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CALL FOR PAPERS: Workshop on environmental and social risks in project financing

Posted by Digvijay Singh Bisht on October 28, 2015 at 3:20am

The financial institutions have an important role to play when it comes to reducing environmental and social risk associated with a project. Their role becomes significantly important considering severe capacity gap with different institution entrusted with the job. Therefore, it is imperative for the financial institutions to conduct a proper due diligence of a project before financing them. This will not only save them from reputational risk but also from financial risk. Considering the role financial institutional can play in ensuring environmental compliance and social acceptance of a project, Centre for Science and Environment is organizing a two days workshop on“Environmental and Social Risk in Project Financing” that will address the issue of proper environmental and social risk assessment during financial due diligence and why it is important for the financial institutions. The workshop will be held at Mumbai in December 2015. The objective of the workshop is to understand the importance of duediligence process, how it is being implemented by financial institution in the country and the ways by which this process can be made more effective and much better.

Centre for Science and Environment would like to invite candidates to submit a paper for the above mentioned workshop. This workshop will act as a platform for researchers and practitioners to present new research and developments in the area of environmental and social risk issues, and how the financial institutions can help minimize these risks and effectively cut down their losses and NPAs.

Kindly indicate your intention to submit your full paper to the email address given below with the title of the paper, authors, and abstract. The full manuscript, as a PDF file, should be emailed to this address on or before the given deadline. Authoring guidelines/specific format shall be mailed to you after the review panel receives your letter of intent.

The selected authors will be invited to present their paper(s) at the workshop. CSE would be providing travel and stay expenses for the selected speakers, and give them honorarium for their paper and presentations.

IMPORTANT DATES

Intent to Submit: November 6th, 2015

Full Version: November 13th, 2015

Decision Date: November 20th, 2015

Final Version: November 27th, 2015

Contact E-mail :
sujit@cseindia.org 
digvijay@cseindia.org

For information contact:

Digvijay Singh, Sr. Research Associate,
Industry and Environment Unit
Centre for Science and Environment
Tel: + 91-11-29955124+ 91-11-29955124/ 6110, Extension: 204
Fax: + 91-11-29955879
Mob. No.: +91 9891921959+91 9891921959, +91 9899676027+91 9899676027
E-mail: digvijay@cseindia.org

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What is a Sustainable Hospital

Posted by AMIT GANGULY on October 9, 2012 at 4:21am
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Image - Sustainable Healthcare
 
Why Green/Sustainable Hospitals ?
> The American Hospitals Association has estimated that approximately Six thousand Six hundred tonnes of waste is generated by hospitals per day.
> Hospitals generate hazardous and non-hazardous waste, air emissions, and waste-water
that contribute to air, water, and soil pollution.
> Hospitals are Energy Intensive buildings and single largest users of Chemicals.
 
Thus, by implementing an Green/Sustainable management systems, healthcare facilities can prevent pollution, and analyze and potentially address the Ecological impacts of their  services.
 
What are the Factors that contribute to the Environmental Impact of a Hospital ?
When comparing Ecological footprints of different hospitals the following factors come into picture - 
> Size of the Hospital,Number of Beds,Age of the Establishment;
> Types of Medical treatment provided;
> Types of Research and Teaching conducted;
> Third party vendors,Outsourcing of Services
> Level of Infrastructure development for the local community
 
In general, large hospitals consume more resources and produce more emissions than small
ones. However, as hospitals add beds their per-bed water and energy demands  also
increases.

 
What are the Key areas for Potential Improvements ?
> Hazardous Substances 
Some Hazardous substances of potential risk are - heavy metal based compound containing Silver,lead,copper and cadmium ; reactive and explosive substances such as Azides and Peroxide compounds such as Perchloric acids; Anesthesia Gases and Formaldehyde.  
For Receiving, Handling, Storing and Disposal written procedures must be present.Staff should be trained on how to safely use potentially hazardous substances. Moreover, highly Hazardous Substances such as Benzene,Mercury etc,can often be replaced with less Hazardous substances such as Toulene or Xylene.
 
> Waste Management 
The prime criteria for Waste management should be Avoidance ->Re-Use ->Recycling -> Proper Disposal, in the same order. For example, establishing a Surplus Usage program between Hospitals or Different Business facilities can help in Usage of Surplus Chemicals between the organizations. Moreover Wastes such as Paper,Card boards,Scrap Metals,Electronic Scraps,textiles,Office left overs can be Recycled and Re-used. Recyclable materials should be collected in areas where they accumulate and then delivered to central storage areas to be prepared for transportation. 
 
> Energy Management
As Hospitals use most of the Energy Guzzling equipment's such as Air Conditioners,lot of energy is wasted. The air-conditioning services and indoor lighting account for about 60 per cent and 20 per cent respectively of total electricity consumption. The Energy Management team should - Audit Energy Usage;Identify Areas and Equipment's consuming Maximum Energy;Development Energy Management plan and Implement it.

Combined heat and power systems can reduce energy use by simultaneously generating electricity (and/or mechanical energy) and thermal energy. They recover waste heat and reduce energy use. Energy Efficient lighting methodology can be used such as replacing g incandescent (bulbs) with fluorescent lamps;Solar panels can greatly reduce the amount of fossil fuel used.

