To register, send a mail to indradhanushya.pune@gmail.com or call Laxmikant Deshpande at 25898447 or 25887009 before 4 June 2009. Seats are limited.

During the training, participants will be oriented about the reasons for climate change, and make smart choices that reduce CO2 contributions through our everyday actions to adapt to climate change. Interactive slide show, case studies presentation and distribution of training kit will be done. After 5th June event, participants are expected to use the acquired knowledge and the training kit to create awareness among their own community; such as eco-clubs in the school, college or neighbourhood.

Programme Venue: Indradhanushya Citizenship and Environment Education Centrre, Opp Sachin Tendulkar Joggers Park, Anant Kanhere Path, Dattawadi, Pune 400 030.

For now, let’s take a quick walkthrough of what’s been happening about the garbage piles and finally its disposal, chronologically, from various online news sources:

• 11th May: Garbage impasse continues… Villagers sceptical of promises
• 13th May: PMC put on notice over garbage
• 13th May: Garbage piles up: 8000 tonnes so far
• 13th May: Tackle issue at ward level: municipal chief
• 14th May: PMC tries to bury garbage secretly on private land
• 14th May: Garbage stir ends on pledge to stop dumping
• 14th May: Now, operation clean-up begins

The Election results have reached the headlines and the since the PMC has pledged to take care of the garbage disposal, since the highly media splashed dose plus a notice from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, we can’t find any further news for now. Will update as something reaches us.

Hoping that Kalmadi brings a change to the city like he did during CYG.

PS: If you’d prefer news snippets along with the links to the full-length articles, drop in a comment. We’ll look into it.

Invitation

Pune-Bremen Citizen’s Forum invites you to the launch of its new website

Internet technology for partnerships between Pune and Bremen/Germany

Pune maintains friendly relations and partnerships with the city of Bremen in Germany for nearly thirty years. A group of committed citizens in both the cities would like to strengthen this partnership by establishing a network between NGO’s from both the cities.

With the generous help of software company Neeti Solutions a website has been created to facilitate exchange of information across borders. NGO’s from both cities can use the website to find partners, coordinate for events and announce their activities. The website also encourages direct people-to-people contact through a billboard, a blog and a photo-gallery.

It is available at:  http://www.punebremen.org

You are cordially invited to witness the launch of this new communication tool. We will establish a link with partners in Bremen to inaugurate the new facility. Celebrated actor and theatre personality Dr. Mohan Agashe will be the guest speaker. Representatives of leading NGO’s from Pune will be present.

Speakers:

• Michael Flucht, Director, Max Mueller Bhavan, Pune
• Dr. Mohan Agashe, Psychiatrist, Theatre Personality, Actor
• Arvind Bondre, Arbutus Children’s Cultural Centre
• Sujit Patwardhan, Pune People’s Transport Forum
• Sanskriti Menon, Centre for Environment Education
• Parag Mankeekar, Neeti Solutions
• And a Guest from Bremen/Germany

Venue: Max Mueller Bhavan, Boat Club Road Wednesday, April 8th, 4 p.m.  (16.00 hrs)

Pringoo.com is e-commerce company which provides people to customize gifts like t-shirts, sweatshirt, mugs, chocolate wrappers, etc. with their own messages and images. With t-shirts, which are obviously worn, they made sure that they use Eco-friendly ink only.

Some green facts of the Eco-solvent ink, that is used for their t-shirt printing:

• Environment friendly
• Has no harmful fumes
• Safe for human health
• Practically Odorless
• Wide Color Gamut and high Optical Density
• Resistance against water and UV
• Outdoor Durability guaranteed for up to 2 years
• Optimized Adhesion and Scratch Resistance with both coated and  non-coated substrates
• High-resolution printing giving exceptional image quality

They are the only company in India using this ink for custom t-shirt printing.

DNA/PUNE/14th Mar. ‘09: The Ghole Road ward office of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has set a fuel-saving example. A bio-gas plant, which runs on the waste collected from hotels and restaurants located on the Fergusson College (FC) and Jungli Maharaj (JM) roads, has been set up on its premises.

The biogas plant is used by the employees of the ward office to make tea that is served to the staff and visitors. Initiated by the ward medical officer Dr Sanjeev Wavare, the biogas plant also helps the staff save money. “We no longer pay for chai. Instead we make it here,” said a ward official.

Wavare said the biogas plant can treat 15 kg of waste everyday. “The staff of the ward office collects the waste (left over food, vegetables) from the hotels and restaurants and then puts it straightaway in the funnel of the plant,” he said. An equal quantity of water is then added to the waste. “The output of 15 kg of waste is around 250 gm of biogas, which is sufficient for a family of five to prepare tea, breakfast and lunch,” said Wavare.

