Indian Wildlife Club Forum

BP Solar Decathlon

The BP Solar Decathlon is a parntered event by BP that has received 20 selected teams by the U.S. Department of Energy to work on this project. The teams are from various colleges and universities from around the world and will work together as teams competing in a competition to design and build the most energy efficient and aesthetically appealing home powered by solar energy. The event started this month and will be based off of 10 different contests for the overall winner. The homes will ultimately be transported to the national mall in Washington D.C. for viewing. The whole event is a great opportunity to showcase the young bright minds of new clean and renewable technology.

This is a great idea that could inspire many young and aspiring students for the new wave of alternative energy building methods and the new wave of green tech. For one, this is great PR for BP considering it got a lot of negative attention over its Oil Refinery in Whiting, Indiana. Now this could a chance for BP to regain its name as a "green" company that truly cares about the environment.

With BP fully supporting this competition, they have designated an on-site reporter to which the reporter and the teams can all post about the challenges of the event. The whole idea is to have the competition get media coverage through the internet as well as other means.

From an environmentalist point of view, this is a very good move for BP. It shows that it cares about the future of renewable energy and hopefully it convinces the many residents surrounding the Great lakes as well.

Source: http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/atom.xml
   

There are close to 300 windmills in Kutch area of Gujarat, India.  Bird watchers attribute the decline in number of vultures found in this area (from 70 to 15) to the windmills. 

Dr Vibhu Prakash, Principal Scientist, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and in charge of the vulture breeding programme says, “Windmills do create problems for birds, especially for large birds like the raptors. They can get sucked into the windmills and get injured. "

Source: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Vultures-grounded-by-windmills/218522/

Corporate Revenge?

At the June 2007 annual meeting of the World Wildlife Fund in Bejing, soft drinks giant Coca Cola launched a multi-year partnership with WWF to conserve and protect fresh water resources.

The partnership will focus on " measurably conserving" China’s Yangtze, South East Asia’s Mekong, the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo of South West US and Mexico, the rivers nad streams of the Southern US, the water basins of the Mesoamerican Caribbean Reef, the East Africa basin of Lake Malawi and Europe’s Danube River. 

The $20 million plan skipped India, where Coca -Cola faces protests for allegedly depleting ground water.

Source: Times Of India  6Th June 2007

For 15 years, Chewang Norphel, a retired civil engineer of Ladakh, has been building "artificial glaciers" to make life a little easier for the hard working but poverty-stricken farmers of Ladakh.  He uses a network of pipes to capture and channel precious snowmelt that would otherwise be wasted.  First, water from an existing stream is diverted through iron pipes to a shady area of the valley.  From there, the water flows out to a sloping hill at regular intervals along the mountain slope.  Small stone embsnkments impede the flow of water, creating shallow pools.  During the winter, as temperatures drop, the water in these pools freezes.  Once this cycle has been repeated over many weeks, a thick sheet of ice forms, resembling a glacier. 

Norphel says an artificial glacier scores over a natural one in many ways. " It is closer to the village and at a comparatively lower altitude. "

Norphel can be contacted at Tel: 01982-252151

For 15 years, Chewang Norphel, a retired civil engineer of Ladakh, has been building "artificial glaciers" to make life a little easier for the hard working but poverty-stricken farmers of Ladakh.  He uses a network of pipes to capture and channel precious snowmelt that would otherwise be wasted.  First, water from an existing stream is diverted through iron pipes to a shady area of the valley.  From there, the water flows out to a sloping hill at regular intervals along the mountain slope.  Small stone embsnkments impede the flow of water, creating shallow pools.  During the winter, as temperatures drop, the water in these pools freezes.  Once this cycle has been repeated over many weeks, a thick sheet of ice forms, resembling a glacier. 

Norphel says an artificial glacier scores over a natural one in many ways. " It is closer to the village and at a comparatively lower altitude. "

Norphel can be contacted at Tel: 01982-252151

Activists making use of various visual mediums

to create awareness on the project’s impact -Mysore

 With Minister for Energy H.D. Revanna asserting that the
Government has no option but to go ahead with its decision to set up
the 1,000-mw coal-fired thermal power plant at Chamalapura to meet the
increasing demand for power in the State, the movement opposing the
decision is being intensified in the urban and rural parts of Mysore.

Chamalapura Ushna Vidyut Sthavara Virodhi Horata Samanvaya Samithi is
making use of various visual mediums to educate farmers and people on
the impact of the project. While environmental organisations such as
the Mysore Amateur Naturalists is engaged in giving power point
presentations on how the project would affect flora and fauna in the
area, besides the life of poor farmers, students of Chamarajendra
Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA) are engaged in preparing publicity
material for the agitation.

