Dear Sir/ Madam,

Greetings from VIT University!

We are delighted to inform you that the our University is organizing a most awaited Two day International Workshop on “Challenges and Innovation in Renewable Energy Production” during November 24-25, 2011 at Vellore Campus. Many International and National energy experts from academia, research and industries will be presenting their experiences and achievements.

I am honored to invite you to participate and draw possible benefits from the workshops. It will also provide you a better platform to widen and strengthen your professional relations with various energy professionals from India and abroad, especially from Germany.

The Brochure can be viewed/ downloaded from URL "http://www.vit.ac.in/events2011/smbs/workshop/Brochure_CIREP-Workshop.pdf"   for further detail. Please act accordingly. Please feel free to contact me (pranveer@vit.ac.in) for further clarification, if any needed. We also solicit your cooperation for its wider circulation among your peers and making the workshop a great success.

Looking forward for your active participation in the Workshop.

With Best Regards,

-pranveer

---

Dr Pranveer S Satvat, PhD (IITK), FIE, FSED

Professor (Environmental Engineering)

Environmental, Water Res. & Transp. Eng. Division

School of Mechanical and Building Sciences

VIT University, Vellore -632 014, India

Voice #+91-416-220-2241, Cell #+91-9486961799

Fax #+91-416-2243092, pranveer@vit.ac.in

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                Save the Nature that Nurture Us..

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http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/urbanstudygroup/2011-July/003903.html

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is going to organise hands-on three-day training programme aimed at giving practical exposure to participants on Social Impact Assessment (SIA) with specific reference to development projects, such as infrastructure, mining and other industrial projects.

The training programme will be organized from 9 to 11 November, 2011, at CSE’s office, 41 Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi - 62. The course fee for the programme is Rs 8000/- per participant. However, 50 % discount is available for NGOs, academician and students. The course fee includes tuition fee, training material and lunch. The participants will have to bear their own travel and accommodation expenditure. 

Last date of applying has been extended to 28th October, 2011. Please go through the pdf for further details regarding the programme.

Kindly contact:

Sujit Kumar Singh, Swati Singh Sambyal

sujit@cseindia.org, swati@cseindia.org

sia%20training.pdf

CAMUS‐SBT  is an  oxygenation  engine that outperforms  conventional  technologies

likeActivated Sludge Process (ASP), Sequential Batch  Reactor (SBR),  Membrane  Bio Reactor

(MBR)and Moving Bed Bio‐reactor (MBBR). Our technology harnesses a  special set  of

 bio‐chemical reactions  to deliver  the  oxygenation required for effluent treatment. 

In  conventional technologies,  aeration isachieved mechanically, which is very energy

intensive.  At higher ambient  temperatures (like inIndia) the solubility of oxygen in water

is  low, therefore  energy  requirements of mechanical  aeration  used by  conventional

technologyincreases.  Moreover, air contains only20% oxygen, the rest being nitrogen that

ispassed into water wastefully, further adding to process inefficiency.

CAMUS‐SBTresolves this problem  using a  bio‐chemical method  of  oxygenation, which

notonly uses the atmospheric oxygen, but also uses the  nitrogen  from the  atmosphere  in  a

specially  engineered natural  ecology  to achieve the desired level of purity.

In  addition conventional  technologiesgenerate  large  amount of  sludge  for which

additional  disposal facilities  have  to  becreated.  CAMUS‐SBT  does not  face  any such

problems.Theschematic of the process is shown below.  

Featuresof our technology:

•  

  ·         Low‐energy consumption

• ·         All green natural process

• ·         No moving  parts  apart from pumps

• ·        No bio‐sludgeformation

• ·         Efficient removal  of  COD and nitrogen

• ·         Near drinking  water  quality after treatment

• ·        Treatment  cost Rs  3‐5  per 1000L

• ·        Garden likeambiance

• ·         Bio‐tower designs  available for spaceconstrained areas.

• ·        One time mediainstallation

• ·         Long life

• ·         Unskilled personnel  sufficient to operate

• ·        No foul Odor

Varioususes of the technology 

·                                 Sewage treatment plant(STP)  and industrial effluent treatment plant (ETP)applications.

·                                 Retrofit ofpre-existing STP/ETPs with SBT/CAMUS-SBT systems. 

·        Laundry EffluentTreatment for total water reuse. 

·        Distilleryspent-wash treatment. 

·        Coffee Effluenttreatment.

·        Hospitals waste water ,Hotels waste water,Municipal waste water can all be treated using SBT.