> Emission Management

Emissions caused by Sterilizers such as Ethylene Oxide gas should be minimized.Sterilization using ethylene oxide gas, and formaldehyde gas is environmentally hazardous, and a health risk for employees. 
Emissions caused by Anesthetic Gases such as Nitrous Oxide, Haloethane reacts in the stratosphere with atomic oxygen to form NOx which, in turn, breaks down Ozone. Emissions levels by usage of such compounds should be regularly checked so as to prevent Non -Controlled Emissions such as through leakages etc.
Emissions caused by Incinerators include Dioxins, toxic ash residue  that affect the local environment. Such facilities should be built with inbuilt treatment plants so as to control the emission discharge.
 
What are the Key Features of Environmental Management System for Health Care Facilities ?

A healthcare facility should commit to improving its environmental performance by encouraging all employees to actively strive to reduce pollution, improve performance and cut costs.

Using an EMS a Health care Facility can - 
> Identify and Reduce Emission problems,
> Reduce energy, water and waste disposal costs,
> Control the Handling of Hazardous Substances,
> Comply with the Applicable regulations and law,
> Reduce operating costs
> Conduct Environmental Friendly Purchase and Procurement
 
Conclusion
Thus, to become a Green Health Care facility involves many aspects such as Green Building design, Energy Efficiency Plan,Hazardous Substance and Waste Management. LEEDS provide internationally recognized certification system for Green Facilities. Hospitals should strive for such established platforms through different levels of certifications - Platinum,Silver and Gold. It is administered that instead of Opting for Cost Intensive Green Features, Hospitals opt start off with Smaller initiatives that show immediate results and then build on their success.
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Green Business Analytics

Posted by AMIT GANGULY on October 9, 2012 at 4:18am

stock-photo-green-business-intelligence-for-decision-making-as-art-76534975.jpg

Image - Green Business Intelligence 
 
Amid the current climate of increased demand by the market for corporate responsibility and accountability,companies are seeking innovative ways to enhance their Sustainability image. To achieve long term success in all the core areas of the triple bottom line namely People, Planet and Profit, companies are motivated to satisfy the requirements of both society and stakeholders alike;and to realize the previous untapped methods and markets. As the field of Business Analytics is evolving,it is helping companies plan and manage their Sustainability initiatives by creating a clear understanding of the existing Business environment and the Sustainability drivers that affect the organization.
 
Based on research by SAS on how C-level executives view their Sustainability strategy shaping up the future, one executive encapsulates the idea that " Keeping my organization successful for the long term in an environmentally responsible manner". Doing so requires integrating and analyzing data from various Sustainability and Business related drivers.Information from such analysis has to be used to achieve the goals and challenge the existing organizational structure to achieve higher Sustainability index. Through intelligent monitoring tools such as a Smart Energy meter, companies have access to vast amounts of data.By using Business Analytics to interpret such information's companies can capitalize on their wealth of data to make efficient and accurate decisions.
 
Requirements of Green Business Intelligence
Framework

--> The management of Sustainability performance requires a Fact Based Decision making Framework. This will enable organizations to measure,manage and report on the Triple Bottom line and determine Business strategies that reduce risks and increase the profit value. Adopting such a framework enables organizations to gain competitive advantages in Financial management planning,Sustainable Business growth and High impact risk management.
 
--> An important feature of such a framework should be to use Predictive Analysis. This feature can be used to protect the environment by examining the data in greater detail thereby helping in mitigating the risks. For example, Yorkshire Water has effectively used predictive analytics to identify areas at risk of flooding in the UK, and improved the detection of blockages that could lead to flooding by 25-30%. The increased knowledge and insight allowed them to meet regulatory targets and also predict and avoid damage to the environment.

Data Analytics 
--> Understanding and embracing a Fact based decision making System has a prerequisite - the data should be  quantifiable, measurable and actionable. To support such a goal the Sustainability Business Analytics require three things, as mentioned by Software Advice in its article on Data collection and Business Intelligence.
1. Automated Data Collection - Danone, a Multinational Food corporation used its ERP data to determine the product footprint so as to evaluate its impact on the environment.The result was that the Analytics and the Management teams were able to benchmark the sustainability of its products within its portfolio in its specific location. Thus, Automate data collection provides direction to the development of Business strategy for performing the BI assessment.

2. Efficient implementation of BI tools - Business decisions have to be taken by analyzing the data across multiple Business and Sustainability dimensions. Under such circumstances BI tools become imperative. Visualization and 'Data Storytelling' become important to weed out unnecessary data. 

3. Accountable Sustainability Teams - World wide mandates to reduce GHG emissions  are compelling companies to look for new approaches to Sustainability management.To reduce the Environmental impact of these Businesses, different Business processes have to be streamlines to improve efficiency,enhance quality and add activities that are more environmental friendly. This means that the Sustainability teams have to be data-centric and Green BI proponents. Thus, the more accountable the CSR teams will be the more accountable the businesses and the marketplace will be,where conversation and efficiency can be more easily achieved.

