Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Group firms target 20-50% emission reduction by 2050

 Ratan Tata-led Tata group companies are targetting a 20-50% emission reduction in 10-30 years. The group, which began carbon footprint measurement of group companies in 2008, will bring all its 76 companies under the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, an emission calculating methodology, this year.

Tata Steel, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals and Tata Motors - which together account for 80% of the carbon emission of the group - have set different emission reduction targets.

Tata Steel has taken up ultra-low CO2 steelmaking project (ULCOS), through which it... Read more..

Overall impact of climate change would be negative: Swaminathan

  Climate change will adversely affect the impact of pests, diseases and weeds. In addition the quality of grains and nutrient-use ability may be seriously affected. While some crops may benefit from the increase in carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere, overall impact will be negative. The views were expressed by father of India's green revolution Prof MS Swaminathan on Sunday. 

Swaminathan was inaugurating the symposium on climate change and geo-hydrology at Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany (BSIP). Speaking on the occasion, he said, "Development has to be sustainable. The... Read more..

Thriving used-products market to hit e-waste recycling plan

 A thriving second-hand market will restrict implementation of compulsory recycling of old televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air-conditioners, computers and mobile phones from May next year, say manufacturers.

Home appliances and electronics makers such as LG, Panasonic and Lenovo say that they may have to increase product prices by 5-10% because the environment ministry has made manufacturers accountable for implementing the policy, which will put Indian on par with developed countries.

"In a margin competitive industry like ours, it can hurt profitability if we... Read more..

Commercial buildings: Use natural resources to reduce energy need, say experts

 Taking a dig at the designs of upcoming big commercial buildings in Punjab, including malls, and prevailing architectural practices, a leading Malaysian architect, who has handled several big projects in various countries, and other prominent Indian architects on Friday said that these were a far cry from sustainable architecture and that most are power guzzlers.

Speaking at an international conference on `Rapid advances in sustainable architecture,` Lillian Tay said she had noticed that several big projects coming up in Punjab had not been designed to make them... Read more..

Travel pan-India with mobility card

 It's time to bid goodbye to heavy purses and all that stuff that you carry when you travel in public transport. All thanks to the Common Mobility Card-a prepaid smart card that will allow denizens to travel in public transport- bus, auto-rickshaw, taxi and even book railway tickets pan India.

The card, an initiative of Central Government's Department of Urban Transport aims to simplify transportation on the lines of cities like London's Octopus, Singapore or more like Holland, the only country to implement Integrated Ticketing System.

The plan, to implement the service, was... Read more..

Emerging powers call for extending climate deal

  Brazil, South Africa, India and China said Saturday that November's UN climate talks should aim to extend the Kyoto Protocol, the only binding global deal to cut greenhouse gases.

The four key emerging powers -- seen as critical to the success of any future effort to combat climate change -- said keeping Kyoto alive should be the "central priority" at the key UN summit in South Africa.

The bloc released the statement after two days of talks in southeast Brazil to prepare for the next UN climate conference scheduled to take place in Durban from November 28 to December 9.... Read more..

Indian oil gifts coconut saplings to green Tirupur

  One of India's top ranking oil companies has decided to do its bit towards making Tirupur green. The Indian Oil Corporation Limited will award a coconut seedling to the winner of an environmental quiz held every day among consumers who visit their outlets across the district. It will give solar lanterns and coconut seedlings to winners of a similar fortnightly contest.

"This is an eco-friendly move by the company. We are giving away coconut seedlings as people are sure to plant them. If we give a tree like Caucasia, people may not plant them. Also, the solar lanterns are extremely... Read more..

Modi calls for eco balance

 Green buildings are the need of the hour. Today, when natural resources are depleting at an uncontrollable rate and the process of global warming is causing serious imbalance in the environment, we need to think deeply about checking the imbalance, said deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi here on Friday.

He was speaking at the two-day 'eastern zone conference-2011' organized by the Indian Institute of Architects, Bihar and Jharkhand, on the theme 'Green architecture'.

The deputy CM said, "In the last few years, Bihar has undergone huge climatic change. The whole climate cycle of the... Read more..

NITIE Organizes EnVision for a Green Tomorrow

NITIE (National Institute of Industrial Engineering), Mumbai, organized ‘EnVision 2011’, a Carbon Neutral Event, on Friday, 26th August 2011. The flagship event of PGDISEM (Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Safety and Environment Management) programme at NITIE lived up to its core value – “Environmental Vision for the managers of tomorrow”.
The Inauguration ceremony was graced by the Director of NITIE- Dr. Amitabha De, the Convener of EnVision & Associate Dean of Placements- Prof. A. K. Pundir, the Dean of Academics- Dr. B. M. Ghodeswar and the Group Co-ordinator of ISEM- Prof... Read more..

Nandha first village to get solar plant

Nandha in Bhiwani district has became the first village in Haryana to have a solar power plant. 

Chief Minister B S Hooda inaugurated the plant having a capacity to generate one MW of power.Speaking on the occasion, Hooda said nine solar power plants would be set up in the state to give impetus to the sector. 

The Centre has a plan to generate 20,000 MW of power from solar power plants by 2022 in the country and today Haryana has made a beginning in this direction, he said.

Soon, old newspapers to fuel automobiles

Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, say that they have discovered bacteria that can use old newspapers to produce butanol, a biofuel that can serve as a substitute for gasoline.

 
The novel bacterial strain, dubbed “TU-103,” is the first bacterial strain from nature that produces butanol directly from cellulose, an organic compound.

“Cellulose is found in all green plants, and is the most abundant organic material on earth, and converting it into butanol is the dream of many,” said Harshad Velankar, a postdoctoral fellow in David Mullin''s lab in... Read more..

Biomass power producers form pan-India body

 Biomass based power producers from across the country have come together to form a pan-India body Biomass Developers Association with the objective of working together to harness the country’s estimated potential of about 19,000 mw and to address some of the challenges faced in implementing the projects.

“From State-based associations of biomass producers, we are expanding this to form a pan-India body. Though there have been larger guidelines of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission with regard to biomass, the issues are largely State related,” Mr. P. Krishna Kumar,... Read more..