·        Design of zerodischarge air scrubbers for removal of waste noxious gases (Sulphur, NOx  

         and organic pollutants from Industrialprocesses). 

Environmental Planning and Coordination Organization (EPCO), an organization under Housing and Environment Organization has been entrusted to prepare State Action Plan on Climate Change(SAPCC). The first draft of SAPCC has been prepared by EPCO and is uploaded on www.epco.in for public comments. This Plan has been prepared through a wide scale consultation with secoral departments and other stakeholders. 27 stakeholder consultation workshops were organized during this process at different levels (sectoral as well as Agro-climatic Zone wise). More than 2000 stakeholders were consulted during this process. The draft has been shared with respective departments and sectoral experts for their comments/ suggestions. In case of any comment, please post on mpsapcc@epco.in

The Entrepreneurship Development Cell - EDC of IIFM cordially invites you to
The Social B-Plan Competition at Daksh 2011.

We believe that an entrepreneur is an instrument of change for the society
who not only elevates
towards his path of success but also creates value for the society. We aim
to create a channel of
knowledge sharing that would enable the budding entrepreneurs to chisel
their ideas.

Daksh is a unique business plan competition where students from various
institutes and
organizations across the globe would be invited to demonstrate their
business acumen by
developing sustainable, marketable and economically viable business plans

Daksh is to be held in 3 stages:

Stage I: Online submission of executive summaries of the B-Plan.
Stage II: Submission of the complete B-Plan for selected teams
Stage III: Presentation of the B-plan on November 26, 2011 to the panelists
of Daksh

Important deadlines
1. For registration: 26-10-2011
2. For submission of executive summary: 26-10-2011

Prize money
Winner: Rs. 30,000
Runner up: Rs. 20,000

For more details:- 

http://edciifm.com/registration/

Indian Institute of Forest Management is organizing ‘CSR India Conclave 2011’ on Nov 5, 2011. The conclave aims to bring the various stakeholders (policy makers, corporate houses, PSUs, NGOs and the academia) under one single roof. The objective is to analyze the 
framework of an actionable approach for CSR policies. The conclave aims at bringing the different facets of CSR to light through keynote addresses, panel discussions and social innovation idea competition. 

This conclave is not for hard talks but aims at providing a road ahead for synergizing the business capital with the social capital. The conclave focuses on bridging gaps between the two ends, business and society, by facilitating communication between NGOs and the corporate CSR heads. The conclave encourages NGOs to come up with well drafted development proposals that shall be presented before the corporate heads for implementation.

Join the Linkedin Group and spread the word .....Make it Big ....!!!!!
http://www.linkedin.com/groups /CSR-India-Conclave-2011-4130859?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

CALL FOR PAPERS

Seminar on 

Business Opportunities in Waste Management for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs): Potentials and Challenges

I am happy to invite you for the seminar on Business Opportunities in Waste Management for MSMEs: Potentials and Challenges.

Date:  November 5, 2011

Time:  9 am to 5 pm

Venue & Address:  WASME Conference Room, WASME House, Plot No. 4, Institutional Area, Sector 16 A, Noida-201301, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Call for Papers:

Experts/Researchers/ Industry professionals/Practitioners/Authors are invited to submit the soft copy of their papers/presentations/experiences/case studies/best practices. 15 minutes will be allotted to each person.

The seminar would discuss and review economic opportunities in the field of Solid Waste Management for MSME sector with the following focus:

• Business opportunities in solid waste management sector
• Challenges and hurdles for start-ups especially small investors
• Policy related matters & government support
• Few select areas that MSMEs could enter into
• Waste management business models for MSMEs
• Some of the success stories and best practices

I look forward to getting current research work on different aspects, related areas  or sub themes on several aspects of Solid Municipal Waste Management.  

Note: All the participants will be given certificate of participation.

