The Green Plant Club of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) organized the Symposium Round and award-giving ceremony of the 2-month long ‘IUB Green Genius Season 04’, a competition for environmental innovation and ideas of school, college and university students, on July 2022, 2023 at IUB. The theme for this year’s competition was “Warming Cities, Sustainable Living”. Nippon Paint was the title sponsor of the event.

In the school-college category, ‘Team Forel’ from the Holy Cross Girls High School became champion for their idea of redesigning roads in Dhaka City to contribute less to the UHI effect. Viqarunnisa Noon School and College and Notre Dame College came out 1st and second runners-up respectively. BACHA English Medium School, Dhaka, won the ‘Honor Mention’ and the Chittagong Grammar School team was given the ‘Courage Award’.

In the university category, team ‘GreenCap’ from IUB emerged as victors for their idea to launch a mobile application to start implementing green roofs in Dhaka to mitigate the rising temperature. A team from University of Dhaka and another team from IUB came out as 1st and second runners-up respectively in this category. 

Ms. Bushra Afreen, Chief Heat Office of Dhaka North City Corporation, who is also the first person to hold this position in an Asian country, attended the symposium round as the Event Ambassador. "The IUB Green Genius Season 4 has been a remarkable platform for students to showcase their passion, skill, and creativity in driving positive environmental change. I am inspired by the exceptional talents and unwavering commitment of the participants and organizers to build a sustainable future” she said.

"We are incredibly impressed by the level of talent and dedication shown by the participants throughout this competition. We firmly believe that their innovative ideas and projects will have a lasting impact on our environment," said Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, Pro Vice Chancellor of IUB, at the award giving ceremony. 

Dr. K Ayaz Rabbani, Head of the Department of Environmental Science and Management, IUB, and Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Khaleque from the same department also attended the award function. The event ended with a closing remark from Md Ekhetkharul Islam, Coordinator of Green Planet Club, IUB, and Senior Lecturer at the Department of Environmental Science and Management, IUB.

The call for submission of innovative ideas for the competition was set two months ago. Nearly 1,000 participants from more than 60 schools and colleges and 45 universities from Bangladesh and abroad submitted their ideas. In the Symposium Round, which was held on July 2022, 2023, a total of 100 shortlisted teams – 50 from schools and colleges and 50 from universities – were invited to present their ideas in front of a panel of expert judges from organizations and institutions such as BRAC, Thomson Reuters Foundation, ActionAid Bangladesh, Sajida Foundation, ICCCAD, Shine Bangladesh, CAPE, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), East West University (EWU) and IUB. 

The other sponsors of the event were Dour and Kazi Group of Companies. Golden Harvest, Mr. Noodles, Garbageman, Kaaruj Bangladesh, Ice Today and BanglaNews24 were among the partners.

BDST: 1817 HRS, JULY 24, 2023
MSK