Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Over 3500 tonnes plastic waste generated daily

pOver 3500 tonnes of plastic waste is generated every day in 60 major cities Lok Sabha was informedp

pEnvironment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that as per available information consumption of plastic was 11 million tons in 201314 ldquoThe total quantum of plastic waste generated from 60 major cities is estimated to be 3501 tonnes per day Delhi Chennai Kolkata Mumbai Bengaluru Ahmedabad and Hyderabad are generating maximum quantity of plastic wasterdquo he said during question hourp

pJavadekar said the environmental impact of plastic waste has been examined by various... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: BusinessLine

Choice for organic food catching up

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pHealthy unadulterated food is not just a privilege of the rich With growing awareness among people about the significant impact of food on health more and more people are seeking to find out where the food comes from and how it is grown This has given rise to a new market of organic food productsp

pAccording to a recent report published by Confederation of Indian Industry CII the organic food market in India is expanding at a staggering rate of 400 per cent... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Hindu

Lone biomedical waste plant shut down too

pThe only solid waste management plant in Bareilly was shut last year after it was found flouting pollution control norms Now another plant where biomedical waste and effluents were disposed has also been closed Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board UPPCB said this plant too was functioning in violation of pollution control normsp

pEnvironmental engineer Uttam Verma of the Bareilly Municipal Corporation said quotThe state pollution control board closed the plant that dealt with biomedical sewage and effluents at Sarai Tulfi as it was found working in violation of pollution norms The... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Times of India

India closer to nod for 100 biofuel

pSetting the stage for manufacturing of vehicle engines that can ply on 100 biodiesel soon the road transport ministry on Friday came out with draft notification for mass emission standards for such vehicles These will be known as quotB100quot vehicles like that of BSIII or BSIVp

pBiodiesel is both renewable and less polluting in comparison to diesel B100 vehicles have been plying in Brazil and cities such as California and Berkeley in United States The move aims at reducing dependence on import of crude oil and also to help reduce vehicular pollution Nearly 80 of diesel is used... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Economic Times

EPEAT Celebrates First Anniversary of Launch in India

pToday the Green Electronics Council and the Confederation of Indian Industryrsquos Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development celebrate the oneyear anniversary of their collaborative launch of EPEAT the definitive global rating system for greener electronics in Indiap

pNearly 3 million 2962734 EPEATregistered electronic products were purchased from Indiabased manufacturers between July and January 20141 These productsrsquo environmentally sensitive design energy efficient functioning and responsible management support at endoflife will result in significant environmental... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: Sustainability Outlook

World glaciers melting faster than ever

pThe intense ice loss of the past two decades has resulted in a strong imbalance of glaciers in many regions of the world says an alarming study indicating that glaciers will suffer further ice loss even if the climate remains stablep

pquotThe observed glaciers currently lose between half a metre and one metre of its ice thickness every year This is two to three times more than the corresponding average of the 20th centuryquot explained Michael Zemp director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service at University of Zurich Switzerland and lead author of the studyp

pExact... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Economic Times

Facebook Gearing Up For Testing Of Huge SolarPowered Drone

pImagine a solarpowered drone with a wingspan as great as that of a 737 that can stay aloft for 90 days at a time all the while working to bring internet to remote areas throughout the world Sounds pretty incredible right Well Facebook is now on the verge of testing just such a creation as part of its effort to bring the internet to the underserved ldquothird worldrdquop

pWhile the goal is for the drone to handle 90 days in the air at a time itrsquos not currently expected that that goal will be achieved until later this year or next according to those with the companyp

pThe... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: Clean Technica

Bioon Cristal Union to produce PHA from sugar beet coprodcuts

pAn agreement recently signed by Bioon and Cristal Union will see Francersquos first facility for the production of PHAs bioplastic from sugar beet coproducts The two companies operating in sustainable biochemistry and sugar alcohol and bioethanol production will work together to build a production site with a 5000 tons per year output expandable to 10000 tons per yearp

pRequiring a euro70 million 7667 million investment the facility will be located at a Cristal Union site and will be the most advanced biopolymers production site in the world The new factory will create 50 new jobs... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: Biomass Magazine

First aqueous solar flow battery designed

pResearchers have designed the first aqueous flow battery with solar capability that can achieve a 20 per cent energy savings over traditional batteriesp

pResearchers at The Ohio State University had developed the worldrsquos first solar air battery last fallp

pIn a new study the researchers have reported that their patentmdashpending design mdash which combines a solar cell and a battery into a single device mdash now achieves a 20 per cent energy savings over traditional lithiummdashiodine batteriesp

pThe 20 per cent comes from sunlight which is captured by a unique... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: BusinessLine

