Trash Trail - Climate Miles' trip to understand the Urban Reality of Waste

Whenever a newby joins the Climate Miles Pvt. Team , he/she is asked to go for the 

DD-Trash Trail.

The "Trash Trail" is an interesting journey which I must mention, changes your life. We all know about the waste problem in Bangalore & other cities in the country, yet no one truly knows the reality of it all unless they have been on this trip at-least once. 

Honestly, the truth of it all is a bit too overwhelming for anyone to WANT to go a second time! The images below will highlight a few stops during the trail.

This first image was taken at one of the biggest Landfills in Bangalore. Bangalore city generates more than 3500 tonnes of waste - a DAY! A large portion of this comes into this particular Landfill in giant garbage trucks.

The" Leachate" (liquid), which escapes out of the mixed waste, collects to form a huge lethal pool. The sight of it doesnt come close to the overwhelming smell of the area. 

When you move around the periphery of this pool, you can actually see the plant life wilt away. There are also many families living around this area, surrounding the landfill. 

The only good news here is that unauthorized people are not allowed to enter, so we can be sure that locals are not entering this toxic zone to get scraps of dry waste to sell and make some money. In other cities like New Delhi, you can often see many women & children walking around looking for old paper, tetrapak, wires, plastic bottles & caps etc.

The next stop is a recycling facility where old plastic bottles we all use and throw are pulverized and made into small pellets. These pellets are then melted and made into colourful plastic buckets. Plastic however, can only be recycled a few times depending on the type and quality. 

To know more on how many times plastic (and other dry waste) can be recycled  link

There are a few more stops during the Trash trail, however I will allow you all to go and see for yourself. These images do not do justice to the actual experience. Hope all of you consider going and for those who have been, do encourage others. 

The trail is conducted by Daily Dump every month , usually on the second Saturday. You can also do group bookings.

This trip can educate and inform each one of us, and we can together actively strive to be more aware and proactive about out lifestyle choices, consumption and managing our own waste. Not to go "Good" or to "Save the Planet" but for ourselves.

Look forward to hearing about your experience at the Trash Trail. 

Back to basics - sustainability and its practice, Questions answered.

Back 2 Basics 

What is sustainability?
the intersection of finding social benefit, the practice of environmental conservation with focus on economic benefit is the definition of sustainability. The governance of the above is the practice of sustainability.

How does one govern sustainability?
By managing the influence of the 5 elements, air, earth, water, fire and ether and their assignment to tangible factors are.

1. Fire - Managing fire means managing energy by way of controlling input and consumption;
2. Water - Managing water is managing the water by way of controlling source, consumption and discharge;
3. Earth - Managing earth is managing waste by way of adapting process that reduce the generation of waste all through cradle to grave;
4. Air - Managing air is managing pollution;
5. Ether - Managing ether is adapting a appropriate communication strategy to increase overall sustainability awareness.  

What are the various functions that gain advantage due to the use of sustainability?

• policy for/ or corporate affairs
• Vision is accomplished for corporate affairs/ CEO's office
• Brand gets a new attribute for marketing
• Social benefit is delivered for csr
• Money saved and earned
• Environment is conserved

What are the various consulting services within sustainability?

• evaluation of the compliance needs and an environmental law audit.
• Defining a sustainability strategy and vision
• Creation of a corporate sustainability policy
• Audit for Leed certification and other ecolabeling services
• Energy audit, modelling and management
• Waste audit, modelling and management
• Carbon audit, modelling and management by way of carbon foot printing and life cycle analysis etc
• Water audit, modelling and management
• Stakeholder communication strategy and management, training etc

Beware people that practice sustainability in corporates, your masters need a fall guy.

Beware people, your masters need a fall guy. 
12th september 2013

Adani power recently got fined $40 Million for flouting environmental regulations at their Mundra thermal power plant. This did not come out of the blue from the MoEF is the rule making, governing and the fining body. They have been waving rules at Adani both as a warning from its inception. I was unfortunate to experience the wrath of this project from its inception as I was volunteering with a NGO which is located amidst the Adani and TATA plant. This NGO did not come to existence after these projects but had been there before the licenses were given out and isolated as these companies that negotiated together did not want to pay the rightful price that the NGO requested. One can make many strange inferences and these get sinister as the election year closes in. How did TATA’s plant that shares many services with Adani not get fined. Is the MoEF being partisan and sending a message to the Modi campaign?. The PMO meanwhile has ordered the MoEF to start doling out licenses that are withheld for abstract reasons like environment so that our fledgling economy will get a boost. Just in time for the elections? The Hon. Minister at the MoEF has in many interviews alluded that the primary challenge that she faces is that of lack of funds to monitor the rules and regulations that the corporates pretend to follow and pretend to implement. The argument she pushed was in the direction that the MOEF is losing the battle with PMO and her ministry will have to start the dole fest. The dole fest, just in time for the elections? Meanwhile, the Vedanta story is creating white noise like a good natured diversion and the respected DTE has increased its decibel on the story of limited governance and broke a cover story on LAVASA raising questions primarily in the corridor of continuing governance seeking to create a platform of doubt and to question. The need for election funds and corporate support cannot be understated and I am afraid all the noise we hear is meant to be misunderstood as justice when they are mere warnings meant to tame, meanwhile the sensitive and righteous share holder needs a fall guy. The bargaining chip is out Dear, Vedanta, SesaGoa, TATA, Adani, LAVASA and the many other miners and developers. Your masters are your curse and boon.

