After basking in the glory of appreciation and excited apprehension, Nano, touted as the World’s cheapest car, makes way for green brand Oreva. This new e-car is a part of the rich Ajanta group legacy who have been giving India affordable electric scooters and bikes over the past so many years.

Plans are to roll out Oreva from the Ajanta plant in Gujarat. Though the mother company is careful not to divulge too many details, the national rep of the car did say that this green wonder would be able to cover 200-250 kilometers in a single charge.

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The concept of ‘green buldings’ seems to be catching up in India. These structures are truly eco-friendly as they harvest their own water and not to forget the solar power systems. Not only this, they even have their own waste re-cycling system.

Plus the greenery in the otherwise concrete junglse that metros in India have become, is sure bliss. The construction has been done so that more than 50 per cent of the bulding is covered with glass like it is in Japan, which reflects the sun’s rays and keeps the indoor cool; thus, saving power.

When the fad was at a nascent stage, a 20,000 sqaure feet green building was consructed in Hyderbad in 2004. But now, the green attitude is catching up. You will be surprised to know that the green buldings (please read 315) in India today cover over 235 millin square feet.
Via zeenews

Well, this bit might have just caught the attention of the international eco-lovers; but the truth is that Indians have been enjoying the benefits of a human-powered ferris wheel for a long time.

The video of the same on YouTube is the reason for the sudden hohullah! They are calling a zero-emissions ride that is great for the environment and for a few laughs. Without using a generator, this giant wheel is put into action by a team of zealous men who climb up one by one and turn the wheel so that it keeps on spinning, and everyone else can have a joyride! As a result, this ride does not send across harmful gases into the atmosphere.

By the by, I’m sure you will be surprised to know but this is no new thing in India. Only that it involves a large ferris wheel. Yep, the small-town carnivals of yore and even now always have a small-sized ferris wheel meant for children which is run by a man single-handedly!

Indeed, a bright green idea.

Via TreeHugger

Sugarcane Waste is produced on a large scale in a nation like India whose Southern Belt is rich in Black Soil required for the crop to flourish. Being one of the world’s largest producers of sugar, the nation obviously has plenty of Sugarcane Waste to deal with. Bagasse, as sugarcane waste is known, is the pulp from which all the sweet has been extracted. It is rich in fiber content and it is this fiber that India is turning to provide it with much needed extra energy.

Sameerwadi, Karnataka in India is looking into the various ways money and energy can be made off the waste from sugarcane processing. Godavari Sugar Mills Ltd will use the fiber to make ethanol. The project hopes to be able to scale up from demonstration size to commercial size within a few years, processing about 5,000 tons of bagasse within four years, but they don’t state how much ethanol they plan to make with it.

The company is not just looking making ethanol out of the pulp but also other product which ensure that we utilize the maximum from natural available resources and do not waste much. They intend to produce items like paper, cardboard, textiles, water-soluble adhesives, cements, dyes – even L-lactic acid – and other items from the waste to help make the facility viable. This not conserves loads of energy but would stop felling of more trees for manufacture of paper. Hopefully the whole concept will hit the machines soon!

Via Ecogeek

Olympics bronze medallist Sushil Kumar has indeed become hot property. And it’s none other than PETA who is chasing the brawny wrestler to join hand with them as their vegan ambassador. Chief functionary of PETA (India) Anuradha Sawhney, wrote in a letter to Kumar that her organisation wold like to feature him in their vegetarian ads.
The main reason for roping in Kumar is to show how an all vegetarian diet can give you an Olympic winning muscularity. To this Sawhney added that Kumar’s toned physique can bring the message out loud that when it comes to an actual workout, men should give up meat to achieve maximum performance.
Although, PETA has not received a response from Kumar yet but they are optimistic as most people they approach are more than happy to associate with them. Yes, Amitabh Bachchan, Yana Gupta, Esha Deol, Anil Kumble, John Abraham and Rahul Khanna are just a few of the popular names with them.
Via ibnlive

We have heard of instances, especially in South India, where women have demanded an HIV screening test for their grooms. But now even a wedding hall in Chinnamanur in Tamil Nadu, India, demands that all brides and grooms solemnizing their marriage in the hall should get a ‘no HIV’ certificate first.
Apparently, a 25-year-old rickshaw driver was spurned by his fiancee on their wedding eve when she learnt that he had tested positive for HIV. So, to clear matter the management of the wedding hall told the parents of the bride and the groom to make their children undergo an HIV test if the wedding was to take place in their hall. The parents agreed and when the test results came in, the groom tested positive for HIV. As a result, the wedding was put on hold and the parents of the bride thanked the management profusely.
Many women in areas in and around Chinnamanur have lost their husbands to AIDS, so the stand of the wedding hall is being appreciated by one and all.
Via timesofindia