For further details: contact

Dr. P. Koshy, Sr. Economist, WASME

Koshy.wasme@gmail.com , 91-9953871432

The Patna High Court on Friday issued notices to the Central and state governments and Central and the Bihar state pollution control boards to give reply to a PIL seeking laying out standard of ambient noise level at source under provisions of Section 10(1)(m) of Motor Vehicles Act for the vehicles.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/HC-seeks-reply-on-noise-pollution/articleshow/9930560.cms

MMRDA to put noise barriers on 7 flyovers in Mumbai:

www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/20111009201110090326428572715c78d/MMRDA-to-put-noise-barriers-on-7-flyovers.html

Can anyone please suggest any course or reference to learn Air modeling (using ISCTC3/ AERMOD)

Seminar on
Business Opportunities in Waste Management for MSMEs: Potentials and Challenges

Date: November 5, 2011

Time: 9 am to 5 pm

Venue & Address: WASME Conference Room, WASME House, Plot No. 4, Institutional Area, Sector 16 A, Noida-201301, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Seminar on

Business Opportunities in Waste Management for MSMEs: Potentials and Challenges

Increase in volume and types of solid waste have become an unmanageable problem for national and local governments. It has come to be a major challenge for all developing economies. Waste mountains have come to be a regular scene in many cities around the world, especially in the developing world. According to latest World Waste Survey Report, some 4 billion tonnes of municipal, industrial and hazardous waste are produced every year globally. It is estimated that the world market for waste, from collection to recycling, is worth about $410 billion a year.

Background

Waste management used to be considered a public good, where municipal authorities provided this service. However municipal authorities alone cannot deal with the challenge of managing waste in today’s world, owing to rapid rise in solid waste creation.

Interestingly, the private sector can play a huge role in providing the service economically and efficiently and the role of this sector is well accepted in policy circles across the world. There are multiple benefits arising from increased private sector participation. Apart from the possibility of fast technology adoption, innovation potential in waste management technology and processes and new ways of recycling, the private sector can contribute by creating thousands of new jobs in the recycling and waste management industry and help create cleaner cities and a give boost to a greener economy.

The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have immense business opportunities in this sector, because out of the total 4 billion tonnes of waste produced worldwide, just one billion is currently being recovered and only part of them recycled. 

There are two aspects that define prospects for private sector, especially, MSMEs in the waste management sector. Firstly, the tremendous speed at which urbanization is happening across the developing economies and secondly, the scope and huge potential for international trade in secondary raw materials recovered from waste. Recycling of waste has huge business potentials and it can emerge as a core sector of the emerging green economy.

Seminar Focus & Objective

Waste management is an emerging field that offers entrepreneurial opportunities. In this context World Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (WASME) is planning to organize a seminar on Business Opportunities in Waste Management: Potentials and Challenges.  Future waste management offers many business opportunities for the private sector such as:  waste-collection/disposal services; operation of recycling plant; e-waste recycling; Consultancy; equipment supply; organic fertilizer manufacturing; transportation; trade in recycled materials.

The seminar would discuss and review economic opportunities in the field of Solid Waste Management for MSME sector.

• Business opportunities in solid waste management sector
• What are the challenges and hurdles for start-ups especially small investors in this sector
• Few select areas that MSMEs could enter into and the business models
• Some of the success stories and best practices

About WASME

WASME, World Association for Small and Medium Enterprises, works for the promotion of micro, small and medium sized enterprises. It is always on the lookout for avenues for enterprises and entrepreneurs so as to enable people participate in the market process. It is the only international NGO promoting small and medium-sized enterprises worldwide. It has Members and Associates worldwide and enjoys consultative status with the concerned agencies in UN system such as Economic and Social Council, UNIDO, UNCTAD, WIPO, ILO and all regional UN Commissions. It also has operational relationship with UNESCO.

MoEF in Feb 2011 brought a rule that shop keepers should not provide plastic bags free, instead customers shold pay and buy bags to carry their purchased items. customers should get thrie own bags from home. but when people (customers)when they purchase items in 100s and 1000s they dont mind paying 50paisa -Rs5 for platic bags. people dont carry a bag from home when they go out for malls such as big bazaar,spencers,nilgeris, reliance fresh etc... for buying vegetables ang grocerries in local markets it is possible to take bags from home.

Instead of giving a plastic bags for money, the shop keepers can give a gunny bag quality kind a jute bag such that the weight of things is manageable. for the same Rs5 - Rs10, waste cloth bags, paper bags, jute bags can be provided. i feel think can bring down use of plastics more effectively.

is the current rule to pay and buy plastic bags an effective one??

Susanta Biswas, a reputed documentary film maker from Kolkata, completed the making of two documentary films on the success stories under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act, popularly known as NREGA. The Act aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household who volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

Susanta Biswas documentary titled 'A Step Ahead With NREGA' is based on the success story of Dhanbad Forest Division. The district of Dhanbad in Jharkhand state is itself distinct being the COAL CAPITAL of India. Dhanbad has cemented its place with the help of marked development in NREGA, under striking supervision of the Dhanbad Forest Division in some valuable measures taken in this area by this inspirited team. The Dhanbad Forest Division has gradually bloomed in different objectives of employment consumption as well as employment generation through NREGA. This act assures unemployed rural personals a minimum of hundred day’s employment in order to enhance their livelihood opportunities and raise their standard of living.