A CAVA student has made use of an old building in Kukkarahalli village
to project the impact of the project. "Nirantara", a cultural
organisation, has produced "Baduki-Badukalu Bidi", a mini-documentary,
and is screening it in schools and colleges.

Farmers themselves have arranged the screening of "Matad Matadu
Mallige" which dwells on the plight of flower-growing farmers and how
they succeed in their fight. "Power V/S People: Struggle of
Chamalapura farmers", a documentary produced by Chandrashekar
Ramenahalli, is making waves in Chamalapura and surrounding villages.
As part of the campaign to create awareness among farmers,
Chandrashekar Ramenahalli, who has worked with Medha Patkar in the
Narmada Bachao Andolan, has produced the film with support from the
Chamalapura Anti-Thermal Plant Struggle Committee.

Chandrashekar Ramenahalli, a student of sociology, produced the
documentary in 15 days. The 35-minute documentary, which records the
opinions of farmers and energy experts, also throws light on the lush
green fields in the 12 villages where farmers harvest up to three
crops a year. 
 

Source:

http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/26/stories/2007092656091000.htm

One tonne of scrap from discarded computers contains more gold than can be produced from 17 tonne of gold ore.  Mumbai alone throws away 19,00 tonne of electronic waste a year, excluding the large e-waste imports from developed nations through its port. 

The projected growth for the e-waste generation for India is about 34% year on year. 

India already has a few small scale regional recycling programs-’Eparisara’ and’Trishyiraya’ are two such outfits. 

 
Source:Times of India, 8June, 2007

"Badabon-er Katha": A tale of the Sundarbans

The Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, lies on the
Southwestern coastal areas of Bangladesh, forming a seaward fringe of
the delta. The Sundarbans is intersected by a complex network of
waterways, mudflats and small islands covered with mangrove forests,
and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. The
area is known for its wide range of fauna. There are about 334 species
of trees and plants and 450 species of animals in this forest - a
repository of diversity. Of these, there are 47 species of mammals,
270 species of birds, 45 species of reptiles and 200 species of fish.

A documentary film on the Sundarbans, titled Badabon-er Katha, was
premiered on August 18 at National Museum Auditorium. Under the
supervision of Manzarehassin Murad, Moynul Huda has directed the
documentary. It is a joint venture by Steps Towards Development and
Rupantor.

The documentary presents the scenic beauty of the Sundarbans in
different seasons, as well as the dependency of humans to the forest
for making their living.

Badabon-er Katha begins with images of spectacular beauty of the
majestic forest. The documentary features the diverse lifestyles of
people living in the Sundarbans, including fishermen, honey collectors
and others. Badabon-er Katha also highlights some natural and man-made
changes that are fast becoming threats to the existence of the
Sundarbans.

Prior to the screening of the film a discussion was held. Professor
Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Dr. Ainun Nishat (country representative of The
World Conservation Union Bangladesh), Ranjan Karmokar (executive
director of Steps Towards Development), Swapan Guha (CEO of Rupantar),
filmmaker Manzarehassin Murad and director of Badabon-er Katha, Moynul
Huda spoke at the event.

Referring to the Sundarbans as the "only sweet-water mangrove forest
in the world", Dr. Ainun Nishat said, "Three points of the forest are
listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. However, this rare heritage
site is under threat."

Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed said, "This documentary will be a record
of the Sundarbans, if ever the largest mangrove forest in the world is
lost."

Source: 

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=718

Water Hyacinth- economic potential

Water hyacinth is considered a scourge on water bodies. Yet, we only have to look at our neighbours to see the economic potential of this weed.

In Bangladesh, water hyacinth fibre is dried and mixed with jute to create paper and pressed into fibre boards used for partitions.

Yarn made from the fibre is used to make furniture in Bangladesh and baskets in Philippines.

Water hyacinth is used for water purification as it is capable of absorbing heavy metals, organic compounds and pathogens from water. 

In Srilanka, water hyacinth is mixed with organic municipal waste, ash and soil, composted and sold to local farmers.

Three years after the Central government virtually abandoned the mega project of inter-linking of rivers, the government of Bihar is coming out with a proposal to link various river basins within the state.

Gujarat, too, is toying with a similar idea. What’s more, Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi recently said that the linking of the southern rivers — Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery — could be taken up immediately...............

Satish C Jha, chairman, special task force on Bihar and a member of PM’s Economic Advisory Council, told SundayET that a better understanding with Nepal was key to control flood in the state and also evolve a better system of irrigation................

Former head of the task force on inter-linking of rivers Suresh Prabhu argued that it should be a two-way approach. “What Bihar is doing now is a bottom-up approach. We need that too. Inter-linking of rivers should be done in an intergrated manner involving both augmentation and conservation,” said Mr Prabhu.

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Bihar_takes_lead_in_reviving_river_inter-linking_project/articleshow/2094715.cms