Poop power fuels the idli joint run by Sivagami at the Puducherry bus stand in India. And she is doing her bit for nature, though the gesture is propelled by the need to save money. Yes, apart from using the regular LPG cylinders, the woman also resorts to the gas supplied by a biogas plant outside her kiosk. This plant produces gas from human and food waste 24 hours a day, making her meet the rush of hungry workers every day. Around 8,000 people use the toilets at the bus stand every day and almost 30 toilets supply to the biogas plant.
Sivagami says that LPG cylinders are very costly and biogas helped her save three to four LP cylinders every month; which means a neat profit in her monthly earnings. Biogas is not anything new to the villages across India but now even in small towns people are trying to tap this organic renewable energy. But there is a glitch. There are many who are not comfortable eating food prepared on a biogas fuel. Keeping that in mind, biogas will perhaps never replace LPG in the Indian households but yes the hotels can learn something useful from Sivagami’s dhaba.
Via ibnlive

Charity begins at home, or should we say the kitchen. The Energy and Resources Institute of India (TERI) has come up with a first of its kind cookbook offering an environment-friendly diet. Called ‘The Original Organic Cookbook: Recipes for the Healthy Living’ has been authored by chef Kuntal Kumar, who calls the shots at the kitchen of the Hilton hotel at Shillim near Mumbai.  

Now that is a very cool way to approach the lifestyle problems that we are suffering from. News is that only 14,000 tonnes of the two million food grown annually in India is actually organic. So, the book focuses on a creating an intelligent kitchen. And the food recipes are not boring. In fact, one can find a comprehensive spread from international cuisine to the traditional Indian platter. Also, Kumar makes an attempt to dispel doubts that organic food is only vegetarian. And as per a rough estimate, if all famers in the world took to organic farming the carbon emission would be reduced by a considerable 21 per cent.

Via freshnews

Ever heard of cooling solutions driven by the heat of the Sun? This might just be a reality for the rural folk living in large number of Indian villages. Promethean Power- a MIT spin-off is researching over the possibilities of making use of thermoelectronic technology for developing a stationary, solar-powered refrigerator. The initiative is taken keeping in mind the needs of villagers in rural India many of whom face the problem of storing diary products and vaccines due to lack of electricity and refrigerating solutions. This prototype will be showcased at the upcoming Emerging Technologies conference to be held at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The prototype’s design includes a small-sized array of solar panels on the roof and thermoelectric modules + electric compononents inside the small building. 

 
 
Thermoelectric modules are semiconducting materials used to convert electricity (from the solar panels) into currents of cold air.These are essential placed in between ceramic tiles and are already used in market in certain applications that consume low-energy like cooling car seats or computer chips. Now, technicians at Promethean Power want to test these modules for renewable energy sources like solar power. 
 
Besides working on the efficiency of this technology Promethean Power is also considering the cost of its solar-powered refrigerator- a concept which if successful will result in its mass production for rural consumption. The cost is definitely going to be a feature which will determine the successful implementation of such a solar-cum-thermoelectronic technological device in a developing nation like India and other TWCs (third world countries). Will it eventually turn out to be a boon for perishable items in such places where constant electric supply is a big concern, remains to be seen!
 
Via: Ecogeek

Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival which many Indians look forward to as in today’s workaholic life, it sums up ten days of spirituality, fun, faith and socializing around. But what many people fail to admit (although, they know it very well) that the after festival picture is filthy with vast amounts of pollution on the beach and inside water where the Elephant God rests post Visarjan. Such people happily befool themselves giving excuses like, “God will take care of the fishes and the beaches.” But now, thanks to Goa government, this year at least in Goa the marine life will not have to ask God’s help for its survival for the much needed human awakening is already set into motion.

Goa’s power and environment minister Alexieo Sequeira recently announced a ban on the manufacturing of Ganesha idols from plaster of Paris in Panaji, in a media conference. These gigantic idols no doubt look wonderful but their molding and modeling involves the use of highly polluting agents like plaster of Paris and coloring pigments that contain toxic chemicals like lead and titanium. These pollutants leach in the waters where these idols are immersed and then, through wave currents the pollutants reach far off areas to disturb the marine ecology. These chemicals are known to alter the life cycle of fishes and other marine fauna. Not only this, the water post Visarjan becomes highly polluted .And this happens year after year. By this time the water has become filthy and polluted enough to give skin diseases and allergies to anyone taking a dip near the beach.

The serious environmental concerns regarding Ganesh and Goddess Durga’s Visarjan
During festivals have aroused enough hues and cries but nothing concrete has happened so far because the state governments have been busy protecting the religious sentiments of people (or may I say, the state authorities have been busy sleeping over the issue!) But now, a streak of positivity has emerged with Goa’s government taking a firm stand against the manufacturing and selling of such polluting idols. The ban if followed religiously can lead to a Green Ganesh Chaturthi this year-one which will not damage the coastal ecology (any further). Also, it will curb the cases of food poisoning in the state population as reported when people consume polluted fishes.

I whole heartedly appreciate this initiative taken by Goa and plead other states to join in for Indian coast lines and marine flora and fauna are quite unique and we must come forward to protect them for posterity.

Via: mapsofindia