Category Archives: Green Initiatives/ Environment

IIT-Madras shows the way in low-cost housing

Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Chennai :

With real estate prices and cost of construction on the rise, owning a house in cities remains a dream for the middle class. But it might soon be a thing of the past, courtesy IIT Madras and its efforts to popularize the cost-effective, rapid and eco-friendly method of construction using Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) panels.

After the successful construction of a two-storey building at the IIT campus in June this year using GFRG panels, experts from the civil engineering department of the institute are close to an agreement with Tata Housing Development Corporation Ltd to build a housing project at Boisar, a suburb in Mumbai, for low-income groups.

The GFRG building method essentially uses glass fibres and specially calcined gypsum plaster to make the regular panel stronger and water resistant.

According to Shinto Paul, structural design engineer for the GFRG building at IIT-M and PhD scholar at the civil engineering department, the foundation for the building is laid in the regular manner and GFRG panels are used for erecting the remaining superstructure with minimum concrete usage except at the joints and cavities of the panel. Once the foundation is constructed and the panels are erected, the main structure can be built in a few days.

However, while using GFRG panels, all floors should ideally have the same floor plan. Curved structures and domes are best avoided or concrete can be used for such areas.

“The rapid low-cost housing project is headed in the right direction and we are in talks with Tata Housing to use the technology for mass housing projects. We are also collaborating with various state governments and housing structures are already being built in Kerala using this technique.” said Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director, IIT Madras.

A senior official with Tata Housing confirmed the development and said the pilot project discussions were under way. The pilot module of the Boisar project consists of nine buildings, each with five floors and eight apartments on each floor. After the construction of the pilot module, the project may be scaled up with more buildings. It is estimated that the total cost of construction will be limited to less than 1,200 per sqft.

“We have been getting numerous enquiries about the project after the completion of the demo building at our campus,” said A Meher Prasad, head of the department of civil engineering, IIT Madras. The 1,981sqft two-storeyed building at the IIT campus, with two one-bedroom and two two-bedroom apartments, was completed in just a month at a cost of 24 lakh.

“We are constructing a 54-unit housing building for Kerala government at Chottanikara at a cost of 1,000 per sqft. The idea is to bring down the cost of constructing the structure and the customer can choose the remaining accessories and fittings,” said Shinto Paul.

As of now, the GFRG panels are being manufactured at FACT-RCF Building Products Ltd (FRBL) in Kochi, a joint venture between The Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT) and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mumbai. Proposals have been mooted to the Union government and more manufacturing units for GFRG panels are expected to be set up across the country to further scale down the transportation cost of the panels.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Binoy Valsan, TNN / November 24th, 2014

Wildlife institute nears completion

Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Uncategorized

Reproductive biology, animal care sciences, conservation ecology and a wildlife forensic lab will form part of the institute

An advanced institute for wildlife conservation, research, training and education is nearing completion in Vandalur, near the zoo.

Forest department sources said an announcement in this regard was made last year. The government had sanctioned Rs. 27.13 crore for establishing the institute.

Taking up research to aid the survival and recovery of species and their habitats, exclusive breeding programmes by creating captive breeding centres, training youth on conservation, finding solutions for man-animal conflict, advanced training for zoo management and captive breeding are some of the main objectives of the institute.

Reproductive biology, animal care sciences, conservation ecology with a field station in Kanyakumari, conservation education, centre for conservation and evolutionary genetics, migratory birds, species survival and a wildlife forensic lab will form part of the institute.

The first consultative meeting to develop a road map for the institute was held on October 13, on the zoo premises.

More than 20 forest service officers participated.

In the future, the institute will offer courses on wildlife conservation.

A sum of Rs. 7.13 crore will be spent on the building, and Rs. 20 crore on developing infrastructure, different centres and laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by P. Oppili / Chennai – November 12th, 2014

Scientists come together to use renewable energy in villages

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

Coimbatore :

Eleven scientists from across the country are back in school in Coimbatore — this time to brainstorm, collaborate and come up with ideas to use renewable energy to mitigate climate change. They are participating in a 21-day winter school organised by Tamil Nadu Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute in Coimbatore.

