Beyond Squarefeet, a mall advisory company that offers end-to end solutions in specialised areas of shopping malls, realised the global need for sustainability and with an intention to introduce global models of sustainability to the still nascent Indian mall industry, Beyond Squarefeet adds one more feather to its array of services; Beyond Squarefeet has partnered with Terracon Ecotech and together the two firms aim to evaluate, support and implement economically viable, low-carbon, ecological and sustainable concepts and solutions for shopping centre/mall developers.
Terracon Ecotech, an ecological and sustainability solutions service provider has been associated with several infrastructure projects from base line studies to planning and executing ecological and resource management solutions. It is the first agency to offer tree census activity using geoinformatics to local bodies and created India’s first City Biodiversity Index (CBI) for a city using Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) platform and tool. It has also initiated tree species specific cabron absorption and valuation research project for propogating the importance of trees in urban planning and greenbelt development. Terracon Ecotech has also created India’s first Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) with international norms for the extractive industry and is at the cusp of providing solutions for CSR obligations of the industry by maintsreaming environmental sustainability projects with business operations for reducing social and environmental risks for the industry.
Environmental sustainability forces businesses to look beyond making short term gains and look at the long term impact they are having on the society. Shopping malls have off-late become an inevitable part of our society and community. They have become more of a social destination than a destination for just shopping. Generally, malls are perceived to be major energy consuming and waste/pollution generating from all aspects such as noise, heat, air, greenhouse gases, water etc. With the increasing environmental concerns and international pressure on creating sustainable and environment friendly development, Malls are the next crucial area for implementing required sustainable solutions. The need for Sustainable Malls has become the need of the hour and an inevitable business proposition.
Speaking on this development Dr. Ramesh Madav, Chairman, Terracon Ecotech said “As a mall developer one should invest in developing sustainable and responsible malls as malls are integral part of the social and economic activity and it is imperative for them to look at environmental aspects as well. We would offer solutions that would make malls greener with reduced carbon, waste and water footprint, improving its operational efficiency and profitability”.
Susil Dungarwal, Chief Mall Mechanic, Beyond Squarefeet said “Together with Terracon Ecotech, we aim to destroy the myth that creating a Mall with principles of sustainability is an expensive and cumbersome affair. In fact, Sustainable Mall will not only be environmentally responsible but financially sustainable too”.