Compact Disc of the Documentary Film

The work of the Dhanbad Forest Division is highly appreciable as they have taken NREGA a step ahead in all respects. Besides, this act has made way for a ray of development in the regions of Dhanbad assuring people that they will be keeping the pace with time. NREGA has been working as a multitasking unit as it has been productive under the Forest Department works as well as clinging to its basic ideology of benefiting the overall region to great heights and delivering the people with the much needed employment. The strategic infrastructure has emerged successful in Dhanbad defying all odds and has marched ahead with notions of development holding hands with sustainability.

Again, another Susanta Biswas documentary titled 'Towards Poverty Alleviation' deals with the success story of Ramgarh Forest Division in NREGA. The overall systems of NREGA are most importantly very transparent and open to all from the fact that the progress and information regarding the plans are presented before the people through regular upgradation. Posting these essentials on the worldwide stage makes the system and its efficiency more sophisticated. NREGA with the help of Ramgarh Forest Division and its meticulous efforts has not only provided livelihood security to the people of the region but has also enhanced their living standards by the implementation and execution of the plans. Not only has the employment provided by the act beneficiated the people but the various assets constructed in this flowering procedure are the long term capitals of the area.

Compact Disc of the Documentary Film

Undoubtedly this has been an effort for stabilizing the conditions of the detruded sections of the society and enlightening them with the light of revival.

Earlier, Susanta Biswas's documentary films on sustainable development participated in important conferences and festivals like International Social Communication Cinema Conference, Brain Storming Session on Green India Mission, Kolkata Film Festival etc.

Industrial revolution followed by the advances in information technology during the last century has radically changed people's lifestyle. Although this development has helped the human race, mismanagement has led to new problems of contamination and pollution. The technical prowess acquired during the last century has posed a new challenge in the management of wastes. For example, personal computers (PCs) contain certain components, which are highly toxic, such as chlorinated and brominated substances, toxic gases, toxic metals, biologically active materials, acids, plastics and plastic additives. The hazardous content of these materials pose an environmental and health threat. Thus proper management is necessary while disposing or recycling e­wastes.

These days computer has become most common and widely used gadget in all kinds of activities ranging from schools, residences, offices to manufacturing industries. E-toxic components in computers could be summarized as circuit boards containing heavy metals like lead & cadmium; batteries containing cadmium; cathode ray tubes with lead oxide & barium; brominated flame­retardants used on printed circuit boards, cables and plastic casing; poly vinyl chloride (PVC) coated copper cables and plastic computer casings that release highly toxic dioxins & furans when burnt to recover valuable metals; mercury switches; mercury in flat screens; poly chlorinated biphenyl's (PCB's) present in older capacitors; transformers; etc. Basel Action Network (BAN) estimates that the 500 million computers in the world contain 2.87 billion kgs of plastics, 716.7 million kgs of lead and 286,700 kgs of mercury. The average 14-inch monitor uses a tube that contains an estimated 2.5 to 4 kgs of lead. The lead can seep into the ground water from landfills thereby contaminating it. If the tube is crushed and burned, it emits toxic fumes into the air.

EFFECTS ON ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH

Disposal of e-wastes is a particular problem faced in many regions across the globe. Computer wastes that are landfilled produces contaminated leachates which eventually pollute the groundwater. Acids and sludge obtained from melting computer chips, if disposed on the ground causes acidification of soil. For example, Guiyu, Hong Kong a thriving area of illegal e-waste recycling is facing acute water shortages due to the contamination of water resources.

This is due to disposal of recycling wastes such as acids, sludges etc. in rivers. Now water is being transported from faraway towns to cater to the demands of the population. Incineration of e-wastes can emit toxic fumes and gases, thereby polluting the surrounding air. Improperly monitored landfills can cause environmental hazards. Mercury will leach when certain electronic devices, such as circuit breakers are destroyed. The same is true for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from condensers. When brominated flame retardant plastic or cadmium containing plastics are landfilled, both polybrominated dlphenyl ethers (PBDE) and cadmium may leach into the soil and groundwater. It has been found that significant amounts of lead ion are dissolved from broken lead containing glass, such as the cone glass of cathode ray tubes, gets mixed with acid waters and are a common occurrence in landfills.