One of the villages that will serve as a model is Thalinji, near Tirupur, where electricity is being generated using biomass. “Four years ago, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) set up a 100 cubic metre biomass plant to generate electricity for 120 houses and 28 streetlights in association with a non-governmental organisation, Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Development Society,” said S Kamaraj, professor and head, department of bio-energy. The village generates 12 units of power every hour using the biomass plant, maintained by SAG Federation and women self-help groups. There are seven solar-powered street lights as well.

“In Gujarat, there is abundant availability of biomass, so I am looking to learn the various methods of using it as an energy source and implement the most viable one with the help of students and researchers there,” said Modi Vijayesh Mahendrabhai, assistant professor, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Gujarat.

Another participant is looking forward to learning the latest technology and replicating it in tribal villages in Vellore district. “We are working on a project on using waste land and waste water to create an algae and extract biofuel. This winter school will definitely give us more insight to our project,” said S Joshua Davidson, assistant professor, KVK, Vrinjipuram, Vellore.

According to the ministry of new and renewable energy, India is endowed with renewable resources and there is a potential to generate an additional 80,000MW of renewable energy. “At present, the total renewable energy power generation in India is 28,000MW of the total 2,30,000MW, which works out to 12.7%,” said K Alagusundaram, deputy director general, Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

With concerns about environmental degradation and climate change increasing, the importance of renewable energy for power generation is attracting greater attention, he added.

K Ramasamy, vice-chancellor, TNAU, urged that biomass availability in Tamil Nadu should be identified and a data bank should be created. “Energy plantations and biomass processing industries should be promoted to create energy-efficient technologies for biomass-based power generation,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Komal Gautham, TNN / November 09th, 2014

Gandhigram University scientists save tree from extinction

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All

Madurai :

If researchers at Gandhigram university are successful in their endeavour, the rudraksha tree, which is endemic to the Western Ghats, can soon be saved from extinction.

Researchers from the university have germinated seeds of the species ‘Elaeocarpus blascoi Weibel’ under laboratory conditions and the saplings reared by them are slowly taking root in their natural habitat of the shola forests in the Western Ghats.

According to Dr Raju Ramasubbu, professor in the department of biology at the Gandhigram Rural Institute, there are 250 species of the rudraksha tree in the world, of which 25 are found in India. Eleven of the 25 are confined to the Western Ghats, and 10 can be seen only in the Palani Hills, Dindigul district. Fruits from the subspecies ‘Elaeocarpus sphaericus’ are used as beads to make rosaries, necklaces and bracelets.

Dr Ramasubbu and his student Felix Irudhayaraj were alarmed at the fact that only a single ‘Elaeocarpus blascoi’ tree was found in the Palani hills when they undertook a study on the trees, which are on the red list of the International Union for Consevation of Nature (IUCN). The study on ‘E. blascoi’ was conducted from July 2012 to May 2014, and was published in the October 26 issue of the ‘Journal of Threatened Taxa’.

On reason for the tree facing extinction is that nuts take very long to germinate due to their hard cover. A mature tree takes 15 years to start flowering and grows to a height of 20 meters. This large evergreen tree was found in the Bear Shola in the Palani Hills in 1970. But another report published in 1999 said it had become extinct. Later, a lone tree was spotted in 2000.

After confirming that the species was staring at extinction, they went to the mother tree and collected seeds. Many seeds were found viable but had not germinated. Some were too old or affected by fungus, and there were no saplings near the mother tree.

The researchers took the seeds to their laboratory and were successful in germinating 80% of them. They planted four saplings that were two- and-a-half months old in an isolated spot in its natural habitat and are happy with the way they are growing. “We visit the spot twice a month and check their growth,” Dr Ramasubbu said.

The researchers collected tissue from the shoots of the mother tree and are culturing them. If successful, they plan to plant more trees in their natural habitat as it aids seed germination, which would help remove the species from the IUCN ‘red list’.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / November 12th, 2014

Birding session marks birth anniversary of Salim Ali

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
Bird watchers at the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam on Wednesday. - PHOTO: M. SATHYAMOORTHY / The Hindu
Bird watchers at the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam on Wednesday. – PHOTO: M. SATHYAMOORTHY / The Hindu

As many as 25 species spotted at Government Botanical Garden

Spread over 55 acres and dotted with hundreds of trees and flower beds apart from many ponds, the Government Botanical Garden here played host to a birding session organised by the Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association on Wednesday to commemorate the 118th birth anniversary of Salim Ali, the father of ornithology.

