By: Eric G. Velandria, S.J.
Darjeeling, the Queen of the Hills, is famous for tea, timber, and tourism. While timber has become unsustainable for the local economy, tourism continues to flourish, driving economic growth in the region. Tourists come to enjoy breathtaking views of the Himalayas, watch the sunrise from Tiger Hill, go rock climbing, explore its biodiversity, or perhaps visit young family members enrolled at St. Joseph College.
The Jesuits of North Bengal founded St. Joseph College 98 years ago with just four students. Today, it educates 2,600 students, mainly in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. Jesuit education aims to prepare students to contribute to a more humane, just, equitable, and progressive society. St. Joseph’s hence offers a strong co-curricular program, enabling students to join clubs that apply what they learn in class, develop collaborative leadership skills, and build a strong moral character.
Fr. Donatus Kurjur, Jesuit Principal of St. Joseph College, and Dr. Upakar Rai, Coordinator of the Nature Club, said Darjeeling has experienced many changes over the past decades—“more roads, railways, and hydropower facilities, increased population movement, and new settlements.” The unplanned urban growth has caused shifts in land use, leading to frequent landslides, water shortages, and human-wildlife conflicts. Cropping patterns have changed, and unsustainable harvesting practices have caused habitat destruction, the spread of non-native invasive species, and a decline in biodiversity.
Tourism greatly benefits Darjeeling’s economy, but also has significant drawbacks. The increasing number of visitors puts pressure on the region’s limited water supply. Additionally, tourists contaminate Tiger Hill’s water sources and harm local wildlife by improperly discarding plastic and other waste. The invasion of forestland and riverbanks disturbs the ecosystem, and growing vehicle traffic worsens air quality and causes congestion.
The adverse effects of Darjeeling’s infrastructure development and tourism, along with environmental degradation and climate change, have worsened. In 1995, the College established the Nature Club, a co-curricular group dedicated to raising awareness and involving students and faculty in tackling Darjeeling’s environmental challenges and conservation efforts. A faculty member supervises the club, which includes 150 students and student officers who lead presentations, discussions, and action plans, engaging all members in participatory decision-making. The club conducts regular activities on campus and occasional outreach efforts in nearby communities.
“Nature Walk and Survey Work” is a regular activity of the Club that allows students to explore the local ecosystem through hands-on field learning. One activity involves monitoring the diversity of plants and animals on campus. The flora and fauna throughout the 6.25-acre campus are documented and observed. For example, members recently identified forty-four tree species on campus and classified three as “endangered” based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature criteria.
Members also work to label trees around the campus and replace or install new nameplates with scientific names, local names, and tree family details. They plant trees, focusing on biodiversity-enhancing species like cherries, apricots, plums, rhododendrons, and prunus.
In 2010, the Club created a campus botanical garden to conserve the Rhododendron arboreum, an iconic flowering tree of the Himalayas. The garden now features seven of the 19 Rhododendron species native to the Darjeeling Himalayas. In recent years, the Club initiated the Hedychium germplasm conservation project. All nine Hedychium (ginger) species found in the Darjeeling Hills are cultivated in the botanical garden. Additionally, the Nature Club actively participates in World Wildlife Fund endangered species conservation exhibitions and censuses.
Besides on-campus Heritage Species conservation efforts and biodiversity documentation, members also lead the campus’ cleanliness drive. Nature Club members monitor and manage the cleanliness of designated zones within and outside the campus. St. Joseph College is recognized as a plastic-free zone, reinforcing sustainable waste management practices. Club members also organize seminars and workshops related to the environment; some recent examples include “The water crisis in Darjeeling,” “Biodiversity of Eastern Himalaya,” and “Medicinal Plants of Himalaya.”
It doesn’t end there. During mid-term school breaks, members visit local communities, such as Tiger Hill and Bhotaygoan, to carry out specific environmental projects. The club started and continues a cleanup campaign along a seven-kilometer stretch of Tiger Hill, a popular tourist spot and vital water source for Darjeeling and surrounding areas. At the beginning of the campaign, 22 bags of waste, mostly plastic, were collected. In subsequent years, ongoing waste management efforts led to fewer bags: 12 in Year 2 and 7 in Year 3.
Nature Club members do not act alone. To improve waste disposal practices and help maintain water quality in this vital catchment area, the Club collaborates with the Wildlife Division of the Bengal Government’s Forestry Department and the Darjeeling Municipal Office. The Club’s advocacy for sustainable tourism contributed to the creation of a municipal policy requiring taxi operators to install waste collection bags in taxis traveling to Tiger Hill, as well as the Forestry Department’s policy limiting vehicle entry to the perimeter of Tiger Hill’s Wildlife Sanctuary to 200 per day. Club members also involve tea stall owners and taxi drivers in waste management efforts.
The Club also adopted the Bhotaygoan Community Spring, a vital water source for residents near the St. Joseph’s campus. Initially, only club members cleaned and maintained the spring. Over time, they worked with and motivated the local community to participate in the ongoing maintenance and protection of their area. The Nature Club plans to expand such efforts to other community springs that need similar care.
The Nature Club also collaborates with the Darjeeling Himalayan Initiative, a coalition of regional NGOs, civil society groups, and institutions, to promote the plastic-free movement under the broader campaign, “Zero Waste Himalaya.” The club participates in annual clean-up drives and brand audits across India’s 12 mountain states. Members have helped identify the top five companies responsible for polluting mountain states with tetra packs, water bottles, wrappers, and multi-layered plastics. In recognition of the Nature Club’s active involvement, St. Joseph College was awarded a plastic collection and compression machine.
Managing waste is a major issue in Darjeeling. Each year, 25,405 metric tons of unsegregated trash are dumped into chutes, polluting the air and water sources. Given the many ecological challenges in Darjeeling, Nature Club members see their efforts as small, modest, or almost insignificant; however, they believe that every act of care for our Common Home matters.
These young college students sincerely embrace Pope Francis’ encouragement to hope. They hope for St. Joseph College to establish a dedicated fund for large-scale ecological projects. They envision expanding their waste management efforts through greater collaboration with other change agents. They aim to help monitor community water sources and install water testing equipment to evaluate water quality, thereby providing clean water to local communities. They are enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge and skills with underserved communities by organizing training in sustainable mushroom farming and promoting sustainable livelihoods. Indeed, as Pope Francis stated at the 2021 Youth4Climate meeting in Milan, young people “are building the future today, in the present.”
St. Joseph College’s Nature Club is ready to make a real difference! With the right resources and support, these college students play a crucial role in tackling environmental issues and promoting sustainable, community-led solutions in Darjeeling.
