Gaurav Pundir, Golf Superintendent receiving the award for Tollygunge Club during a virtual ceremony
The scenic Tollygunge Club was recently presented with the Environment Excellence Award 2021 in ‘Medium Enterprise Category’ for the maintenance and conservation of its natural flora and fauna on the golf course.
The club, which opened in 1895, is spread over 108 acres and boasts of 156 tree species, 76 species of butterflies, 36 kinds of wildflowers and 93 various species of migrant and domestic birds. Golden jackals roam the fairways freely and are often spotted by players and morning walkers alike.
The club has an Environmental Sub-Committee headed by Mr. B.B. Chatterjee as the club President. In its quest to keep its premises green, club management spends over Rs 30 lacs annually The money has gone towards purchases of tree sapling, paper bags, cups, biodegradable utensils, labour payments, and replacing plastic straws with bamboo ones.
Tollygunge has always been ahead of its time when it comes to environmentally friendly practices. It started using a Sewage Treatment Plant in 2014 to recycle waste water and reduce its dependence on groundwater. In November 2014, the club also started using the rainwater harvesting method to collect rainwater.
In 2017, the club started its Well Being Out of Waste (WOW) program, using compost pits for fallen leaves and small twigs. There are many initiatives planned for the future as well, including increasing the ground water level to recharge its aquifers, replacing CFL with LED lights to reduce energy consumption and planting more trees to mitigate the risks from frequent cyclones and thunderstorms in the city.
The Environment Excellence Awards were given out by the Kolkata chapter of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. The awards acknowledge an organisation’s commitment towards the social well being of the people and the planet. A jury panel including eminent business leaders, environment professionals, economists, management experts, judges and other eminent personalities judged the applications divided into three categories – Large Business Organisations, Medium Business Organisations, Small Business Organisations.