Holi comes alive with the colours of ‘gulal’. These gulal are nowadays made from very harmful Chemical dye. A word of caution to all holi players merits attention here.

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• Flooding
• Drought
• Per Capita Water Decline 
• Black Carbon
• Monsoon Variability
• Wetlands Drying up
• Heat Stress
• Himalayan Glacier Melt
• Storms grow more intense
• Saline Water intrusion

Solutions:

• Technology Innovation
• National Missions
• Energy Efficiency
• Climate Communication
• Energy efficiency
• Clean Development Mechanism(CDM)

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• Increased public awareness on the issue of climate change
• Division between the developed and developing countries deepens
• The need to keep temperature increase to below two degrees Celsius by 2050
• No specific emission cut targets set for the developed countries
• Mobilisation of financial resources for supporting reforestation efforts of developing countries

Compiled by Maninder

The Maldives government has launched the project together with a UK-based company, Carbon Gold.

The pilot project aims to produce biochar using bio-waste, including coconut shells, which are abundantly available in the archipelago.

Biochar is produced through the “slow cooking” (pyrolysis) of plant wastes. The resulting black char is rich in carbon and can be mixed with soil as a fertiliser.

Carbon Gold argues that the biochar is an effective way of removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

The company says the fertiliser also improves soil fertility and locks up its carbon contents for several years after it is ploughed into the ground.

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Firecrackers are obvious contributors to noise and dust pollution, emitting hazardous chemicals.

Some ecofriendly suggestions would be to take to tradition and light clay lamps, maybe those bought from NGOs, with cotton wick and oil in our homes. Instead of bursting firecrackers try meeting up with friends and cousins, even the long-lost ones, exchanging sweets and inviting people over for lunch or dinner. You could also bring a smile and cheer to those less privileged by visiting orphanages or homes for the underprivileged and spending quality time with them.

So, think about the the environment, your city and the earth and have a fun, safe and green Diwali!

Wishes from Maninder and Team Getecofriendly

green diwali

What is Solar Cooker:

- A fuel saving device in which food can be cooked without using gas, kerosene, coal or wood and electricity.
- It is a sleek compact metallic/fiber glass kit with 3-4 heat absorbent containers.
- It cooks at 100-150 degree centigrade.
- It works both as a cooker and an oven
- It works with solar energy from the sun rays.
- All type of food can be cooked, boiled and roasted.

How to use:

- Place the device in the sun in open space before putting cooking pots.
- It be adjusted in such a way that sun rays fall on the transparent glass lid (mirror).
- Tighten the hinges of the mirror and keep it in the sun for 15 minutes.
- After 15-20 mts. open the glass lid and place in it cooking pots and tighten the lid.
- When the food is cooked, left open the lid for 10-15 mts to allow pots to cool down.

Precautions:

- while removing the pots, gloves or cloth napkins should be used.
- The lid should be opened fully to allow the steam to escape.
- Keep face and body away to avoid burn injuries.
- The double glass should be held carefully while removing the pots.

Advantages:

- It does not require any fuel.
- No danger of cylinder burst, gas leakage or fire.
- Does not require constant attention.
- Lot of time is saved
- Can cook, boiled, baked all type of food items.
- Operation is simple, no maintenance cost.
- It preserves the nutritious value of the food and the food retains its flavour.
- Most importantly it is pollution free as there is no smoke, soot spoils utencils.
- Electrical back up solar cooker can be used in cloudy weather/nights.

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The post-graduate level of training offered by  various  universities and organizations like :

• M Sc (Renewable Energy), Department of Physics, University of Lucknow, Lucknow (www.lkouniv.ac.in).
• M Tech (Renewable Energy Engineering and Management) and PG Diploma (Renewable Energy)*, TERI University, New Delhi (www.teriuniversity.ac.in).

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Points:
1. Save oil and save energy.
2. Use clean fuel like CNG.
3. Switch to Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL).
4. Harvest rain water.
5. Recycle paper/dirty water.
6. Do not waste water on cleaning vehicles, etc.
7. Conserve water/power.
8. Install solar water heating/lighting systems.
9. Use metro as far as possible and stop congestion.
10.Plant trees and nurture them.
11.Do not burn household garbage/leaves but make compost of it.
12.Don’t litter, use dustbins and Keep City Clean.
13.Switch using jute bags instead of plastic bags.
14.Always dispose electronic waste properly.
15.Adopt green building technologies.
16.Adopt three R systems i.e. Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.
17.It is advisable to use lesser or milder detergents.

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• At present, India has about 25 million computers which are expected to grow to 65 million by 2010
• An estimated 2 million computers will become obsolete this year
• Around 15 million mobile handsets were replaced for new ones
• It is estimated that e-waste generated in India will touch Five lakh metric tons by 2011
• If disposed improperly, all these equipments pose a serious threat to Human health and environment

Recycling India – Informal Sector

• The sector is characterized by unskilled workers lacking access to proper e-waste recycling technologies
• Reduction of environmental degradation by improved technologies and skills for e-waste management and recycling in India
• Highly polluting backyard operations posing threat to workers
• Create improved income generation opportunities for e-waste recyclers
• Low Occupational Health and safety awareness
• Improve environmental, health and living conditions of the predominantly unskilled and semi skilled workers and local population of surrounding areas.  

Researched by Maninder

1) Approximately 20% of electricity generated in India is consumed by lighting.
2) The most common means of lighting is the incandescent bulbs/tubes.
3) These bulbs are very inefficient, as energy consumed by them produce heat and not light.
4) Though halogen lamps produce brighter and white light, but they generate excessive heat and could be fire hazard.
5) Of late, another source of lighting which is gaining popularity is LED (Light Emitting Diodes).
6) LEDs are limited to single bulb use in applications such as instrument panels, electronics, penlights,  flashlights, etc.
7) LEDs offer only focused light and are best use for reading light, spotlights, signage lighting etc.
Over the years compact fluorescent lights have been introduced which are found to be more energy efficient.
9) CFLs last 8-10 times longer than the ordinary bulbs.
10)CFLs fill the rooms with the same amount of light using less energy than a standard bulb.
11)Although cost of the CFL is higher than an ordinary bulb or tube, but the cost of saving  over the bulb is  striking
12) CFLs do not use heat to produce light and are much more efficient as compared to a regular bulb.
13) Every incandescent lamp replaced by a CFL helps to fight global warming.
14) It is estimated that replacing a single bulb with a CFL will keep half-ton of  carbon dioxide out of the  atmosphere over its lifetime.  

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