Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Biofuel firm Hanjeer to set up waste plant in 1 year

The government finally appears to have a solution to garbage segregation and disposal in Bangalore.

The cabinet meeting on Friday approved the establishment of a fully automated segregation plant on develop-build-operate-transfer (DBOT) basis by BBMP through Hanjeer Biotech Energy Private Ltd.

"The company will be given 10 acres of land in Subbaramanapalya village, Tavarekere hobli in Ramohalli post, Bangalore Rural, on lease for 20 years to set up the fully automated segregation plant," law minister S Suresh Kumar told reporters.

Hanjeer is running a plant in... Read more..

Top emitter China agrees to work with EU to cut carbon

China, the world's biggest carbon dioxide emitter, has struck a deal to work with the European Union to cut greenhouse gases through projects including the development of Chinese emissions trading schemes, the European Commission said on Thursday.

The European Union and China have frequently clashed over climate policy and Beijing has flouted EU law requiring all airlines using European airports to pay for their emissions through the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme ETS.L.

At the same time, the two sides have maintained an uneasy dialogue, including an EU-China summit... Read more..

Solar power mooted for hospitals, health centres

The State Government is planning to adopt solar energy for hospitals and health centres for ensuring uninterrupted power supply to the institutions.

The objective is to make provision for adequate back-up power to tide over frequent power disruptions and maintain uninterrupted supply while reducing dependence on conventional energy.

The move will also save consumption of diesel by DG sets, contributing to  lowering of GHG emissions.

The Orissa Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) has submitted a proposal to the Health department on setting up Solar Photovoltaic... Read more..

Waste management in Noida 'unsatisfactory'

The Union ministry of environment and forests has found 'unsatisfactory' Noida Authority's action in handling disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the city. In a report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday, the ministry has observed that no scientific method has been put into place by the Authority for disposal of MSW despite guidelines put in place for the purpose.

The report (a copy of which is with TOI) was prepared by the ministry according to the directions passed by the green tribunal on August 23. The tribunal had directed the ministry to carry... Read more..

Siemens to cut wind and solar power jobs

Siemens will cut jobs at its wind and solar power units as well as in its new Infrastructures and Cities business as part of a drive to cut costs in a weakening economy, a German magazine said. 

The bulk of job cuts at Siemens would likely be in management and administrative functions, Monthly Manager Magazin reported on Wednesday, citing no sources. 

A spokesman for Siemens said an outline of planned savings would be presented to management in early October and would be made public when the industrial conglomerate publishes its annual results on Nov. 8. 

He declined... Read more..

Green village plan a big hit in division, claims Patil

The state rural development ministry's Paryavaran Santulit Samruddhi Gram Yojana (eco-friendly village prosperity scheme) launched two years ago on the occasion of state's golden jubilee celebrations has started showing good results, rural development ministerJayant Patil claimed here on Tuesday. Nagpur division has topped in the scheme with over one crore saplings planted in its six districts, he said.

Besides tree plantation, the green village plan also envisages participation of gram panchayats in a plethora of activity, including tax collection, cleanliness, building toilets to... Read more..

Pacific island countries meet on regional action plan against disasters risk

Pacific island countries are meeting in Noumea, New Caledonia to develop a new Regional Action Plan to integrate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation beyond 2015, according to a release of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Tuesday.

The meeting is being held under the theme of "Disaster Risk Management, Water Security and Climate Change Integrating Our Efforts For A More Resilient Pacific" as the Pacific is one of the most disaster prone regions on earth with frequent floods, droughts and hurricanes, adding further pressure to communities and... Read more..

What is Google Green?

The world has come to a point today where we can perhaps imagine a planet without greenery but cannot imagine the Internet without Google. The search engine giant, however, hasn’t forgotten its responsibility towards nature and has hence chalked out a plan called Google Green” which is Google’s objective of creating a world wide web that is better suited for the environment.

Energy issues have become a major priority for Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page. The carbon neutral company is now aiming at becoming the world’s largest energy efficient company. It has pledged to... Read more..

NSL Renewable to set up wind farm in Maharashtra

NSL Renewable Power, a subsidiary of diversified NSL Group, is setting up a 75-MW wind farm in Maharashtra in two phases.

It has secured a $19-million (about Rs 100 crore) loan from International Finance Corporation for its wind power farm. International Finance Corporation, of the World Bank group, which had also earlier invested in NSL firm, has recently approved the investment to part-fund the wind project, estimated to cost about Rs 500 crore.

The Hyderabad-based diversified group is setting up several wind farms, including a 75-MW wind power project in Chilarwadi village... Read more..

Solar power catching up with conventional energy

If India’s conventional power sector, particularly coal-based thermal power projects, has found itself squarely stuck under the long shadow of governmental inefficiencies and suspect allocation mechanisms, there is a drastically different story unfolding in the country’s solar energy sector.

The rising cost of conventional power, largely driven by increasing raw material exports and the growing cost of establishing greenfield projects, alongside a steady decline in solar power prices — mostly a function of a sharp reduction in the prices of solar photo voltaic (PV) modules —... Read more..

A new solar system beckons

The ‘Solarcon India 2012’ offered appliances for every area of work…green energy for construction, farm operations, home appliances and sustaining critical facilities in the event of grid failures.

Solar rays are penetrating deeper into our lives. Solar energy is making its presence felt in homes, appliances, transport services and the construction sector. Solar lanterns, heaters, street lights and cookers are passé. They were first-generation applications. Now the frontiers have extended beyond heating and lighting.

Innovators are looking at taking the green and... Read more..

Bayer, Nestle Lead Carbon-Cutting Effort as Climate Risk Grows

Bayer AG (BAYN) and Nestle SA (NESN) are leading efforts to measure and cut emissions as companies increasingly view extreme weather events caused by climate change as a threat to their business, the Carbon Disclosure Project said.

About 37 percent of respondents in a survey of the 500 biggest companies reported an immediate danger to their operations from disruptions ranging from floods that shut factories in Thailand to drought that’s decimated crops in the U.S., the London-based non-profit said today in a report. That’s up from 30 percent last year and 10 percent in 2010... Read more..