There are around 275 hotels and restaurants located on the FC and JM roads. “These hotels generate around 16 tonnes of waste every day,” he said, adding that the ward office has now been propagating others to set up biogas plants and use this waste to generate gas. “This initiative at the ward office was aimed at treating the waste at source,” he said.

On a daily basis, the ward office collects around 80 to 90 kg of hotel waste and with addition of vermiculture to the waste, manure is produced in eight days.  The design and specification of the biogas plant has been approved by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. “This is a small plant and the cost is just around Rs15,000,” he said.

After this successful venture, the ward office has also suggested the idea to city colleges. According to Wavare, the Shri Shivaji Preparatory Military School (SSPMS) has already set up a biogas plant with the help of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The cost of the one tonne capacity biogas plant is between Rs9 to Rs10 lakh, he said.

Similarly, the Symbiosis Institute on Senapati Bapat Road and Symbiosis Institute of Management at Vimannagar have set up biogas plants of one tonne each. The Dina Institute in Model Colony has set up a 50 kg biogas plant. “These institutes have large campuses and along with canteen/hotel wastes, they also generate biodegradable waste such as leaves and other waste material. This can produce quality manure,” he said.

A bio-gas plant of one tonne capacity can produce gas equivalent to nearly five domestic cylinders in a day. According to Wavare, there are around 37 biogas plants in the city.

TOI/PUNE/12th Mar. ’09: For 37-year-old Leena Karia, organic food is an indispensable part of her daily diet. She has been on organic foods for the past five years and thinks there’s a definite difference between organic and inorganic vegetables. “Vegetables definitely taste and feel more fresh,” she says. “However, you can’t really tell the difference in other stuff, including foodgrains, pulses and spices. I buy organic because I know it is good for my family,” she explains.

With many stores in the city now opting to stock only healthy and organic food, there’s much more choice in terms of both food and drink for the customer. What’s on offer include foodgrains like brown rice, pulses like rajma, sunflower seeds, alfalafa seeds, palm jaggery, tofu, pumpkin seeds, soya snacks, organic spices like aniseed, asafoetida, black pepper, cardamom and drinks like soya milk, amla juice, karela (bitter gourd) juice, aloe vera juice and triphala (three fruits) juice.

Neeta Baqaya opened her health and organic food store in Koregaon Park in 1999, but it’s only now that people are becoming aware of organic food, she says. “While we do have many foreigners among our customers, we have an equally large number of Indian customers who have decided to opt for a healthier way of eating,” she says. Some of her customers, she adds, are as young as 12 years old! “These young kids opt for low-fat snacks which are baked, aloe vera juice is also a big seller as are the different types of ayurvedic medicinal herbs like ashwagandha’ which are beneficial to health and help you deal with ailments.”

Rakeshh Chandra started his health and organic food store in November 2007. He says he too has noticed a change in peoples’ attitude. At first people were unaware about organic food he says, but today his regular customers try everything from organic flour to juices. “Aloe vera juice is a good detoxifier. It is also good for arthritis and joint pains depending on the quantity consumed. How many people know this?” he asks.

Not many people know the difference between organic food and natural food either, says Chandra. “Organic food has been grown without the use of any chemicals whatsoever, but the same cannot be said about natural food. Natural food is something that is not processed and also does not have preservatives, but on the other hand chemicals can or must have been used on the plant,” he explains.

Nutritional therapist Vijaya Sathe has been actively promoting organic food in the city for quite a while now. People deserve to know about it so that they can adopt a healthy way of eating, she says. “Organic food is balanced with all forms of nutrients, including proteins and minerals and that is thanks to the healthy way it is grown. Also, it is much more tasty since it does not have chemicals or pesticides. People are definitely more aware now and we keep conducting exhibitions and lectures on organic food to increase this awareness,” she says.

Sheetal Rajhans (35) makes it a point to buy organic foodgrains and pulses knowing that it is the only way her kids, who otherwise love junk food, will have something healthy and chemical-free. “We eat out once in while so that makes up our junk food quota! I do, however, make sure that my kids have organic food most of the time. No karela or amla juice for us but brown rice and tofu is a favourite,” she says.

Owner of an organic vegetable and fruit store in Koregaon Park, Eknath Karale, is part of a group of farmers that are involved in organic farming. “We started off in April last year and since then our customer base has increased steadily. We stock up on about 15 vegetables and six types of fruits of which okra, cauliflower, banana and sweetlime are amongst the most popular. People are definitely more aware of the advantages of organically grown vegetables and fruits than ever before,” Karale explains.

Aditya Marathe, resident of Kondhwa, did a blog post on pollution levels in his area and took comparison shots at different times of the year.