Voices of Sustainability Experts across the World

After the positive feedback of the previous post, time for a reality check.  A selection of tweets from the Sustainability experts that shows how close we are to the climate tipping point:

• Gil Friend : Humans have used up Earth's one year's supply of resources in just 8 months. (source)

• Sunita Narain : Lavasa Corporation is rushing to complete its township in Western Ghats. No one knows if the promoter is complying with conditions on which it was allowed to resume work. (source)

• Gil Friend : A leaked copy of the draft Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2013 Summary for Policymakers report states----95 percent certain—that humans are behind much of the global warming seen over the last six decades + global warming is going to be irreversibility, of scale…and, of direness. (source)

• Susan McPherson : Tourism is main source of foreign exchange, employment and cash for many. On the other hand mass tourism is unsustainable leading to adverse effects on the environment. (source)

• David Suzuki Foundation : The bee stories. Why bees are important and how food prices will rise if the bee population reduces. (source)

• Julie Urlaub : Environmental pressure and extreme weather are leading to a 20-40% rse in food prices in near future. Be ready to shell out much more for grocery bills. (source)

• Bill Mckibben  : 341st consecutive month with global temperatures warmer than the 20th century average. There are extraordinary heat waves in Russia’s Arctic region and in eastern China. Article also states the weather disasters in July. (source)

• David Suzuki foundation : These 20 cities have the most to lose from rising sea levels. (source) 

• Bill Mckibben :  Big Wildfire a new normal with climate change. The massive fire in California is the 7th largest fire in state history, and largest fire on record in the California Sierra Mountains. The state experienced a driest year that led to the fire. Thanks to "Climate Change". (source)

• Julie Urlaub : The extreme weather like drought, heavy rains and heat is expected to bring more mosquitoes. Thanks to climate change, our nights and even days have become itchy. (source)

• Bill Mckibben : Not only in South Asia, Dengue epidemic in Central America also. (source) 

Voices of Sustainability Experts around the world

This week we present a selection of sustainability initiatives by countries, individuals and corporates that impressed the Sustainability Experts enough that they tweeted about it.  We hope that these stories inspire many others to do the same as only collective actions can save the world from the effects of Climate Change and Global Warming.

 Bill McKibben : Germany stands number 1 in solar power generation. It expects to receive 80% of its energy from renewable resources by 2050. here  

 Simon Mainwaring : Employees at the semiconductor chip maker Intel recently devised a new process that reduced the company’s chemical waste by 900,000 gallons each year, saving $45 million annually. Another team developed a plan to reuse and optimize networking systems in offices, which cut energy costs by $22 million.here

Simon Mainwaring : Solar Panels being installed in White house.here 

Adam Werbach : 15 companies, representing 70% of global farmed production, are committing that 100% of their production will be certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council by 2020 .here

Adam Werbach  :   Sustainability and communications, now and soon. here   

John Friedman  : Sustainability and communications, now and soon. here

Alice Korngold : Sierra Energy, has spent the last several years testing a waste-to-energy system called the FastOx Pathfinder. The FastOx is now being prepared for delivery to Sierra Energy’s first customer: the United States Army. here

Neil Hawkins : China to spend huge amounts to fight air pollution. It is twice the size of the annual defence budget. here

 Julie Urlaub : People jumping to light up the christmas tree. here

 Julie Urlaub : Arizona State University (ASU) not only teaches sustainable business but  practices it    also. here

 Julie Urlaub : Recycle Force, a company that recycles electronic waste and also help people coming out o prison to transition back to the society. here

Julie Urlaub : Useful tips to reduce garbage at home. here

Sunita Narain : Kerala High Court, July 25, ordered the demolition of all 59 villas in well-known chain of luxury resorts on an island in the backwater of Kerala within three months due to violation of various norms and laws. here

Reach Scale : More and more offices are converting their terrace to a roof garden and a bee sanctuary. This not only has huge environmental benefits but also provide a good place for a quick break for the employees, and to entertainment clients.here

Neil Hawkins : DOW gives electric car to its employees to commute within the work site. here

Voices of Sustainability Experts from all over the world

Welcome to a new blog series. The blog will highlight the latest trends in the tweets of the world's leading Sustainability Thinkers.  An overview of the tweets and a few links that can be explored is what you will find in this blog series.

