness. The collective endeavor of our campus and neighboring community creates its own niche in building a better planet. Context Harithamadhavam helps in redefining our environmental culture and developing new paradigms by creating sustainable solutions to environmental, social and economic needs of students and staff. It is all about sweeping away wasteful inefficiencies and using conventional sources of energies for its daily power needs, correct disposal, handling, purchase of eco-friendly supplies and an effective recycling programme. The complete essence of the green initiative venture of the college can be found in the slogan “join the green drive”.
The Practice
Harithamadhavam is a métier or a set of green ethics and programmes that makes Madhava-community distinct among the wider circle of lettered.
Maintains Madhava Vanam, the biodiversity park, a venture steered by the Department of Zoology along with sacred grove perennial ponds, fruit orchard, herbal garden, butterfly park and Nakshtra Vanam.
Retaining and propagating our heritage of organic farming through the project Haritham we stepped out into the nature and give the students and teachers a first-hand experience of the intricacies and the modalities of farming.
Vasantha Madhavam, the plastic neutral drive, moulded a culture of reducing plastic pollution among the Madhava-community and to the society.
‘Ardra Madhavam-compassion towards mother earth’, our initiative to minimize waste and maximize the use of alternative sources of energy and other resources, emcompasses the maintenance of solar plant, biogas plant, vermicompost, rain-water harvesting and waste disposal.
Harithamadhavam is creating a community of students with uniqueness and insight capable of holding up the beacon in the society.
Evidence of success Harithamadhavam proved to be a definite step towards success:
All programmes are conducted as per Green Protocol.
Maintaining two biogas plants and vermicomposting plant.
Campus is supported by solar energy which runs several pieces of electrical equipment in the College office, principal’s chamber and other locations.
Mushroom farming and apiaries have been launched by Women Empowerment Cell in association with Department of Zoology.
Preparation of eco-friendly products out of waste material.
The slogan of 4Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse & Recycle, has been implemented successfully in the campus
Problems Encountered
It was difficult to manage the farming during the vacation and holidays.
The time pressure was so high as it was difficult for the students to manage their time to work in the field along with their tight schedule of academics.
Faced difficulty to cure the waterlogged condition of the soil, especially in the rainy season.
The floods and covid restrictions adversely affected Harithamadhavam.
Resources Required:
Physical Resources: Requirements of tools, fertilizers and other mechanisms to work are met by the funds allocated.
Human resource: Human resources are utilized from within the college.
Institutional Resources: Krishi Bhavan or Agriculture Dept. is a stronghold which supports our activities by offering routine consultations and monitoring of the farming activity.
Best Practice II Title of the Project: “Sparsam: A pain & palliative care unit” Objectives: Sparsam, the palliative enterprise, by the NSS volunteers of TKMMC aims to extend relief to those patients who are beyond the level of cure but demand long-term care and attention. We aim to offer relief from pain through constant care and support physically and emotionally. Extending the support to the family to cope with the situation we have moved a long way in palliative care. Context Sparsam works on the sole principle of moulding up a group of socially committed, enthusiastic young people and indulging them in numerous services for the betterment of mankind. Having flagged-off with a small number in its workforce, the unit has successfully been able to multiply its intake to around hundreds of students from every batch of the college. The Practice
Sparsam is actively undertaking palliative care initiatives in association with Pallium India, a national registered charitable trust (No. 693/IV/2003) that strives to alleviate health related suffering. Volunteers follows a regular pattern of visiting people with serious illness or bedridden, give them care and console in order to mitigate their pain and sufferings.
The volunteers were given proper guidance and training by the experts. Palliative days were observed every year. Volunteers in general and a group of twenty-five volunteers are specially allotted for palliative activities. Volunteers attended palliative training programmes at university and district levels and also give trainings to others. Evidence of success
Created a well-trained team of palliative nursing to provide comfort and pain management to the terminally ill and their families within both institutional and community settings.
Visited "Santwanam" old-age homes in the nearby locality.
Fund raising ventures like paper-pen making workshops and farming has been done in order to lend towards the activities
Conducted cancer awareness programmes
Medicines have been donated to the needy
More than fifty family visits have done with full support and care
Charity box was installed in various departments in the college for collecting financial contribution from faculty and students. The contributions were disbursed through NSS volunteers and distributed the needy.
Sparsam improved the quality of life of patients and that of their families who are facing challenges associated with life-threatening illness, whether physical, psychological, social or spiritual. The quality of life of caregivers improves as well.
Early delivery of palliative care reduces unnecessary hospital admissions and the use of health services.
Problems Encountered:
Misconceptions about palliative care, such as that it is only for patients with cancer, or for the last weeks of life.
Lack of funding from the authorities
Restrictions and lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic
Fear of acquiring infection and risking own health and of family members or losing loved ones
Duty schedules have become more hectic and intense during COVID-19 pandemic, leading to changes in eating patterns and resting habits
Resources Required:
Funding
Rational distribution of medical resources
Educators were required for the patient and family members for explaining regarding the type of services offered by the unit during lockdown and the symptoms which they can manage at home.
Help desk services in the unit was set up in terms of coordinating with the police, local municipal authorities, insurance companies, and ambulance or transport facilities to ensure effective delivery of health care during the crisis of COVID-19.