Here are two photographs, of the same part of the city that is very close to where I stay. One of the pics is taken in August, in the middle of monsoon. The other pic is taken in March, in the middle of spring.

This is suspended particulate matter, or simply smoke! That comes out of the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that ply all day on the streets of Pune. Especially those who use bad fuel, or have not got their catalytic converters corrected, or those that have a fake PUC certificate! Would you send your kid outside in this atmosphere? How many years will your kid survive healthy before his lungs fall prey to the blackness your car has emitted?

Here are just a few tips for the citizens and the corporation to make this place a better place to live… not just for you but for your child, and your child’s child…

• Rectify the catalytic converters in your vehicle, especially old vehicles.
• If your vehicle emits black or grey smoke, treat it as an alarm with utmost priority.
• Plant trees. Have plants in your home and society.
• Avoid the use of vehicles whenever possible.
• Avoid driving a car if the only person in the car is you.
• Start car pooling.

The post continues still further. You can read it at his blog.

Renewtech India 2009

3-5 March 09

Auto Cluster Exhibition Centre,

Chinchwad, Pune

Timings: 10am – 6pm

The Exhibition:

Renewtech India 2009 is the premium annual event in the world of Renewable energy and emerging technologies. With a booming economy, the Indian market represents a huge opportunity waiting to be grabbed. Renewtech India 2009 is the perfect venue to showcase your products & technology solutions, build brand awareness, and network with the Indian Renewable Energy industry players to build long term relationships.

This event will be the most important event to attend in India, the event will grow beyond the dimensions of an exhibition aimed at bringing industry and business professionals on a common platform to a global event that not only attracts the who’s who of the industry but also defines as to what the future will be.

Renewtech India 2009 is supported by key industry players and leading industry associations. The total renewable energy show, its powerful visitor profile will consist of decision makers and high ranking officials from across the region.

[source: http://renewtechindia.com]

The aim behind the project was to demonstrate to citizens that garbage segregation can reap rich benefits. Besides, the ward office employees now have a garden where they can spend a few moments during their hectic day. The rooftop garden was inaugurated by MLA Girish Bapat on Thursday, who lauded the initiative and said that similar projects should be taken up at all ward offices. 

Ward officer Madhav Jagtap said the wet waste collected from some 100 households in the ward was used in the garden. “Wet waste was used as manure for the potted plants. Besides flowering and medicinal plants, we have also grown vegetables like pumpkin and bitter gourd,” Jagtap said. 

He added that the terrace garden will now be opened to the public to show them that they can grow their own plants using the wet waste generated at their homes. 

“We are planning to have 20-minute tours for citizens. They will be taken around the terrace garden and explained how it has been grown. We have put up informative boards about the medicinal plants,” Jagtap stated. “Ultimately, we want all the wet waste generated in the ward to be used within it for productive purposes such as this,” he added.

[source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Pune/Ward-office-uses-wet-waste-to-develop-garden/articleshow/4197852.cms]

School children have done it though. Following is a press coverage from The Times of India, Pune edition.

TOI/PUNE/19th Feb ‘09: In a bid to spread environmental awareness among students and citizens, 20 schools in Pimpri-Chinchwad will soon be engaged in environment monitoring. The schools will also monitor and make observations about weather on a regular basis.

The decision to involve schools in environmental awareness comes after resolutions were taken at the science congress which was organised last week by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Khagol Vishwa (an organisation for amateur astronomers) the Rotary Club and SNBP school. The theme of the event was ideal city environment’, and the organisers decided to undertake activities which would help create awareness about environment protection and weather changes.

According to Mayuresh Prabhune of Khagol Vishwa, the schools will monitor pollution of the Pavana river and undertake activities to stop pollution with the help of the municipal corporation and other social groups.

In order to monitor environmental pollution, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has two monitoring stations, one in Pimpri-Chinchwad’s industrial area and the second in the residential area. Prabhune said that the MPCB would be requested to start more such centres.

The schools will also monitor weather conditions with the help of the India Meteorological Society. At present, the municipal corporation itself monitors the maximum and minimum temperatures and the rainfall. There is also a plan to form a science club which will undertake various activities. Information about the environment and the weather conditions will be collected and analysed, Prabhune said.

The science congress received an overwhelming response from students and citizens alike. Exhibitions, and lectures by eminent experts were organised during the four-day event.

[source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Pune/20-schools-to-take-up-environment-monitoring/articleshow/4152222.cms]

Trees on Varsity Campus Saved from Axe:

On another note, for the campus makeover of University of Pune, the road widening planhas been withdrawn to save trees being axed.

Read the complete coverage here.