System Analytics
--> Data mining capabilities should include metric analytics and forecasting. Out of the many Sustainability drivers and key variables the System should be able to identify key parameters that have the greatest impact on goal attainment. 

--> Include Strategy Scorecards and Maps to manage and forecast the finances and resources needed to achieve the desired outcomes across the enterprise. Using such Systems Sustainability teams should be able to prioritize organizational strategies, align investments with product strategies and talent development activities.

Conclusion  
Increasingly Businesses are facing responsiveness towards Social, Economic and Environmental changes around them throughout the world. Corporate leaders across industries are striving to transform their organizations to Fully formed Sustainable organization. Green Business Analytics enables such organization to measure,manage and report its Sustainability performance indicators,calculate its carbon footprint and evaluate alternative scenarios to take actions that have greatest impact in achieving its objective. Thus Green BI increases the organizations competitiveness. Hence, Green BI can deliver cost effective results so that all stakeholders can proudly embrace its solutions.
 
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3 Innovative Green Business Models

Posted by AMIT GANGULY on September 12, 2012 at 7:29am
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Green Business models support the development of Products and Services with Environmental benefits.Green business growth models can either rely on Technological overhaul of the existing systems or can develop Innovative Business models utilizing the existing systems itself. For example, a Refrigerator Manufacturing company can sell a Number of Cubic feet of space with a lowered temperature for a (certain period of time as long as the customer needs it),while the company owns the Unit.The incentive is to save the life cycle costs including Energy savings, Maintenance and Disposal.Such Innovative new solutions can radically change the Green growth story.
 
Key Challenges to the Green Models are -
1.Knowledge gap about the real benefits and the costs among Suppliers,Financial institutions and Customers.
2.Need for a change in the mindset of both the companies and the public institutions to be more open to create new solutions through public private partnerships.
3.Policy efforts have to be coordinated and regulated.
 
However, there are certain Green Business Models which are being adapted in a steady fashion.According to a paper - 'Green Business Models in the Nordic Region' some of the Business models are as follows 
 
1.Product and Service Based Model 
This is a revolutionary concept of 'Owner less Consumption'. The Refrigerator example stated above clearly exemplifies this concept.Green Product and Services model increases the Manufacturers market potential,increases the differentiated product services provided by them and increases customer loyalty too. However both manufacturers and customers are often concerned about the risk absorption methodology here as well as the challenges in determining the right costing of such services.
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2.Energy Saving Companies (ESCO's)
In this model an Energy saving company is Financed by a third party institution such as a Bank.The company  accomplishes energy saving projects of its client in exchange of a Fee.An example of an ESCO project could be where an ESCO installs a new heating system, insulation and a temperature control system in an old school. The ESCO makes the investment and the energy savings are split between the school and 
ESCO. Drivers for such projects are country specific and depend on the country's market maturity,size etc.However cost minimization and rising energy prices remain the key concern for such projects.
 
3.Sharing Business Model
The key driver for such a model is improved Resource efficiency and intensive resource utilization.Some of the examples of Sharing models are Car Sharing,Holiday Cottage and Time sharing, Washing centers and so on.Also the cost savings related to sharing products allows the product provider to profit on the business model.However, key barriers to such a model is High frequency requirement of customers,tendency to own a product rather than to share it and availability of the shared good.
 
According to Jill Fehrenbacher, CEO,Founder Inhabitat, some of the Green Businesses that are booming even in these tough economic times are 
Bicycle Sharing Shops - A smart business model based on Product and Services.
ZIPCAR - Community based resource sharing where cars services are shared among its users.According to some estimates the car sharing services is expected to $3.3 Billion approximately by 2016.
Green Construction- Such projects are in high demand due to increase in consumer consciousness towards the Environment.
Eco Fashion - Recycle and Reuse is the new mantra for New age fashion industry.
 
Green growth is inclusive of economic growth and protection of natural resources and the environment. Existing technology and consumer behavior is expected to produce positive outcomes upto a certain point, and therefore innovation is the key to create new ideas.But Green business models are still relatively new to industry and policy makers. A bigger knowledge and better understanding of emerging practices is needed to create appropriate policies and to encourage the industry. 
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Wantrapreneur 2010 Call for Entries

Posted by KANNA KUMAR SIRIPURAPU on August 31, 2010 at 4:19am
Are You a Social Enterprise impacting rural poor?
Join the league of extraordinary social entrepreneurs
Light up rural lives and win upto Rs. 1.5 Lakhs
WINNERS 2009
Ossian Agro AutomationNEEADSMushroom Development Foundation

Have you been in operation for more than 6 months?

Villgro announces the launch of the second edition of the biggest business plan competition for social entrepreneurs.

Wantrapreneur is aimed at identifying and recognizing innovative enterprises that use market based social enterprise models that impact rural lives. If you are a social enterprise operating inthe sectors of Agriculture,Water, Energy and Dairy for more than sixmonths, apply now.

Winners in each category take home Rs. 1.5 Lakhs and also stand a chance of being incubated by Villgro.

For details and online application log on to www.villgro.org/wantrapreneur

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