With the undulating venue and the occasion complementing each other, members of the association and students of Wildlife Biology in the Government Arts College returned with the satisfaction of having spotted birds belonging to about 25 species.

Pointing out that the most prized sighting of the day was a Kashmir Fly Catcher, the association’s executive committee member K.Vijay told The Hindu that the migratory bird from the Himalayas, which has been classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, could not be seen here last year.

Pointing out that its presence now signifies the commencement of the migratory season, he said that among the other birds spotted were the Grey Wag Tail, the Black and Grey Fly Catcher, the Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Pond Heron, Great Pit and the Nilgiri Blue Robbin.

Responding to a query, Mr.Vijay said that the botanical garden with its wild fruits and flowers is an ideal bird habitat.

Birding destination

Expressing the view that it can be promoted as a responsible birding destination, he said that the authorities concerned should regulate the activity and restrict it to one or two days a week. Stating that birding is a very effective stress buster, he said that it also encourages people to walk. Volunteers including students of Wildlife Biology should be engaged to create awareness among tourists about the role of birds in protecting the ecology.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by D. RadhaKrishnan / Udhagamandalam – November 13th, 2014

On a mission to promote organic farming

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
A. Gnanaprakasam, bio-farmer, harvesting the greens at his field at Kurumbur near Aranthangi.
A. Gnanaprakasam, bio-farmer, harvesting the greens at his field at Kurumbur near Aranthangi.

Gnanaprakasam distributes greens among schoolchildren

His ripe age does not deter him from promoting and popularising organic farming techniques among the masses.

For the 76-year-old A. Gnanaprakasam, promoting organic cultivation practices has been a watchword for the past three decades. He has converted his 33 cents of land into a bio-farm, at Kurumbur village near Aranthangi, using bio-manure and applying bio-pesticides.

Greens has been his primary choice, and, he has been cultivating different greens such asvendhyakeerai, sirukeerai, pasali keerai, arakeerai, and musumusukkai.

Catch them young

Mr. Gnanaprakasam, who is consultant to the Pudukottai District Tree and Herbs Growers Welfare Association, says that schoolchildren were his targeted audience. He had been distributing, free of cost, these greens to schoolchildren. “I just harvest the greens daily and keep the bundles at the entrance to the farm,” he says.

The greens were being used for noon meals at the panchayat union middle school at Kurumbur and panchayat union primary school at Kattuthattanvayal village. “About 300 students benefit through the free supply,” he says.

He regrets that lack of awareness among the masses resulted in poor consumption of greens. To tide over the problem, he has been distributing free of cost, greens to those who visit his farm.

Anyone interested in consuming eco-farm greens can visit his fields and take the bundles available. “I harvest some green or other on rotation basis, depending up on the season and growth,” he says.

Call 9442857292 for details.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by M. Balaganessin / Puduikottai – November 13th, 2014

Blue Boys Team of Fathima School Invent Water Alarm

Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

BlueBoysMPOs11nov2014

Chennai :

To create environmental awareness in Saidapet, three teams — the Eco-friendly, the Blue Boys and the Go-Green — were started in Fathima Matriculation Higher Secondary School.

The Blue Boys team contributed with a water alarm.  Afrith of Class 10 invented the alarm.

One day when Afrith was alone at home, he saw water overflowing from the tank, which led to the invention.  He decided to create an alarm to alert people when water overflows from the tank.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Education> Student / by Express News Service / November 11th, 2014

Scientists come together to bring about changes in villages through renewable energy

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Science & Technologies

Coimbatore :

Thalinji, a small village near Tirupur where electricity is being generated using biomass, is a model for mitigating climate change using renewable resources.

“Four years ago, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) set up a 100 cubic metre biomass plant to generate electricity for 120 houses and 28 streetlights in association with an NGO named non-conventional energy and rural development society,” said S Kamaraj, head of bioenergy department.

The village generates 12 units of power every hour using the biomass plant which is maintained by SAG Federation and women self-help groups. There are seven solar-powered street lights as well.

Eleven scientists from across the country have come together to bring about a change in Indian villages and to give them facilities without disturbing the ecosystem or affecting the climate.

They will participate in the 21 days winter school organised by Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute in the city and learn methods of using renewable energy to mitigate climate change.