HSBC India plans to launch green bonds this year

pHSBC India is planning to launch lsquogreen bondsrsquo this year to enable fund raising for investments in projects with environmental benefits the private sector bankrsquos Chairman Naina Lal Kidwai said todayp

pldquoHSBC is the worldrsquos fourth largest issuer of green bonds We are big player We are working to get this in Indiap

pWe are working with key authorities on this issue Most probably we will launch this yearrdquo Kidwai told reporters on the sidelines of a FICCI eventp

pShe did not divulge the size of green bonds saying that the discussions on the new... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: BusinessLine

Power firms worried over notification on emission norms for thermal coal plants

pA draft notification issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forest MoEF in midMay asking all thermal coal power plants to drastically reduce their emissions has put power companies in a spotp

pThe companies are worried that they would have to pump in significant investments to fully comply with the proposed rules at a time when most of them are already dealing with stressed balance sheetsp

pThe power companies with whom BusinessLine spoke to said that the emission norms will require them to install expensive equipments such as Electrostatic Precipitators ESP and Flue Gas... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: BusinessLine

Kochi Corporation is Keralas choice for Smart City

pThe State government has nominated Kochi City Corporation as its choice from among the five municipal corporations for the 100 Smart Cities programme of the Union Ministry for Urban Development The decision to nominate Kochi was conveyed to the ministry on July 30 Jiji Thompson State Chief Secretary told emThe Hinduem p

pThe Kochi Corporation beat the State capital Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur in the City Challenge round as prescribed by the ministryp

pThe city selection was made through an independent and transparent process An external consultant was roped in to assess... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Hindu

Developed cities edge out towns in the smart city race Maharashtra

pDeveloped cities in Maharashtra have edged out emerging towns in the race for bagging central funds for infrastructurep

pMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the state legislature on Friday that ten cities from the state were being nominated for the Centrersquos Smart Cities initiative and would compete with entries from other states to bag lsquoSmart Cityrsquo projects meant to improve urban infrastructurep

pThe 10 shortlisted cities included Mumbai Navi Mumbai Thane KalyanDombivali in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Pune PimpriChinchwad Solapur in Western... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Indian Express

25paisa rebate per unit power in Haryana from solar panels

pThe Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission HERC has announced a 25paisa rebate on every unit of electricity generated through rooftop solar power plants It also brought clarity to the net metering facility for consumers installing rooftop solar power plants by making amendments to the relevant regulationsp

pDespite having announced the state39s solar policy in September 2014 where it was made mandatory that all buildings in the state with a plot size of 500 square yards or higher should install solar power plants the lack of clarity on guidelines on gridconnectivity and net... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Times of India

IITBombay team ready with a natural system to treat Powai lake water

pIn the next six months researchers at the Indian Institute of TechnologyBombay IITB are looking at treating water from Powai lake through their natural ldquoconstructed wetlandrdquo treatment systemp

pThe constructed wetlands use the natural processes of exchange between the root soil and surrounding microbes to treat organic and inorganic pollutants present in sewage in a controlled environmentp

pThrough this technology Canna a flowering plant sourced from a roadside marshy pool in Panvel has been able to reduce the biological oxygen demand BOD from IITBrsquos raw sewage by... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Indian Express

Compulsory BIS registration will push up LED bulb sales

pThe drive for MadeinIndia LED Light Emitting Diode bulbs and luminaries is all set to witness a rapid growth with the compulsory registration of electronics products coming to force from August 13 said Philips Lighting Solutions South Asia CEO Harsh Chitalep

pldquoCurrently the Indian lighting market is served by hundreds of firms of which pure players are about a dozen Rest are all traders and are either outsourcing or importing LED bulbs With the implementation of BIS substandard and noncertified LED bulbs will make way for the ones designed and produced in Indiardquo he saidp... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Hindu

NDMC to levy environmental compensation fee

pFollowing the directives of National Green Tribunal the New Delhi Municipal Council NDMC has decided to levy environmental compensation fees in areas under its jurisdiction with effect from July 1p

pNGT had in May this year directed Delhi govt Delhi Jal Board and all Municipal Corporations Cantonment Board electricity companies like BSES and all other civic authorities to levy environmental compensation fee from every household which is generating sewage in the national capitalp

pquotIn view of the directions of NGT it has now been decided that the minimum sewerage charge to... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Economic Times

