‘Innovation, enterprise key to sustainability’

CHENNAI: Innovation combined with entrepreneurship is the key to sustainability, said KV Ramani, Founder & Chancellor of SAI University. He delivered the inaugural address in the 22nd MMA Annual All India Student Convention held at IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai.

Speaking on the convention theme of ‘Innovate for a Responsible Tomorrow,’ Ramani said, “We can consider ourselves as responsible only if we practice sustainability.

Management is no longer about managing people, materials, money and time, as was taught in the earlier days. Today, management includes managing the space around us and also the outer space.”

Ramani regretted that most governments and corporations the world over preach rather than practice sustainability. He stressed the need to adopt the concept of net zero and pointed out that the 103 acre SAI University campus in Chennai is a net zero campus that is solar powered and which practices solid and liquid waste management, to earn the distinction of being a green campus.

“Though in the mid-eighties, the world doubted India’s software capabilities, India turned the corner and became a leader in IT. Computers generated more jobs but they impacted sustainability as every computer consumes energy,” he remarked.

There is a trade-off between technology and development and sustainability; there is a trade-off between employment generation and sustainability. The only way to manage these trade-offs, Ramani stressed, is to innovate.

He also added that we have conquered the outer space but, in that process, left a lot of debris there that needs to be cleaned up. “While the seniors have generated an awareness on sustainability, it is the responsibility of the youth of India, whose population exceeds the entire population of the United States, to implement sustainable processes and make our planet a better place to live.” He cautioned that unless we innovate for tomorrow, we will perish.