Today we start with voices of few Sustainability thinkers in America, which are listed in the “Twitter list: 30 most influential sustainability voices in America”

Earlier the term Climate Change or Global Warming were used in a generic manner, but as the effects of Climate Change are now showing up, more and more people are tweeting about the rising temperatures.

Here are a few interesting tweets on rising temperatures and reduced /unseasonal rainfall

• The temperature in Austria cross the 40ºC breaking the record as of 39.7° (103.4°F) in 1983.

• Europe has seen the hottest month – this July, since 2006

• Temperatures in Canada --- about ten degrees above normal.

• Exceptional heat is giving birth to wildfires in northern Canada and even in Alaska.

• In Japan, temperatures soared to over 40 degrees Celsius.

•  China has seen its worst heat wave in at least 140 years.

• In South Korea here are power shortages and the highest temperature 

• People in New Mexico are experiencing the effects of climate change. Almost 87% of the region is in a drought. The effects of drought are very severe.

• Extreme heat and lack of rainfall is killing thousands of Salmon in Alaska. 

• The early arrival of rains and the above –average temperature in Southeast Asia has created an environment suitable for mosquito breeding leading to an outbreak of Dengue fever.

                                                     Other Interesting Tweets

• Socially aware Consumers:    Around 50% of global consumers are willing to pay more for socially responsible products, especially in the younger generation.

• Collaborative partnerships to halt Climate Change: At the recent Sustainable Brands conference, one message was given time and again that individual corporate sustainability efforts aren’t enough to halt climate change. A collaborative partnership — even between competitors is the way to go.

• Art from Debris: Pam Longobardi, a professor at Georgia State University, uses marine debris to create works of art. The Plastic-collecting artist won a prestigious award

• Battle over pumping  water during droughts: The Ontario's Ministry of the Environment gave Nestlé a new five-year term, but added two new conditions that meant the company would have to reduce its take of water during droughts. These conditions were removed later. The environmental groups launched an appeal to force the Ministry and the food giant Nestlé to stick to the conditions. The battle over pumping water during droughts is heading to a full environmental hearing in Ontario.

Sustainability in Religion

On a recent trip to Shirdi, it was interesting to realise how a small town has been built around this particular temple of worship. Tourism in the area is booming with many 3 star and 4 star Meditation and Spa hotels as well as restaurants. Even the popular Italian restaurant “Little Italy” too has found its way to Shirdi! Not to mention the number of shops selling souvenirs such as idols, beads etc. 

For, me, this raises the question as to how a small town such as this, can accommodate these many tourists during the peak season or even throughout the year?  What impact could it have on the natural resources of the area – the electricity load, water taken up and the waste disposed in the area? How does it affect the local people? 

The same queries apply to all the areas where billions of tourists visit every year leading to the need for more accommodations, restaurants and toilets – all of which need plenty of resources (primarily energy and water) and leads to even larger amounts of waste (solid waste and waste water). So are the religious leaders and house of worship itself trying to ensure the eco-balance in these areas and how are they influencing the local public to do the same?

A few months ago, a Ganesha Temple in the city of Coimbatore, decided to set up its own solar panels and became one of the first ever temples to run on solar energy. The electricity generated may be used for all the lighting appliances, cooking food, as well as fans for all the devotees. This act in turn encouraged the rest of the society to explore using solar energy for their own needs. For a state like Tamil Nadu which often suffers from regular power cuts, (up to 16 hours a day!)  and has abundant sunlight (we know that!), this form of energy would help industries function more efficiently. 

In Malayasia, the temple committee sought help from NGOs and ministry to help them set up a solar generator and panels at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Sungai Salak in Lukat, Negri Sembilan  which is now the first solar-powered religious edifice in the country.

The growing Muslim community in England decided to set up a Mosque in the city of Cambridge using environmentally sustainable principles. The chairman of the Trust Abdul Hakim Murad stated that the Mosque will be using the latest conservation technology and green roofs so as to ensure that it has a minimal carbon footprint. This project was intended to be Europe’s first ecologically responsible mosque which hopefully would encourage Muslims all over the world to become more environmentally responsible.

In Scotland, Bridge of Allan Church is among 180 eco-congregations  which have made commitments to help the country tackle climate change by encouraging churches to adopt environmentally friendly ways of functioning while engaging the local communities. 

Even the Sikh community in India and abroad have moved towards sustainable practices being encouraged by their Gurudwaras. Dr. Singh ( Eco-Sikh , Convener) stated that “this way of thinking is core to Sikh Theology and now its time to practice the love of air, water and the mother earth as described in the Guru Granth Sahib” and what better way than to practice it in a house of worship.

These are but few of the many examples as to how faith and religion can impact a society and its people and direct them towards a more responsible path. I look forward to many more examples of the same.

It is encouraging to know that Religion is also becoming aware of the need for sustainability and imparting it to the people it influences.

Other links:
SaiBaba temple going solar
Iskon
Eco-friendly Gurdwara buildings
Catholic news