BCC guest visitor Mohan Vilas Prabhu from India’s Govardhan Eco Village (GEV), a serene spiritual and eco-community in Maharashtra, India, delivered an inspirational talk to students, staff and faculty about the intersection of environmental and spiritual consciousness. Mohan, a dedicated monk residing at the Village, has a background in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Finance and previously worked in investment banking in London and Hong Kong. Now, he leads the Sustainability vertical at the Village and represents it at UN conferences and environmental forums across the globe. 

“GEV is a completely sustainable village outside of Mumbai with many sustainability best practices (Organic Farming, Solar Energy, Water Conservation, Low-cost wastewater treatment, composting, rural skills development, Pyrolysis of plastic bags into diesel fuel, etc.). Through our Study Abroad trips, we have installed 23 weather stations in 8 states of India, but the first one was installed by our CUNY students at GEV in 2019,” said BCC professor and chairperson Dr. Neal Phillip, Department of Chemistry, Earth Sciences and Environmental Sciences, who along with Professor Paramita Sen, has led Study Abroad trips to India with 90 CUNY students in the past five years, visiting GEV a total of a dozen times. 

Highlights from Mohan’s presentation included information on: 

• Why Sustainability Matters 
• Green Living Tips 
• Study abroad opportunities and experiential learning at Govardhan Eco Village