“In Gujarat, there is abundant availability of biomass, so I am looking to learn the various methods of using it as an energy source and implement the most viable one in our state by education the students and researchers there,” said Modi Vijayesh Mahendrabhai, assistant professor, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Gujarat.

A participant from Raipur is looking forward to learn the latest technologies and replicate them in tribal villages in Vellore district.

“We are working on a project on using wasteland and waste water to create an algae and extract bio-fuel from it. This winter school will definitely give us more insight to our project,” said S Joshua Davidson, assistant professer, KVK, Vrinjipuram, Vellore.

With India generously being endowed with renewable resources, there exists a potential of the order of 80,000 MW, according to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

“At present the total renewable energy based power generation in India is 28,000 MW out of the total 2,30,000 MW which works out to be 12.7% only,” said K Alagusundaram, Deputy Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

With concerns for environmental protection and climate change increasing, the importance of renewables for power generation is attracting greater attention, he added.

TNAU vice chancellor K Ramasamy said that that biomass availability in the state should be identified and a data bank should be created.

“Energy plantations and bio mass processing industries should be promoted to promote energy efficient technologies for biomass based power generation,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Komal Gautham, TNN / November 07th, 2014

Dindigul hamlet without power to get solar lanterns

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

Chennai :

Gandhigram Trust has come to the aid of 27 households in Meenatchi Oothu village in Dindigul district, living without electricity for many years.

The village, situated in a mountainous region, has been without any source of power. Currently, the villagers are using kerosene lanterns after sunlight. With infrastructure for regular source of power needing more funds, the trust approached the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Rural Development to supply free solar lanterns to the households. They will be distributed in the village on Friday.

“There are around 150 people in the village and there is no infrastructure to set up a transformer and a power system. This is due to paucity of funds as the panchayat’s net revenue is only Rs 35,000 annually. This is when Gandhigram through NIRD offered to supply solar-powered lanterns,” said village panchayat president M C Ratnakumar.

With extra funds from the district administration, we were able to provide a borewell, solving the drinking water problem in the village. However, electricity remained a dream for the villagers until a few days ago, said Ratnakumar.

The Gandhigram Trust sent a team to assess the conditions in the village and then approached the NIRD with a proposal to substitute kerosene lanterns with solar.

“Our water and sanitation team conducted a baseline survey in the village. After this, we approached the NIRD for distribution of solar lanterns free of cost,” said trust secretary K Shivakumar.

The households are involved in cultivation of pepper and the trust is planning to source solar dryers from the institute in the coming months.

“The solar dryers cost around Rs 7,000 to 8,000 per piece. We have approached the institute for free distribution of the dryers in the coming months,” said Shivakumar.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by B Sivakumar, TNN / October 30th, 2014

A pretty ghost along highway near Ooty

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
With petals of its white flowers spread out, this orchid presents a ghostly appearance. / Special Arrangement / The Hindu
With petals of its white flowers spread out, this orchid presents a ghostly appearance. / Special Arrangement / The Hindu

Long, meandering, steep and punctuated with hair-pin bends, the highway connecting Mettupalayam and Kotagiri is a source of delight to tourists.

A fascinating variety of vegetation on either side and favourable weather enhance its beauty. Different wild flowers catch the eyes of the passersby. Among them are Lady’s slippers and even kurinji. However, the most striking are the orchids with the popular name, Spreading Flowered Habenaria (Habenaria rariflora).

Conservationist and nature photographer P.J. Vasanthan says the orchid is an endemic variety restricted to the Western Ghats. It belongs to a group popularly called ‘bog orchids.’ However, in contrast to the popular name of the group, this orchid is usually seen growing on damp and rocky terrain. With the petals of its white flowers spread out, it presents a ghostly appearance. The plant comes to notice only when it is in bloom, and the flowering season coincides with the monsoon.

Once found all over the moist parts of the outer slopes of the district, it is now restricted to a few areas owing to anthropogenic activities. It is quite common around Droog near Coonoor, considered a haven for ground orchids.

It is now seen along the roadside at Muloor near Kunjapanai on the Kotagiri-Mettupalayam Highway. Though unexpected, it indicates the health of the ecosystem as orchids are sensitive to changes in the environment.

The Nilgiris hills were once rich with orchids, with over a hundred varieties being listed in the district manual of 1880. Agriculture and plantation forestry have vastly reduced their numbers.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by D. Radhakrishnan / Udhagamandalam – October 20th, 2014