Centre For Environmental Research And Education

Year Of Establishment 2002 | cere-india.org

The Centre for Environmental Research & Education (CERE) was established in 2002 by Dr. (Ms.) Rashneh N. Pardiwala, an ecologist from the University of Edinburgh and Mrs. Kitayun Rustom, an environmental educationist. CERE has successfully completed projects in both urban and rural India having worked closely with different government departments, educational institutions, multinational companies and civil society organizations.

ABOUT

The Centre for Environmental Research and Education (CERE) is a Mumbai-based not-for-profit organization established in 2002 that works to promote environmental sustainability through research and innovation, formal education, government and corporate partnerships and publications. CERE’s mission is to nurture awareness and stewardship towards developing and facilitating the adoption of sustainable practices that bring human activities and livelihoods into balance with earth’s natural ecosystems. The goal of every initiative at CERE is to bring various stakeholders together for the mutual benefit of the environment and community.
CERE is a pioneers in sustainability & carbon management systems, having partnerships with a wide array of sustainability implementers.
With expertise in a wide array of fields, we focus on client specific and cost based solutions. We have worked with IndusInd Bank, BNP Paribas India Foundation, Publicis Group, BPCL, LORD India Pvt. Ltd., Shapoorji Pallonji Group, HDFC Ltd., Multiples and many others.
CERE is committed to forging partnerships with individuals, corporates, educational institutions, local communities, and governmental authorities for a sustainable future. CERE's projects focus not just on sustainable development but rather weave in environmental education and bring in financial as well as societal benefits through its programs.


CERE and it's projects have received the following:
Honourable mention for 2013 Green Dot Awards
Thought Leaders International – Solar Energy Award for Excellence, 2014
I-Design Award – Golden - Lighting Design Category, 2014
CSR Community Initiative Awards 2017 in the Financial Literacy category hosted by India CSR
Envirocare Green Awards 2021

Additionally, Dr. Pardiwala and Mrs. Rustom have have received various awards and accolades, including the Ashoka Fellowship in 2005.

OFFERINGS

CERE's Fields of Expertise include Carbon Footprinting, Non-Financial Reporting (NFR), CSR Consultancy and Employee Volunteering Programs.
Our keystone CSR Project are Urban Afforestation Project (UAP), Schools on Solar (SoS), Rainwater Harvesting (RwH) and Native Biodiversity Gardens.
Carbon Management and Environmental Sustainability Systems
Through the Carbon Map & Cap™ programme, CERE helps companies address the risks and opportunities posed by climate change. This initiative helps companies assess their environmental impact, develop mitigation strategies and report on their performance through internationally recognised platforms such as CDP and GRI G4. A unique feature of CERE’s CM&C programme is our employee engagement component that trains and facilitates employees to become an integral part of a company’s sustainability efforts within their own departments.

Renewable Energy
The Switch on Solar (SoS) project aims to help schools, educational institutions and hospitals transition to renewable energy through the installation of roof-top solar panels and net metering system in order to reduce load on the main electricity grid. CERE only installs the world's best and more advanced rooftop solar PV systems, even if the capital cost is initially higher, to ensure maximum power generation over 25 years with minimum silicon degradation, meeting international fire safety standards in the face of natural disasters such as cyclones and storms and ensuring less e-waste with durable systems that actually last for 25 years.
Additionally, we conduct environmental awareness sessions at the schools we solarize. Students get the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge about how solar energy works (as they see the solar panels and energy generation), carry out energy audits and so on. More details available at - https://sos.cere-india.org/
 
Lifetime Impact of the Project:
No. of institutions solarised: 35
Estimated MTCO2 of greenhouse emissions saved: 32,800
Estimated Financial Savings on electricity bills: 45,21,73,000

Urban Afforestation
The Urban Afforestation Project (UAP), apart from increasing much needed green cover in our congested and polluted cities, also helps create habitats for local flora and fauna thus augmenting biodiversity. Carbon Sequestration Certification is an integral part of the project, where sponsors are provided with a CERE Sequestration Certificate at the end of the plantation and assessment. CERE co-ordinates with various stakeholders and ensures maintenance of the plantations for 3 years. Strategies have been developed to ensure proper water management such as rainwater harvesting or flood water drainage structures before saplings are planted. Additionally, CERE always plants 10-15% more saplings to ensure survival rates of >95%. 192,000 native trees across 106 locations, in 24 cities in India and will sequester 45,041 tonnes of CO2. More details available at - https://uap.cere-india.org/
 
Lifetime Impact of the Project:
Trees planted: 2,49,500
Number of location: 119
Estimated MTCO2 sequestered: 55,100

Rainwater Harvesting
CERE's Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) and Watershed Development has helped harvest a total of 261.1 million litres of rainwater per annum across 6 projects. A life time savings of approximately Rs. 1.2 billion will be generated on water bills across these 6 locations, apart from the water savings. More details available at - https://cere-india.org/rainwater-harvesting/

Native Biodiversity Gardens
In order to augment Biodiversity, CERE has been creating biodiversity gardens in and around the city of Mumbai. Creating such habitats ensures the increase of biodiversity. However, the preliminary aim of these gardens is to provide opportunities for children to experience nature and make these gardens act as living textbooks. With such educational experiences children will grow up to be nature conservationists.
`The Switch on Solar (SoS) project aims to help schools, educational institutions and hospitals transition to renewable energy through the installation of roof-top solar panels and net metering system in order to reduce load on the main electricity grid. CERE only installs the world's best and more advanced rooftop solar PV systems, even if the capital cost is initially higher, to ensure maximum power generation over 25 years with minimum silicon degradation, meeting international fire safety standards in the face of natural disasters such as cyclones and storms and ensuring less e-waste with durable systems that actually last for 25 years. We conduct environmental awareness sessions at the schools we solarize. Students get the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge about how solar energy works (as they see the solar panels and energy generation), carry out energy audits and so on. In a little over 4 years, solar panels have been installed across 35 institutions saving the equivalent of 32,780 metric tonnes of CO2 and Rs. 452 million on electricity bills over the life span of the project. More details available at - https://sos.cere-india.org/


CERE's Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) and Watershed Development has helped harvest a total of 261.1 million litres of rainwater per annum across 6 projects. A life time savings of approximately Rs. 1.2 billion will be generated on water bills across these 6 locations, apart from the water savings. More details available at - https://cere-india.org/rainwater-harvesting/

Since 2015, Dr. Rashneh N. Pardiwala, Founder Director at Centre for Environmental Research and Education, has partnered with the Bombay Parsi Panchayat (BPP) under the Urban Afforestation Project (UAP) to restore and revive the holy land of Doongerwadi. To date, 7092 native tree saplings have been planted there. The Urban Afforestation Project (UAP), apart from increasing much needed green cover in our congested and polluted cities, also helps create habitats for local flora and fauna thus augmenting biodiversity. Carbon Sequestration Certification is an integral part of the project, where sponsors are provided with a CERE Offset Certificate at the end of the plantation and assessment. CERE co-ordinates with various stakeholders and ensures maintenance of the plantations for 3 years. Strategies have been developed to ensure proper water management such as rainwater harvesting or flood water drainage structures before a single sapling is planted. Additionally, CERE always plants 10-15% more saplings to ensure survival rates of >95%. In a span of 7 years, the Urban Afforestation Project (UAP) has planted 249,500 native trees across 119 locations, in 26 cities in India and will sequester 55,130 tonnes of CO2. More details available at - https://uap.cere-india.org/