Solar Cemeteries

The cremation of dead bodies is a part of the hindu ritual. Though this is important but still it consumes loads of firewood leading to both pollution and destruction of forests. Techniques like Electric crematorium have been for long around but they have been not used much due to long lasting beliefs. Solar Cremation is one such technique which may be useful.

One such technique was developed few years back by Homi B. Dhalla. But due to religious implications he faced opposition while using it. Instead this innovation paved the way for another problem which belonged to his own community.This posting is based on the documentary I saw based on innovations on Discovery Channel may be sometime last year.

As the Hindus burn their dead bodies or the muslim bury them Parsis believe in the natural process of decomposition of which the vultures are an essential part of. The vultures along with the sun play a major role in dehydrating and hence the decompostion of dead bodies.In recent years the vulture population has been dwindling mostly due to use of antibiotics given to cattle on whose dead bodies they mostly feed. Also another reason is urban developement.In parsi community as death rate is quite high so the dead bodies keep piling up in the Minar of Sielence in order to get decomposed. But it takes a hell lot of time.

What Mr.Homi B. Dhalla did was he used his simple Solar Concentration technolgy in producing temperature of around 250 degree Celsius. This was done using parabolic reflector panels.This helped in dehydrating the bodies.These mirrors use an array of flat, moveable mirrors to focus the sun's rays upon a the target. The high energy at this point of concentrated sunlight is transferred to a substance that can store the heat for later use. A enhanced version of this technology using much stronger installations of parabolic reflectors can be used to burn the dead bodies hence keeping a check on the pollution and forests.The mechanism is much better than firewood for obvious reasons of saving forests and checking pollution.

Quite a bizarre way to innovate though....

Habitat JAM

Want to discuss on burning issues concerning rapid urbanisation and its consequences? Go here:
http://www.habitatjam.com/content.php?id=17&sid=4&language=en

This is a three-day online discussion where people from across the globe can voice their opinions.

Clean Machine - EnvBike

Inventor: Intelligent Energy
Availability: In early 2007, for less than $10,000
To Learn More: envbike.com

The ENV bike looks like a muscular motorcycle but runs more like a moped. Weighing in at 200 lbs., the aluminum bike travels at speeds of up to 50 m.p.h. on its hydrogen-powered fuel-cell engine. Project director Andy Eggleston says that proprietary technology allows the fuel cell to produce more energy than is typical. The ENV runs silently on a 5-oz. canister of hydrogen that costs about $4 and can power the bike for 100 miles. The drawback? California is the only state with hydrogen fueling stations, so filling up outside the Golden State could be tough.

[via Time Asia]

Diwali Dhamaka

Now, we all Indians love Diwali and wait for it all year, don't we? It is a festival of lights and celebration, but the changing faces of Diwali down the ages have costed us a lot. From a modest celebration and brotherhood and festivities, it is a symbol of noise and fire today. Infact some people even feel that normal people who store their frustration all year let it out that one day called Diwali bursting crackers, envisaging all their venomic feelings in the crackers.

Fun or frustration, crackers every Diwali have had their toll. Read below for details:

http://www.indiatogether.org/environment/articles/diwali.htm

http://www.nlsenlaw.org/forum/msg_1100005994/view

Gujarat and Sustainable Development

The Gujarat government plans to encourage cleaner production in industries in Gujarat and it awards Gujarat State Cleaner Production Award for the same.

It also undertakes projects Edible Oil and Rice Milling sectors and also conducts training programmes for Cleaner Production Awareness.

It also runs campaigns for water harvesting and other household production and maintenance activities and advocates Sustainable Development as the key for development of the city and its neatness.

More info at:
http://gujenvfor.gswan.gov.in

www.gcpcgujarat.org

Fighting Pollution. With Shrubs!

Toyota's non-automotive division has developed a shrub related to the Cherry Sage that absorbs air pollution more effectively than related plant varieties. Creators say that the Kirsch Pink shrub is 1.3 times more effective at both absorbing harmful pollutants and reducing the urban "heat island effect," which causes increased temperatures in cities due to infrastructure that deflects sunlight and heat.


via Inhabitat

Reasons For Hope .....Orangi Pilot Project

On my way to home this time round i picked up a book for journey as i always do n this time it was book titled

"Reasons For Hope : Instructive Experiences in Rural Developement"

Its just not another book about those community developement stuff but this ones deals with some experiences by the persons who really were incharge of these missions. A collection of those experiences compressed in a volume which includes not only cases related to environemnt and population but also tackling the issues of sustainable developement. May be i discuss the Orangi thng this time round.....
For info on Orangi these links are good,

Karachi Urban Developement
UN on Orangi
Orangi Project on yespakistan

Orangi Pilot Project hmmmm...now this thng came into the mind of Akther Hamid Khan....a 66 yr old guy returning back from Michigan State University after a long stint there as a prof.
Orangi somewhat similar to Dharavi of mumbai for karachi pakistan at tht time atleast....
Now this guy came n transformed this thng by providing for innovation in these areas and encouraging community participation for better sustainable developement...
the key to this thng was dealing with the question of slum and fighting for a space between government and the project's own definition....

Orangi struck me bcoz of its novelty of putting into foreground developement of simple technologies concerning areas of no concern in terms of innovation like sanitation....and then making it work besides various roadblocks hindering its way.....in a way it its almost brilliant tht we get the best innovations in the so called slums but thr is this need to bring them to light and let people know. The need really is develope networks models for getting these innovations across everywhere so tht everyone can learn..

this stuff is not meant to discuss evry detail bout th thngs whch u can lookup on the above mentioned websites...what i feel thr is a need to identify these situations across the globe and help people gather the knowledge and determination to work up for it.....and if our neighbours can make it work we can do it too...no big deal....but its th initiative tht matters and tht lacks...
may b we can gather it some day...