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With the blessings of the Chancellor, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham declared open the International Conference on Sustainable & Resilient Futures: Bridging Science, Policy, and Practice (ICSRF 25), India’s first Carbon Neutral Academic Conference aligned to ISO 14068.
Read the Carbon Footprint Estimation Report for ICSRF
ICSRF 2025 has the theme, “Experiential Learning, Inclusiveness, & Sustainable Innovations” and aims to foster dialogue and collaboration among researchers, scientists, policymakers, practitioners, and industry leaders to tackle global sustainability challenges.
Chancellor Amma, in her speech, gave a new perspective on sustainability and living on Earth. Humans should not only have the wisdom to recognize the problems that exist but also possess the mental attitude to correct them.
“The future”, Amma said, “does not belong to the ‘single’ entities, who stand divided, but to those who mingle and cooperate with others.” Countries that try to rise on their own will surely fail. This is a warning from nature to mankind.
Hence, let our mantra be “Mingle, not single”. We must remember that we cannot change the laws of nature at will, like changing television channels.
Inclusivity in Nature
Unlike God and nature, it is only man who excludes. If we try to impose laws of exclusion forcefully, it will only result in disharmony and danger. This Earth belongs to us all. A healthy mingling of diversity is essential for human culture to flourish. As always, Amma stressed an inner self filled with love and compassion.
Amrita Provost, Dr. Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh (Head of Strategic Initiatives, International, Research & Innovation, Dean, School for Sustainable Futures | Dean, International Programs | UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation & Development | Director, Amrita Center for Wireless Networks & Applications), in her welcome address, reiterated that Amrita leads by example.
Sustainability is not just a topic for conferences; it is a living practice woven into the fabric of Amrita’s campuses and extended into the communities that work with Amrita.
Amrita has been a pioneer in collaborating with communities across India, deploying sustainable solutions for water and sanitation, health and well-being, livelihood systems, energy and environment, skill development, including agriculture and food.
Amma’s vision gave rise to Amrita’s Live-in-Lab program, where students and faculty co-design sustainable solutions with communities, ensuring long-term ownership. This model inspired Amrita’s UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning and Sustainable Innovation in 2020. Amrita’s unique journey is not rooted in campus infrastructure alone, but in education, participation and values.
Discussing how sustainability is ingrained in the ethos of Amrita, Dr Maneesha said that every student becomes a stakeholder in change. Faculty, researchers, and communities collaborate and share responsibilities in hand.
The ICSRF conference is a testimony to Amrita’s support for the collective and individual effort in minimising the footprint through offset strategies.
Dr Maneesha fervently hopes that this conference will not end with discussion but translate into real-world impact, building resilient futures for all and quoted Amma to close her perspectives: “Compassion is the most important thing in our lives. It is the first step. If we take this first step courageously without fear, then all of our decisions and subsequent actions and their results will have a special beauty, spontaneity and power. Amrita’s approach to sustainable development is to strengthen the base of the pyramid so that the entire edifice of society becomes healthy and strong.
Guest of Honor, Tim Curtis, Director of UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia, New Delhi & UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, said that Amrita University and UNESCO have long and solid relationship which can be evident in the fact that Amrita hosts no less than three UNESCO Chairs: 1. Experiential Learning for sustainable development, 2. Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, and recently, the third, the UNESCO Chair on Assistive Technologies and Inclusive Communication. This, he said, is aligned to the heart of UNESCO’s Mission, of advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Education is not only a fundamental and human right but also probably the most powerful force that can transform our lives for the better. Mr. Curtis emphasized that education must be inclusive, built on the values of equity, empathy and innovation.
Referring to UNESCO’S MGIEP (The Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development), a Category 1 Research Institute, he said has developed the hugely popular concept: SEL (Social and Emotional learning), a holistic approach in school education to nurture empathy, resilience and kindness, acknowledging that learning is not just with the brain, it is with the body and also with the emotion.
Mr. Curtis spoke about the UNESCO initiative, Greening Education Partnership, which encompasses Green Schools, Green Curriculum, Green Teachers and Green Communities, is now functioning in over 80 countries and over 1300 organizations.
Curtis believes that more than a goal, sustainability is actually a principle. It is through interdependence between people that prosperity and peace are achieved. It means meeting the needs today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We need to rethink how we live, govern and consume, and how we grow.
Reconciling with Nature
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has reminded us that making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. Mr. Curtis said he hoped UNESCO to deepen the engagement with Amrita University.
Guest of Honor, Smt. Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary & Development Commissioner, Government of Karnataka, spoke about the transformation of Karnataka as a pioneering state in the field of organic farming and sustainable agriculture.
Karnataka, in 2004, was the first state in India to formulate an exclusive farming policy. This was revised in 2019 with special emphasis on millets, a staple crop in Karnataka. Pioneering a climate-resilient, low-risk, low-input farming practice, known as the zero-budget natural farming, Karnataka clearly has moved away from pesticide-heavy traditional farming policy.
Digital Platform on Intangible Cultural Heritage
It was a proud moment for Amrita University to unveil the centralized knowledge hub designed to protect our sacred groves. Dr Amritesh explained how the software protected 200 sacred groves, apart from capturing a range of details–ownership, frequency of cultural activities, patterns of shrinkage, including the invaluable and tangible benefits they bring to the communities.
With its integrated and interactive interface, GeoSanskriti empowers governments, researchers, communities and policy makers and conservationists to share data seamlessly and enable evidence-based conservation policies for the sustainable management of sacred groves and other cultural sites.
The goal is to preserve the ecologically, culturally and spiritually important landscapes for future generations while strengthening the communities that safeguard them.
GeoSanskriti, The Geospatial Platform for Intangible Cultural Heritage, was thus inaugurated. The platform celebrates and safeguards the living traditions of Kerala, documenting over 240 sacred groves. Designed as a co-created open system, it blends community knowledge, socio-cultural practices and ecological data to digitally map and monitor sacred landscapes.
In his address, Shri. Shaji KV, Chairman, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), India
Said that sustainability conferences are now existential imperatives. He also talked about the need to mainstream every sector–agriculture, fisheries, water, housing, transport.
The Benedictory Address was given by Swami Poornamritananda Puri ji, Secretary of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, categorically stated that if humans continued to destroy plants and animals, it meant we are destroying our protectors.
He narrated the story that occurred during Amma’s 50th birthday celebrations: People from all walks of life and from all over the world brought water from their rivers, big and small. Swami Ji reminded us that this ocean of love is the real solution for all the problems faced by humanity.
Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten. We have seen the transformative power of AI. However, if we do not tune in with nature, it is impossible to be successful and enjoy our lives.
