The main objective of technology based agriculture must be to reduce the input costs for small and marginal farmers and at the same time increase the yield. Agriculture scientists would like the farmers to realise that reduction of chemical based fertilizers and pesticides can benefit both man and earth over the long run, and in [...]
Human hair export is a Rs 200 crore business in India today. Of this, Gupta Enterprises, Chennai alone accounts for Rs 44 crore a year. “Hair that’s thrown out is waste, hair that is collected is money,” says Gupta.The waste hair is converted into wigs and toupees Gupta’s father started off in the late 1960s [...]
To create eco-awareness among students, Siruthuli, an organisation that works for the revival of water bodies in Coimbatore and promoting a clean city, has formed Siruthuli Eco Forum in 24 schools in the city of Coimbatore. The students of National Model School in Peelamedu, G.R. Damodaran School on Avanashi Road and Elgi Matriculation Higher Secondary [...]
Mrudula Saptarshi of Mumbai, “vermigoldinternational.com” was a crusader for separation of garbage at the household level. Segregation into wet/organic (kitchen) and dry/synthetic waste (plastic, glass, paper, metal). She began with vermiculture (using earthworms to convert garbage to compost) in her kitchen garden. She is now a consultant to many organisations. Vermigold International, her company, is [...]
Success stories-Material exchange At a small coastal Industrial zone Kalundborg near Copenhagan an exemplary material exchange is being practiced. The exchange involves a 1500M.W. Power plant,(Asuaes Power Station),a 3.2 million metric tones capacity oil refinery,(Stat Oil),a 14 million square meters of Gypsum Board manufacturing unit,(Gyproc),an Intermational Biotechnology company with a sales in excess of $2 [...]
Poonam Kasturi calls herself Compost Wali. On a unique mission, she wants ordinary Indians to feel empowered, make a ‘clean’ difference to the society, by converting waste into useful compost in a simple and cost effective manner. Her organic business venture Daily Dump offers different types of composters that convert the waste generated in one’s [...]
Waste Management Inc. in 2009 broke ground on a $10 million plant in McMinnville that will create enough electricity from garbage to power 2,500 homes. The plant will be located in the company’s Riverbend Landfill west of McMinnville and is expected to be operational in mid-2010. As waste decomposes naturally, the new energy plant will [...]
In urban slum areas without proper waste disposal and rubbish collection systems the build up of household waste is a huge problem. One of WaterAid’s projects in India has found a novel approach to tackle this dilemma and generate income. Their solution lies with worms. The community living in the Kalmanthai slum in Tiruchirapalli has [...]
Status of Pollution Control in Tanneries of Uttar Pradesh The U.P. Pollution Control Board has identified 469 tannery industries in the state out of which 404 tanneries are treated in Kanpur. Details of effluent treatment system in 404 tanneries installed at Kanpur is as follows: Based on vegetable tanning system - 198 I. Primary effluent [...]
It is time tested by now that the future of Pollution Control and Environmental Management in any country does not rest solely on regulatory mechanisms. Voluntary and participatory mechanisms have to play bigger roles. Wastage have to be minimized, resources consumed more prudently and the urge to conserve embedded in our cultures in order to [...]