States to Be Penalised For Delay in Transferring AMRUT Funds

pIndian States and Union Territories will be penalised for any delay in transfer of funds to urban local bodies ULBs under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation AMRUT Rajya Sabha was informed todayp

pStates and UTs shall release the central assistance along with the StateUT share to the ULBs within seven working days of the release of central share failing which penal interest will be levied Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo said in a written replyp

pHe said this provision was made in the Mission Guidelines to avoid delays in the... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: NDTV

NGT ban Manalis loss is LahaulSpitis gain

pAt a time when Rohtang Pass situated at an altitude of 13050 feet above sea level has gone out of bounds for a majority of tourists following restrictions imposed by National Green Tribunal NGT tribal district of Lahaul amp Spiti located on the other side of pass is gearing up to welcome the rush of tourists from the next seasonp

pHotels home stays guest houses and restaurants are coming up in the tribal district that has lot to offer in the form of monasteries lakes glaciers and hidden valleys Besides it has unique customs and traditions which have been explored so farp

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Times of India

Indian US Students to Hack Space for Environmental Sustainability

pSixteen students from India and the US will brainstorm to come up with innovations on tapping space technology for environmental sustainability it was announced here on Thursdayp

pTermed quotHacking Space A Student Partnership To Sustain Life on Earthquot the project is a collaborative effort between Science City Kolkata a unit of National Council of Science Museums and Chabot Space and Science Centre USp

pBeginning in September this year it will go on till August 2016 said National Council of Science Museums director general GS Rautelap

pquotEight students between 15... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: NDTV Gadgets

Carbon sink detected underneath worlds deserts

pThe world39s deserts may be storing some of the climatechanging carbon dioxide emitted by human activities according to a new study which found that massive aquifers underneath deserts could hold more carbon than all the plants on land The study estimates that the world39s desert aquifers contain roughly 1 trillion metric tonnes of carbon about a quarter more than the amount stored in living plants on landp

pHumans add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere through fossil fuel combustion and deforestation About 40 per cent of this carbon stays in the atmosphere and roughly 30 per cent... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: DNA

Indian American develops technology for water purification

pAn IndianAmerican has developed a selfassembling synthetic membrane that can aid in better water purification drug delivery and DNA recognition by transporting a billion water molecules per channel per secondp

pThe biomimetic membrane has been developed by Manish Kumar assistant professor of chemical engineering in Penn Statep

pThe membrane is composed of lipids fat molecules and proteinappended molecules that form water channels that transfer water at the rate of natural membranes and selfassembles into 2dimensional structures with parallel channelsp

pldquoNature... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: BusinessLine

Real estate startup launches solarpowered apartments

pA real estate startup Supra Builders has come out with its maiden venture of eight apartments in the IT hub of Hyderabad powered up by solar photovoltaic lighting and heating systemp

pThe venture with apartments of about 1200 sq ft on a 400 sq yard plot is fully powered by solar photovoltaic system reducing the dependence of the flat owners on the grid supply and slashing down the power bill to about 300 per monthp

pThe startup established by an IT professional has taken up another project on a 900 sq yard space and plans to innovate to make a difference builder Chaitanya... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: BusinessLine

Vadodara lawyer turns to energy conservation

pAmid the growing popularity of initiatives to conserve energy a lawyer from the city has taken to energy and water conservation in a unique way Hitesh Patel along with youths from Shanpur village of Padra taluka have invented an 39Automated Waterworks System39 to save electricity used in pumps on borewellsp

pquotThe idea stemmed from the reckless attitude of people towards electricity and water We wanted to make optimal use of available resources The mechanism was invented with the support of villagersquot said Hitesh who is also a member of Shanpur panchayatp

pThere are two... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: The Times of India

Bosch builds largescale solar thermal plant in India

pBosch is not new on the Indian market The company has also already installed several largescale plants on the subcontinent However this is the first time a system has been installed on a hotel For some time now 100 collectors with a total thermal output of 150 kW have been producing more than half of the domestic hot water needs at the Novotel Bengaluru Techpark in the southern Indian city of Bangalorep

pstrongInstallation without restrictionsstrongp

pA good third of the hotel roof is covered by the solar thermal system In order to optimise solar yield not only are the... Read more..

Date : Aug 22

Source: Sun Wind Energy Magazine