Not only does the leaching of mercury poses specific problems, the vaporization of metallic mercury and dimethylene mercury, both part of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is also of concern. In addition, uncontrolled fires may arise at landfills and this could be a frequent occurrence in many countries. When exposed to fire, metals and other chemical substances, such as the extremely toxic dioxins and furans (TCDD tetrachloro dibenzo-dioxin, PCDDs-polychlorinated dibenzo­dioxins. PBDDs-polybrominated dibenzo-dioxin and PCDFs­poly chlorinated dibenzo furans) from halogenated flame retardant products and PCB containing condensers can be emitted. The most dangerous form of burning e-waste is the open-air burning of plastics in order to recover copper and other metals. The toxic fall-out from open air burning affects both the local environment and broader global air currents, depositing highly toxic by products in many places throughout the world.

Summeries below depicts the health effects of certain constituents in e-wastes. If these electronic items are discarded with other household garbage, the toxics pose a threat to both health and vital components of the ecosystem. In view of the ill-effects of hazardous wastes to both environment and health, several countries exhorted the need for a global agreement to address the problems and challenges posed by hazardous waste. Also, in the late 1980s, a tightening of environmental regulations in industrialized countries led to a dramatic rise in the cost of hazardous waste disposal. Searching for cheaper ways to get rid of the wastes, "toxic traders" began shipping hazardous waste to developing countries. International outrage following these irresponsible activities led to the drafting and adoption of strategic plans and regulations at the Basel Convention. The Convention secretariat, in Geneva, Switzerland, facilitates and implementation of the Convention and related agreements. It also provides assistance and guidelines on legal and technical issues, gathers statistical data, and conducts training on the proper management of hazardous waste.

Effects of E-Waste constituent on health

Source of e-wastes

Constituent

Health effects

Solder in printed circuit boards, glass panels and gaskets in computer monitors

Lead (PB)

• Damage to central and peripheral nervous systems, blood systems and kidney damage.
• Affects brain development of children.

Chip resistors and semiconductors

Cadmium (CD)

• Toxic irreversible effects on human health.
• Accumulates in kidney and liver.
• Causes neural damage.
• Teratogenic.

Relays and switches, printed circuit boards

Mercury (Hg)

• Chronic damage to the brain.
• Respiratory and skin disorders due to bioaccumulation in fishes.

Corrosion protection of untreated and galvanized steel plates, decorator or hardner for steel housings

Hexavalent chromium (Cr) VI

• Asthmatic bronchitis.
• DNA damage.

Cabling and computer housing

Plastics including PVC

Burning produces dioxin. It causes

• Reproductive and developmental problems;
• Immune system damage;
• Interfere with regulatory hormones

Plastic housing of electronic equipments and circuit boards.

Brominated flame retardants (BFR)

• Disrupts endocrine system functions

Front panel of CRTs

Barium (Ba)

Short term exposure causes:

• Muscle weakness;
• Damage to heart, liver and spleen.

Motherboard

Beryllium (Be)

• Carcinogenic (lung cancer)
• Inhalation of fumes and dust. Causes chronic beryllium disease or beryllicosis.
• Skin diseases such as warts.

Environmental Issues in TP Plants

The key environmental issues in any thermal power plant projects are:-

Air Emissions

Fugitive Emissions

SPM, RPM, NOX

Fuel, type & design of combustion, operating practices, emission control

measures

Solid Waste

Fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag and FGD sludge (if installed)

Ash residues contaminated with heavy metals

Ash management

Water Consumption & Aquatic Habitat Alteration

Cooling system – once through, closed circuit wet cooling and dry cooling

Receiving surface waters

Impact on aquatic organisms

Competing with other users

The top seed companies of the world are bigger and stronger than ever before, having replaced small family run farms. Why should this be of concern to those who believe in sustainable agriculture?  There's also a video link to Vandana Shiva's talk on seeds at the end.

http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2011/09/21/what-are-the-top-seed-companies/ 

the degradation of agricultural land is not only confined around the cities, but it is upcoming very fast on and around the city or state highways. Dewas is a industrial setup and Mhow near Indore. indore being the cntre of these 2 cities recieves maximum influx of population, which migrates in search of better living standards and good civic facilities. this continuous influx acts as a catalyst in the expansion of urban sprawls. similarly there are many small towns and villages which impound great pressure o indore city and bring a force economic scarcity. this urban sprawls is not only taking lace in indore but most of the cities. urban sprawls need to be taken are. a development without destruction plan is needed. for most of the cities.